Helmingham Primary School and Nursery

Helmingham Primary School and Nursery

Address: School Road, Helmingham, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 6EX Unique reference number (URN): 146961

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff accurately identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They regularly review pupils’ progress and evaluate how effective the support is. Leaders, including those from the trust, provide regular training so that staff continue to build their knowledge and support pupils effectively. Teachers routinely adapt tasks to help pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders work closely with external professionals so that staff can access specialist guidance for pupils who require additional help. This work helps pupils to overcome the barriers to learning they face. The impact of this support is developing over time.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders identify the barriers that disadvantaged pupils face and use additional funding effectively to plan targeted support so that pupils are ready and able to learn. For example, leaders use funding to ensure staff are well trained and have the capacity to provide specialist support for pupils who need help with their social and emotional development. The school also ensures that disadvantaged pupils have the same opportunities as their peers. For instance, the school subsidises trips so that all pupils, regardless of their background, benefit from the same experiences.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have implemented a suitable personal development programme. Pupils develop a secure understanding of fundamental British values. For example, older pupils explain confidently how they show tolerance and respect for others. They clearly state that everyone is welcome at their school and that differences are valued and respected.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school’s personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum meets statutory requirements and covers important topics pupils need to know to thrive in modern Britain. For instance, pupils receive weekly teaching about internet safety, reflecting leaders’ strong awareness of its importance in the modern world.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide pupils with carefully planned opportunities to develop wider skills they will need in the future. Pupils understand these skills and can articulate how school activities help them to develop them. For example, pupils take on leadership roles that give them an active voice in school life. Reading ambassadors run clubs for younger pupils, where they organise and lead sessions, developing their independence and leadership skills. More widely, pupils in the school parliament represent the school at trust wide events, ensuring the school has a voice across the trust. These opportunities enable pupils to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils also develop their talents and interests beyond the academic curriculum. For example, leaders ensure that all pupils learn to play a musical instrument each year. Pupils also have opportunities to attend theatre and music performances and to take part in inter- school sports competitions. These opportunities broaden pupils’ experiences. No pupil misses out. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils benefit equally from all aspects of the school’s personal development offer.

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Achievement Needs attention

The small number of pupils on roll means that published performance data fluctuates from year to year. However, pupils’ work across the school shows that they do not achieve as well as they could. From the early years, pupils develop gaps in their learning. As a result, they are not academically well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders have begun to address this lower achievement. For example, older pupils demonstrate greater fluency in recalling key number facts and present their work more neatly. However, much of this improvement is at an early stage. Pupils do not yet develop strong early writing skills. From an early age, inconsistencies in letter formation and spelling emerge, which means pupils need to catch up in later years.

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Achievement Needs attention

Teaching is typically adapted well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This support usually enables these pupils to achieve successfully, and they generally make positive progress from their various starting points.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ work across the wider curriculum is developing. Pupils increasingly recall recent learning. For example, pupils speak confidently about their learning in religious education, particularly their work on Judaism.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Over time, pupils have not attended school as regularly as they should. Available figures show that pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, attend below the national averages. Too many pupils are persistently absent. The school has recently begun to take action to address this. For example, leaders now monitor attendance data in greater detail, which gives them a clearer understanding of the barriers pupils face in attending regularly. This work is starting to have an impact. Most pupils who were persistently absent in the past now attend more frequently. However, overall attendance remains below the national averages, and further time and sustained effort are required for this work to have a lasting impact.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

The school sets clear expectations for behaviour and pupils meet these expectations. Built on positive relationships, pupils behave well in lessons and show a strong willingness to learn. At less structured times, pupils interact positively, get along well with one another and enjoy social times together. Where pupils need more individualised support, the school adapts provision to help them succeed. Incidents of bullying are rare. When they do occur, the school takes them seriously and deals with them quickly and effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders recognise the need to provide further support for teachers so that teaching becomes more consistent. For example, teachers do not always provide opportunities for pupils to practise and consolidate their learning or to take an active role in lessons. As a result, some pupils do not secure the key knowledge that they need.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

During lessons, teachers do not respond quickly enough to pupils’ learning needs. Consequently, pupils are often left waiting to move on in their learning and do not have sufficient opportunities to deepen or extend their understanding. Although pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities generally receive appropriate support, they experience the same inconsistencies in teaching as their peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The teaching of writing across the school is variable. While leaders have made writing a priority, expectations for spelling, handwriting and grammar are not consistently high enough. Where pupils have important gaps in their writing, teaching lacks the necessary precision to ensure these gaps close quickly.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Reading is a clear priority. The school has introduced a new phonics programme, which provides a precise and well sequenced approach. As a result, the teaching of reading is typically taught well.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Despite inconsistencies in teaching, leaders have designed a broad and structured curriculum across all subjects. This is securely established from Year 1 onwards and sets out clearly what pupils should learn and when, taking account of pupils’ individual needs.

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Early years Needs attention

The early years curriculum is not as clearly defined as it needs to be. As a result, some learning activities lack clear purpose. Staff miss opportunities for children to learn key knowledge and skills. Consequently, children do not achieve as well as they should and are not as well prepared for Year 1 as they should be.

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Early years Needs attention

Teaching in the early years is variable. Children enjoy the activities provided. However, teachers do not always make the learning intent clear. Staff generally interact positively with children and support their learning effectively. However, they sometimes miss opportunities to extend children’s communication and language skills during these interactions.

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Early years Needs attention

The teaching of early number is a strength. Children engage well in structured sessions and use practical resources to explore numbers in different ways. This approach helps children to develop their mathematical understanding more securely. Similarly, a well structured early reading curriculum supports children to learn letters and their sounds effectively.

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Early years Needs attention

Staff build warm and positive relationships with children throughout the early years. Children receive good care and support. This includes children who face barriers to learning, who staff support well so that they can take an active part in all learning activities.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders, including those from the trust, have a broadly accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and next steps. However, much of the work to bring about improvement is at an early stage. Leaders’ actions, while taken in the best interests of pupils, have not been timely enough to secure the necessary changes across the school. The school has engaged with trust and external partners to provide training for staff. Staff value this support and recognise how it helps them to develop in their roles. For example, leaders support staff to improve the teaching of mathematics in the school’s mixed age classes. Leaders know further training and support are required to secure more consistent teaching across the school.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff are proud to work at the school and feel valued and appreciated. They recognise that leaders take account of workload and wellbeing when making decisions.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Parents and carers express very positive views about the school. They appreciate the inclusive ethos, the strong sense of community and the opportunities that the school provides for their children. Parents also value being involved in school life.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Those responsible for governance meet their statutory duties. Trustees receive appropriate information to help them understand the school’s work and performance. They are proud of the school’s ethos and its role within the community. However, they recognise the need to provide stronger challenge to school and trust leaders to ensure improvements are secured more quickly, particularly in raising standards and improving attendance.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school is a happy and inclusive place. Pupils are well cared for and get along well with one another. This inclusive school sits at the heart of its village community.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

While pupils enjoy learning from the early years onwards, they do not achieve as well as they could. Inconsistencies in teaching mean that pupils develop important gaps in their learning. As pupils move through the school, they do not develop the depth of knowledge they are capable of. As a result, they are not as academically prepared for secondary school as they should be.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Over time, pupils have not attended school as often as they should. Irregular attendance acts as a barrier to pupils’ achievement. The school is now taking action, and there are early signs of improvement. However, this work has not yet had a sustained impact on helping pupils attend as regularly as they should.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school is calm and conducive to learning. Pupils enter school ready to learn. Classrooms are settled and orderly, and learning in class proceeds without disruption. Pupils socialise happily during playtimes. Pupils understand what bullying is and are confident that it is not a problem in their school. If it does occur, staff deal with it very effectively. Pupils feel safe and secure in school and are confident to speak to staff if they ever feel worried or anxious. The school prioritises pupils’ wellbeing. This is evident throughout the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from the wider opportunities that the school provides. This includes pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are fully involved in school life. For example, all pupils take part in outdoor learning sessions. These activities help pupils to develop resilience and confidence and to take managed risks in the school’s impressive outdoor environment.

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Team inspector:

Mark Carter-Tufnell, His Majesty's Inspector

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum is refined and evaluated so that it fully meets the needs of all children and supports their readiness for Year 1. Leaders should further support teachers to use suitable assessment strategies to allow them to respond and adapt learning to meet pupils' needs within lessons. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum has suitable ambition across all subjects so that all pupils are able to deepen their learning in order to achieve their full potential. Leaders should ensure that pupils are well supported to acquire the foundations in writing and build upon these skills to write consistently in a range of subjects, at an age- appropriate level. Leaders should further refine and embed their attendance strategy to improve the attendance of those pupils who miss too much school.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Consortium Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mr Steve Martin.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with school leaders, including the headteacher. They spoke with pupils, parents and carers. They also met with representatives of the trust, including the CEO and trustees, during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Stephanie Powley The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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