Hemblington Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

At Hemblington Primary School, some pupils do not behave as well as they should.

There is some bullying in older year groups. Pupils are unhappy with this. They want leaders and teachers to make this better.

Pupils are frustrated that unkind behaviour has gone on for some time. Nevertheless, pupils largely feel safe in school. In lessons, most pupils are keen and eager to learn.

Pupils are given opportunities to 'be the best you can be'. They enjoy getting involved in a range of clubs. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) feel included in all parts of school life, from lessons to performing arts clubs.

Leaders plan the 'He...mblington 100' experiences that pupils should have during their time at school, including visiting local heritage sites. Pupils meet positive career role models, such as professional scientists. This helps pupils to understand the wide range of careers that are open to them.

Pupils study subjects that are well planned. However, they do not always get teaching that helps them focus on key knowledge. Pupils get the help they need to learn to read.

They love reading at school and are proud of their reading accomplishments.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children make a positive start in the Reception class. They learn the links between sounds and letters from the start of the year.

Teachers start with the experiences and knowledge that children already have. They plan further experiences that help children to learn important vocabulary and knowledge. For example, teachers explain words like 'unique' and 'natural' through rhymes and outdoor visits.

Pupils enjoy this and repeat words and phrases as they move from one activity to the next.

The headteacher helped subject leaders to design subject curriculums. Curriculum planning now focuses on the important building blocks of knowledge.

In subjects such as science and religious education (RE), the curriculum focuses on key words and concepts. Leaders have chosen to read classic books to pupils. They have also chosen other books that tell stories about different people's lives.

School and trust leaders have trained staff across the school how to teach phonics well. As a result, pupils learn to read well. Pupils talk about the books that they read with excitement.

In Years 1 to 6, teachers' checks on pupils' learning lack precision. Teachers do not have the right systems to check if pupils have learned what they need to. They do not know well enough whether pupils have remembered the key concepts from the curriculum.

Consequently, as teachers lack a detailed understanding of what pupils have learned, they do not adjust what they teach next well enough.

Too often in subjects other than reading, teachers do not choose learning activities that focus on key content. This does not benefit pupils with SEND who need support to focus on crucial knowledge.

This means that pupils with SEND do not get help that is adapted well enough to help them learn different subjects.

Many staff members deal with instances of poor behaviour well, using the school's new approach to behaviour. This stops some pupils from disrupting lessons and deals with some bullying.

However, staff are inconsistent in their approach. They do not always follow the new approach and they do not always address poor behaviour and bullying effectively. This leads to a few lessons being disrupted and bullying continuing in some cases.

Leaders' system for recording bullying and poor behaviour is new. Other than for pupils with complex needs, leaders are not effective at finding out why pupils make poor behaviour choices. Leaders are not using information well enough to improve pupils' behaviour.

Leaders have focused on what pupils need for developing resilience and character. They have set up opportunities to help pupils learn the skills of independence. Leaders organised a residential trip for the oldest pupils and arranged a cultural trip to a local religious site.

Pupils found out what different people in society think is important about life. Leaders support pupils well to find out about the different choices that people in society make. Pupils know how to act in the right way online.

Leaders make sure that pupils with SEND learn specific safety skills to look after themselves.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders support vulnerable pupils to attend well.

They teach pupils how to keep safe in and out of school, including online. Staff access regular training and updates on safeguarding.

There have been occasions where leaders of safeguarding did not follow referral procedures accurately.

Previously, leaders and managers did not thoroughly check processes around referrals. The trust has now taken a proactive role to oversee safeguarding and those responsible for governance now offer more challenge around safeguarding. More recently, leaders of safeguarding have secured the right level of support for vulnerable pupils who need it.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The assessments that teachers use often do not show them whether pupils have learned and remembered the curriculum content. This means that teachers do not know which knowledge has been learned by which pupils and do not adjust their teaching accordingly. Leaders should ensure that assessment enables teachers to check whether pupils have learned the subject curriculum.

• Teachers do not consistently combine detailed information about pupils with SEND and specific knowledge of the subject content to inform their teaching choices. This means that teaching decisions to support these pupils are not as precise as they should be. Leaders should ensure that teachers use up-to-date information about pupils with SEND to adapt their teaching for the subjects that they teach.

• Leaders have too much of a reactive, case-by-case approach to how behaviour is understood, managed, and dealt with across the school. As a result, the actions that they take to promote positive behaviour and to tackle poor behaviour are too imprecise and less effective than they need to be. Leaders should analyse the information from their behaviour management system to identify exactly where their actions should be focused.