| Name | Heronswood Primary School |
| Website | http://www.heronswoodprimaryschool.co.uk/ |
| Ofsted Inspection Rating | Good |
| Inspection Date | 19 September 2017 |
| Address | Heronswood Road, Kidderminster, DY10 4EX |
| Phone Number | 0156269750 |
| Type | Academy |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religious Character | Does Not Apply |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Number of Pupils | 421 (54% boys 46% girls) |
| Number of Pupils per Teacher | 22.5 |
| Academy Sponsor | The Rivers C Of E Multi Academy Trust |
| Local Authority | Worcestershire |
| Percentage Free School Meals | 15.2% |
| Percentage English is Not First Language | 5.6% |
| Persisitent Absence | 6.9% |
| Pupils with SEN Support | 20.4% |
| Catchment Area Information Available | Yes, our catchment area data is FREE |
| Last Distance Offered Information Available | No |
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Highlights from Latest Inspection:
Information about this school The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish. Heronswood Primary School opened as an academy, sponsored by the multi-academy trust, Rivers Academy Trust, in October 2014. It is one of seven primary and first schools in the trust. The headteacher left shortly afterwards. The current headteacher has been in post since June 2015, initially as head of school, under the direction of an executive headteacher, and subsequently appointed as headteacher. The board of trustees is the strategic authority for the multi-academy trust (MAT). Heronswood has its own local governing body, which oversees the quality of education and the safeguarding of pupils at the school. The school receives support from the MAT for supporting newly qualified teachers on their first year of teaching and those who are in their second year. Additional training is brokered from the MAT for improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment as identified by the headteacher. The school has grown since it opened and continues to get larger. It is currently just above the size of an average primary school. The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. Summary of key findings for parents and pupils This is a good school Since opening as an academy in October 2014, Heronswood Primary School has been through a period of significant turmoil. That is now past. In the words of an astute parent, ‘The school is now the best it has ever been.’ Current senior leaders have energetically and systematically transformed the school’s culture. Pupils and staff alike are proud to be associated with the school. It is a happy, interesting and worthwhile place to be. Considerable turbulence after October 2014 affected greatly the quality of teaching. Thus, academic standards dropped. Current leaders have eradicated the reasons for the decline and have overseen substantial improvements in the quality of teaching. Therefore, outcomes are recovering quickly. Pupils are, once again, making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This means that they are making up lost ground. Nevertheless, there is still more catching up to do. Pupils’ attainment, while rising rapidly, is still not as high as it should be by the time they leave Year 6. Pupils behave exceptionally well. From the first day they start at the school, they learn to display impressive levels of self-discipline. Leaders believe that pupils’ welfare and well-being are the keys to the school’s success. Staff work relentlessly to keep pupils safe and to promote their happiness. They do so extremely well. Teachers make lessons interesting, fun and challenging. Pupils throw themselves into learning with enthusiasm. Teachers pitch lessons well at the expected standards for pupils’ ages. Some are less confident at taking pupils beyond this. The high quality of care in the early years provision helps children settle quickly into the routines and challenges of school life. Teaching is good. Therefore children make good progress in the pre-school and Reception Years. Trustees of the Rivers Academy Trust provide high levels of effective support, along with the necessary resources, to help the school deliver a good quality of education. The local governing body holds leaders closely to account for using those resources effectively. |
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