Horizon Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The new headteacher has inspired a strong and cohesive team of staff.

His vision and drive have underpinned a fresh drive to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school. High-quality, vibrant displays of work celebrate achievement and demonstrate the broad and interesting curriculum. Timetabled scouting sessions offer a popular way of supporting pupils to gain self-esteem and to develop British values.

An experienced team of governors and The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) have offered consistency at a time of significant change in leadership. Support from the trust and partnership work with other schools are... improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school. Pupils make good progress in nearly all year groups.

Outcomes at the ends of early years and key stages 1 and 2 are broadly in line with the national averages. However, too few pupils achieve the higher standard by the end of key stage 2. Children in early years get a flying start to their education.

Strong leadership combined with rich and stimulating learning environments support children to make good progress from their starting points. Effective phonics teaching underpins the strong progress pupils make in reading in Reception class and key stage 1. Staff have worked hard to maintain and improve attendance, which is now in line with the national average.

However, although improving, rates of persistent absence for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are still too high. Recently improved assessment and monitoring systems are beginning to be used to adapt teaching and learning. More needs to be done to accelerate the progress of boys and the most able pupils still further.

Horizon's curriculum offers a range of engaging experiences and activities across the different subject areas. However, planning is not sufficiently detailed to ensure strong progression in key knowledge and skills over time in subjects other than English and mathematics. New leaders have introduced a raft of recent initiatives and systems to target improvements to standards, attendance and welfare.

More detailed analysis of these initiatives is required to boost staff confidence and consistency of approach and prioritise what works best.

Information about this school

Horizon Primary Academy is a smaller-than-average community primary school. The school is a sponsored academy within The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT), a large multi-academy trust with 44 academies across the south of England.

The directors of TKAT are responsible for, and oversee, the management and administration of its primary and secondary academies. The trust delegates aspects of governance to the local governing body. This local governing body is responsible for taking a strategic overview of the school and monitoring its policies, targets and priorities.

Most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils who have SEND is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is well above the national average.

Over the past year, there was a period of staffing changes at the school. The previous substantive headteacher left during the last academic year and the school had an interim headteacher and then an acting headteacher. The deputy headteacher left last July.

The current headteacher took up post in September 2018 and has restructured senior and middle leadership with new appointments. The school runs a breakfast and an after-school club. The school has received support from TKAT to support teaching, learning and assessment as well as leadership and management.

Also at this postcode