Hovingham Primary School, located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, was inspected on 27 and 28 February 2024. The overall effectiveness of the school is rated as requiring improvement, which reflects ongoing challenges in various areas of its educational provision. The quality of education is also deemed to require improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, as well as personal development, are rated as good. Leadership and management, along with early years provision, are identified as areas needing improvement.
Since the last inspection, the school has made strides in improving pupil attendance and behaviour. Leaders have established effective systems that have positively impacted these areas, leading to a safer environment where most pupils feel secure and confident that staff will address any bullying concerns. The school promotes a vigilant culture for identifying vulnerable pupils and educates them about potential risks in an age-appropriate manner. Pupils engage in a variety of extracurricular activities, such as ballet, football, and drama, and take pride in their roles as mental health champions and student council representatives.
Despite these positive developments, the school faces significant challenges due to high pupil mobility and a diverse student population, many of whom are new to English. Leaders have begun to implement changes to the curriculum, but expectations for pupil achievement are not sufficiently high. Teachers struggle with consistent assessment practices, which hampers the ability to ensure that pupils are fluent in essential reading and writing skills. Consequently, many pupils fall behind in their learning.
The school has made efforts to enhance the profile of reading, particularly in the early years, with appealing book areas and a diverse selection of literature available to pupils. Staff have received training in the phonics programme; however, there are inconsistencies in monitoring pupil progress within this framework, resulting in some pupils not making the expected progress. The mathematics curriculum is more effectively implemented, allowing pupils to retain much of what they learn, while the art curriculum is still in its early stages of development.
Assessment practices are not utilized effectively to gauge pupil understanding and retention of knowledge, leading to gaps in learning that are not addressed promptly. Teachers often do not recognize when pupils lack foundational skills necessary for more complex tasks. Issues with handwriting, spelling, punctuation, and grammar are not consistently addressed, particularly in key stage one, where early intervention is lacking.
Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities receive adequate support in lessons, with appropriate adaptations made for those with visual impairments. Attendance is gradually improving due to the school’s strong focus on this area, with leaders actively working to understand and mitigate barriers to attendance. Staff members, some of whom speak multiple languages, engage with families to support attendance efforts.
Pupils exhibit polite and welcoming behaviour, and most parents believe that the school effectively manages bullying incidents. The school fosters respectful relationships between staff and pupils, contributing to a positive learning environment. However, while pupils enjoy learning about different cultures and faiths, their retention of knowledge beyond basic facts is limited, particularly regarding fundamental British values.
Governors provide some effective challenge and support to school leaders, particularly concerning attendance, but they hold an overly generous view of the quality of education provided. Most staff feel supported in their roles, and leaders consider their workload and well-being.
The safeguarding arrangements at the school are effective, ensuring that pupils are protected and their welfare prioritized. However, the school must focus on embedding a robust assessment system and ensuring that the curriculum is implemented effectively to enhance the quality of education and support all pupils in achieving their potential.
