Handale Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 January 2025

Pupils at Handale attend a happy school at the heart of the community. Pupils live by the school values. They work hard and show respect and kindness to all. The school's values are well understood. Staff foster a caring and inclusive atmosphere where pupils thrive. The school is ambitious for all its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is reflected in the work pupils produce in school and in the outcomes achieved by pupils in national tests. Pupils behave well. The school has high expectations of pupils. Children in the early years learn and play alongside each other happily. Pupils are attentive in lessons and move around the school sensibly. Pupils are helpful and considerate, showing kindness to each other. They know that bullying is rare and is swiftly dealt with if it ever does occur. Pupils feel safe and know who to talk to if they have any worries. Pupils take on responsibilities with a sense of pride. They value the role of librarians in promoting reading throughout the school. They know the difference sports leaders make at playtimes. They get the opportunity to apply for other roles too, such as Head Boy and Head Girl.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils at the early stages of reading make slower progress in writing than they could. This is because they are asked to write words containing sounds they have not yet been taught. The school should continue to work on improvements to the writing curriculum to ensure tasks closely reflect the sounds that pupils have been taught to read.

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