Heyes Lane Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 November 2022

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel well cared for and safe. Pupils, parents, carers and staff agree that this is a warm, kind and welcoming school. The school's core beliefs, such as achievement for all and personal growth, are threaded throughout the curriculum. Pupils said that this is a fantastic school where everyone is welcome. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' academic performance and their behaviour. Pupils live up to these aspirations in and out of class. Pupils take pride in their work and they achieve well. Pupils relish the rewards that they receive for their achievements, their positive attitudes and their kind behaviour. Teachers manage pupils' behaviour fairly and consistently. Children in early years and older pupils learn to manage their emotions well. Disagreements are quickly resolved. Leaders act quickly on the rare occasions when bullying does occur. They are successful in working closely with the pupils involved and their families to make sure that such behaviour does not continue. Pupils are encouraged to be socially aware and responsible citizens. They are involved in charity events and environmental causes. For example, they made an excellent contribution to the recycling campaign in Timperley. Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs and activities, such as yoga, hockey and Spanish.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, leaders' curriculum thinking is not fully developed. This means that teachers are not clear about what pupils should be taught and when this should happen. This prevents some pupils from building on their previous learning in a logical manner. Leaders should ensure that they finalise their curriculum design in these subjects.
• In some subjects, teachers are not equipped to check how well pupils have understood their learning over time. This leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the skills and expertise to identify pupils' misconceptions, so that they can know and remember more.
• The support that is in place to help pupils to catch up with reading is not effective enough. This means that some pupils, especially those in key stage 2 who find reading difficult, do not develop the reading fluency that they need to be successful. Leaders should ensure that staff are suitably trained to help pupils overcome gaps in their phonics knowledge, so that they can catch up with their peers.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)