Highfields Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 May 2024

Pupils attend Highfields Primary Academy readily and regularly. They know staff care for them and understand them well. This helps them to feel safe in school. The school has high expectations for all its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are determined that all pupils have a 'growth mindset'. This encourages them to try hard and to achieve the aims the school has for them to the best of their ability. Pupils are polite, well-mannered, courteous and extremely articulate. They relish the opportunity to talk about their learning because they are enthused by it. They get on well with each other and are respectful of differences. This leads to a calm and harmonious environment in which pupils can thrive. Pupils behave very well. They appreciate the actions the school takes to help them reflect on their behaviour at times when they find this more difficult. The school ensures that there is always someone for pupils to talk to about any worries or concerns they might have. The worry box provides an alternative way for pupils to share these as they arise. These are dealt with in a sensitive and appropriate way. This further strengthens the sense of safety and wellbeing pupils feel when in school.

What the school should improve

• Curriculum planning in some foundation subjects are not yet finalised. Series of lessons in these subjects do not enable pupils to make links between concepts securely enough so that they build knowledge as well as they might. The school should continue to embed a coherently sequenced curriculum from Reception to Year 6 for those subjects still being developed.
• Some teachers do not use assessment well enough to identify if pupils are working at the expected standard. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive training to enable them to understand assessment effectively to help identify whether pupils are working at the expected standard for their age and stage.
• The school have not ensured that staff have received effective training to understand and deliver the phonics scheme consistently well. This means that some pupils are not making the progress they could in early reading. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive the relevant phonics training to further strengthen the teaching of phonics.

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