Holbeach Bank Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 October 2022

Pupils speak highly of their school. As one pupil told an inspector: 'This school is amazing. Everyone is kind. We all look after each other'. Relationships between staff and pupils are consistently positive. Leaders' high expectations of pupils are reflected in the positive behaviour around the school. Pupils say that the school's behaviour policy works well and that behaviour has improved. They say that there are some occasional fall outs, but staff quickly deal with these. Pupils enjoy moving their name up the sunshine and rainbow boards. Moving down to a rain cloud is taken seriously. However, pupils say that this happens rarely. Those that need help to follow the school's rules are well supported. Their behaviour improves over time. Pupils are respectful. They value uniqueness. They say that everyone is welcome at the school and that no one is left out. Everyone is treated equally. Pupils make good use of the extra-curricular activities on offer, including dance/fitness, gymnastics, singing and music clubs. Pupils welcome taking on responsibilities around the school. They speak proudly of their roles as academy councillors, play leaders and junior road safety officers. They enjoy looking after the hens and ducks in the school grounds.

What the school should improve

• A small number of children are not given reading books as soon as they start learning the school's phonics programme. This means that they are unable to practise and build upon the sounds that they have learned. Leaders should ensure that all pupils have reading books that match the sounds that they know, from the very beginning of the Reception Year.
• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make explicit the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and remember. As a result, leaders cannot be sure that teachers help pupils to remember knowledge in the longer term. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, across all subjects, makes explicit the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and remember.
• Leaders set the right priorities to improve their school further. They think carefully about the actions that need to be taken. However, they do not consistently consider how the impact of their actions will be measured. This means that they cannot fully demonstrate the positive impact that their actions have. Leaders should ensure that they consistently consider how the impact of their actions will be measured to sharpen their evaluation to inform subsequent improvement planning.

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