Holly Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 July 2023

Holly Primary School is a welcoming and enjoyable place to learn. The 'Holly values' are at the heart of this school. Pupils are happy, proud and committed to their learning. They live up to teachers' high expectations of their learning and behaviour. Pupils try their best in lessons and achieve well. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing. There is a real 'family feel' to this school. Pupils feel safe and well cared for. They say that bullying is very rare. If it should occur, pupils are confident that staff will sort it out. One parent was typical of many when they stated, 'The school is brilliant, and the staff are fantastic. I know that my child is safe in their hands.' Pupils behave well during lessons, around school and at playtimes. They strive to earn awards in the 'shining star' assembly. Pupils value the house points they receive for trying their best. Pupils enjoy responsibilities that promote independence and prepare them for the future. They are proud to be school councillors. Older pupils look after the younger children at lunchtimes. Pupils raise money for charities and help to run the school fairs.

What the school should improve

• Recent changes to the curriculum development for some subjects are still new. Therefore, the full impact on attainment is not yet realised. Leaders should continue with their ambitious curriculum plans in their entirety and monitor the impact that developments have on improving pupils' knowledge over time.
• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment routinely to plan pupils' next steps of learning. This means that what pupils learn is not consistently well matched to their level of understanding. Leaders must support staff to use the information they have from assessment to inform their planning so that pupils gain the depth of knowledge they need in all subjects.

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