Howard Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 May 2022

Pupils at this school are caring, respectful and eloquent. They are proud members of the school community and represent it with pride. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils look out for each other, reporting concerns about their peers to appropriate adults. Although bullying happens, it is rare. Pupils give examples of incidents where adults have intervened, and the bullying behaviour has stopped. Staff have high ambitions for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils appreciate that their teachers never let them give up. Instead, they provide them with the tools to succeed. Pupils interact with each other with care and respect, and have positive relationships with staff. They are happy and safe here. They enjoy learning about other cultures and beliefs. Older pupils learn Spanish, recently taking part in a Hispanic Day which included activities linked to Spanish-speaking countries. The Spanish theatre production was particularly popular. Music and physical education (PE) have a high profile. Pupils not only enjoy weekly lessons but also clubs, competitions and performances. Musicians look forward to their upcoming performance at the nearby Fairfield Halls.

What the school should improve

• In the early years outdoor environment, the delivery of the curriculum does not reflect leaders' ambitious curriculum goals. At times, the activities provided do not enable children to apply and extend key knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well in all aspects of the early years provision.
• A few adults do not deliver their phonics sessions to a high standard. Consequently, pupils in their groups are not always having sounds modelled to them correctly. Leaders must arrange for these members of staff to have refresher training. They must then carefully monitor the delivery of the phonics programme to make sure that every pupil experiences correctly modelled phonics.
• For the majority of subjects, leaders have planned and deliver a well sequenced curriculum. They have identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and build on over time. However, in a minority of subjects, this detailed curriculum thinking has only started recently. This means that pupils have a variable experience in these subjects. Leaders must continue to monitor the implementation of these newer curriculum plans.

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