Halsford Park Primary School

Overview

Halsford Park Primary School is described as a place where pupils “fully embrace the school’s values” of responsibility, respect, courage, and compassion. The report highlights “strong leadership at all levels” and notes that pupils achieve well, particularly in mathematics and reading, while demonstrating high levels of resilience and empathy.

Strengths

• Pupils show “remarkable levels of understanding and empathy” towards new arrivals and know how to seek help for worries.
• “Personal development is a strength of the school,” with pupils being “incredibly knowledgeable and accepting about differing faiths and cultures.”
• Staff have “strong subject knowledge” and use “subject-specific vocabulary” effectively, with clear sequences of learning in most subjects.
• Leaders demonstrate an “unwavering belief in inclusion,” ensuring all pupils, including those with special educational needs, have access to wider opportunities and clubs.
• The early years curriculum is “well considered,” with staff skilfully encouraging talk and developing communication skills through role play and visits.

Areas to improve

• Leaders need to embed the teaching of clearly sequenced knowledge in a few foundation subjects where recent curriculum changes mean pupils “cannot always remember key knowledge.”
• Reading interventions for some older pupils are “not always targeted precisely enough on the specific gaps in their learning,” meaning they are “not catching up quickly enough.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” with staff receiving regular training and leaders showing “tenacity when securing support from other agencies.”