Hathersage St Michael's CofE (Aided) Primary School

Overview

The inspection found that Hathersage St Michael’s is a ‘good’ school where pupils feel safe, valued, and motivated by the school’s ‘Golden Values’. Leaders are described as ‘highly ambitious’ and ‘work tirelessly’ to maintain a nurturing environment that helps children ‘thrive’.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well, are ‘polite and courteous’, and are motivated by a clear rewards system including ‘Citizenship Certificates’ and ‘Star of the Week’.
• The phonics programme is ‘well-structured’ and taught ‘consistently well’, helping pupils to ‘quickly become fluent readers’.
• The curriculum is generally ‘well planned and sequenced’, with lessons that are ‘lively and engaging’ to aid retention.
• Staff provide ‘effective support’ for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring they learn the same curriculum as their peers.
• Children in the early years are ‘happy and cared for well’, with learning described as ‘fun and engaging’.

Areas to improve

• In a ‘small number of subjects’, the curriculum is not fully planned or sequenced, failing to make clear what pupils should know and remember.
• The early years curriculum lacks clear milestones for children joining the Nursery from age two, hindering progress monitoring.
• Some safeguarding records do not clearly state who recorded information and when, risking the loss of important data.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a ‘positive culture’ where staff take necessary actions to keep pupils safe, though some records require clearer attribution of authorship and timing.