Holway Park Community Primary School

Overview

This ungraded inspection found that aspects of the school’s work “may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection,” triggering a future graded inspection. While pupils enjoy a “highly inclusive” environment with positive behaviour, the quality of education is “variable across different subjects,” with some learners failing to retain key knowledge.

Strengths

• Pupils feel “safe and cared for” due to positive staff relationships and effective support systems like ‘worry boxes’.
• Early reading is prioritised effectively; staff deliver phonics well, helping most children learn sounds and read with “increasing fluency and accuracy”.
• Robust systems identify needs for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with tailored curriculum support in the specially resourced provision.
• Pupils display “positive attitudes to their learning,” are polite, and engage enthusiastically in clubs and leadership roles.
• Governors provide “appropriate challenge and support,” working closely with staff who value the training they receive.

Areas to improve

• Ensure staff develop subject-specific expertise to implement the curriculum effectively, avoiding presenting “too much information” or using activities that do not support intended learning.
• Improve checking of pupil understanding and retention of key knowledge so pupils can apply it to future learning, addressing gaps in some subjects.
• Continue work to improve the attendance of pupils who are “persistently absent,” as low attendance prevents them from learning the curriculum well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.