John Hellins Primary School

Overview

John Hellins Primary School is described as an “aspirational and inclusive school” where pupils are “happy” and “feel safe.” The report highlights “exceptional” leadership and a culture of high expectations, resulting in pupils who achieve “exceptionally well” and demonstrate “mature attitudes to their learning.”

Strengths

• The quality of education is “exceptional,” particularly in reading, which is treated as a “culture” rather than just lessons, with staff acting as “experts in teaching early reading.”
• Pupils display “exemplary” behaviour, treating each other with “empathy, courtesy and respect” and showing “high levels of perseverance, resilience and self-motivation.”
• The curriculum is “ambitious,” with teachers skilfully checking understanding and providing “clear, direct feedback” so pupils “learn from their mistakes.”
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is proactive, with teachers adapting the curriculum using “highly effective strategies” to ensure the “best possible outcomes.”
• Leadership is “exceptional,” providing “creative and strategic direction” while ensuring staff workload and well-being are “well considered.”

Areas to improve

• In the early years provision, “key learning... is not always explicitly defined,” and resources do not consistently promote the repetition needed for children to embed knowledge.
• Consequently, “some children do not achieve as well as they could” in Reception because interactions do not always support them to apply earlier learning.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”