Heptonstall Primary is a friendly school that pupils enjoy attending. Pupils feel safe. They know who to talk to if there is a problem. They say that bullying does not happen in school. Pupils know how to stay safe online. They told inspectors that they learn about this in their lessons. Pupils’ behaviour is described by governors as ‘wonderful’. The relationships between pupils and adults are respectful. Leaders ensure that pupils enjoy a personal development curriculum that broadens their experiences. This includes visits to mosques and projects with older people in the local community. Leaders do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Curriculum plans, in subjects such as geography, do not set out the knowledge they want pupils to know and remember. This results in gaps in pupils’ learning. The reading curriculum does not ensure that pupils develop the reading skills they need to access all subjects. Parents and carers told inspectors that they appreciate the ‘family feel’ of the school and say that their children are happy. They feel that there is a strong focus on pupils’ personal and social development. However, some parents feel that their children could do better if encouraged to do so, making comments such as ‘Children plod along at their own level without additional help/encouragement.’ What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? Leaders plan a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In mathematics, leaders clearly set out what they want pupils to know. They organise knowledge so that it builds on what pupils already know. Teachers revisit previous learning through daily ‘maths warm-up exercises’. This helps pupils remember what they have learned before. In other subjects, such as geography, curriculum planning lacks detail about what pupils need to learn and remember. Teachers do not use assessment sharply enough to check what pupils know and can do. Teachers do not correct pupils’ misunderstandings quickly enough. Leaders do not plan the curriculum from the early years in geography, so pupils’ knowledge does not build progressively. As a result, pupils are unable to remember what they have learned. For example, pupils do not recall what they have been taught about the similarities and differences between their village and major cities, such as London. Subject leaders do not regularly check on the quality of the curriculum or its delivery in subjects such as phonics or geography. They do not receive support on how to do this effectively. This has led to inconsistencies in the delivery of these subjects, and therefore, differences in what pupils achieve. Pupils are enthused about reading. Leaders have successfully promoted pupils’ love of reading. Leaders plan opportunities for pupils to develop their language during story time. Pupils enjoy reading and listening to adults read to them. Leaders identify pupils who struggle to read and offer additional support. However, phonics teaching does not help pupils who are at the early stages of reading to keep up. This is because staff do not receive training on how to teach and support pupils effectively. Reading books do not connect closely to pupils’ phonics knowledge. As a result, pupils cannot read their books with fluency and are not catching up quickly enough. Leaders in the early years plan a curriculum that supports children’s learning and development. Children are happy and teachers check their progress. Children engage with learning and can remember what they learn, such as the celebration of Diwali. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities and feel that ‘anyone can do anything’. Extracurricular clubs take place, such as choir, gardening club and football. Pupils also engage in art projects with the local community, such as for the LGBT community’s Happy Valley Pride festival. These are being displayed in the town hall. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel that leaders are supportive of their workload and well-being.