Haydon Abbey School and Pre-School

Haydon Abbey School Weedon Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP19 9NS

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

p.1

This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 The standard of pupils’ work, especially in writing, is not high enough. Pupils currently in Year 3 have significant ground to make up.  More-able pupils are not making as much progress as they should.  Pupils’ spiritual and cultural awareness is not developed strongly enough. There are occasions when behaviour is not good enough.  Teaching requires improvement because some activities are not matched well enough to the abilities of learners and a few pupils do not show sufficient interest in learning.  School leaders and the governing body do not check rigorously enough how well pupil premium funding is used to improve pupils’ progress.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The leadership team, though relatively new, has taken firm action to improve pupils’ progress.  Teaching is improving and there are a number of examples of good and outstanding teaching.  The quality of pupils’ work is improving and there are several year groups which are starting to make good progress.  Good provision for children in Nursery and Reception helps them to make good progress in developing a range of skills.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors held meetings with senior staff, groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and one other governor.  Two meetings were held with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors looked at a range of evidence including the school’s improvement plan, the information collected by the school and local authority on pupils’ progress, the work in pupils’ books, and documentation relating to safeguarding.  The inspectors observed teaching in 29 lessons . Three lesson observations were carried out with the headteacher. They also listened to a sample of pupils reading.  The inspectors met some parents and carers informally at the start of the school day and at a parents’ evening, and considered the four responses made through the online Parent View website. They also reviewed the most recent survey of parents and carers carried out by the governing body (July 2012).  The inspectors considered the views of the 51 staff who completed a questionnaire.

p.2

Inspection team

David Bray, Lead inspector Additional inspector Nick Riddiough Additional inspector Maura Docherty Additional inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, and of those who speak English as an additional language, are above average. The main minority ethnic heritage is Pakistani.  The proportion of pupils with disabilities and special educational needs identified as requiring extra support through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The proportion known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding to support children in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is above average.  The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of two Nursery classes and two Reception classes.  The headteacher has been in post for two years and other senior leaders are newly appointed. Staff turnover has been high and seven teachers started at the school two months before the

p.3

Information about this school

inspection. Four of these were newly qualified teachers.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching further so that: – the learning of the most-able pupils is a higher priority in teachers’ planning – all activities meet the needs of every ability group and are engaging enough to maintain pupils’ interest in learning – teachers are more effective at finding out what pupils understand and adjust activities appropriately in response to this information – pupils are consistently asked to respond to marking in order to improve their work.  Ensure that leaders continue to improve achievement, especially in the current Year 3, by: – improving the quality of writing at a faster rate – enabling the more-able pupils to make better progress – making sure the good practice seen in teaching phonics to younger pupils results in them achieving more.  Improve behaviour and attitudes to learning by ensuring that: – pupils develop a better awareness of spiritual and cultural issues – expectations for behaviour in lessons and around the school are clearly understood by adults

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

and pupils – the behaviour policy is used in a fair but rigorous way.

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although the overall rate of pupils’ progress is improving as a result of better teaching, it is not consistently good enough in all year groups. The pupils who are currently in Year 3, in particular, have not achieved well enough in the past and have lost ground to make up. Progress in writing is improving but is still not good, especially in year groups which have had less-effective teaching in the recent past.  Many children start Nursery with skills and abilities that are well below expectations for their age. Current provision for Nursery and Reception is good and children are eager to begin their day. Although they make good progress in Nursery and Reception, they start Year 1 with standards below those expected for their age.  The progress of pupils in Years 1 and 2 has improved over the last three years. In 2012, their results in national assessments in mathematics were above the national average. Standards in

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

writing and reading improved but were still below average. In some classes, pupils are making good progress but this is not yet happening consistently enough and, in particular, the more- able pupils do not make as much progress as they should.  In Key Stage 2, many pupils are starting to make good progress, especially in Years 5 and 6. Standards have improved over the last three years. In 2012, Year 6 pupils made better progress in English from their starting points at age seven than in mathematics. More-able pupils are not making sufficiently rapid progress.  The progress made by disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, and those new to learning English is similar to that of other pupils. They receive appropriate support in lessons.  The progress of those eligible for the pupil premium, and minority ethnic groups, is similar to other pupils.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is improving and in some year groups is currently good. There has been a relatively high turnover of teaching staff over the last two years and the school has recruited new staff who are making a strong contribution to better teaching. A small amount of teaching is outstanding.  However, there is still a legacy of teaching that has not been effective enough in the recent past and which has led to some pupils not making sufficient progress. The increasing proportion of good teaching is starting to address these issues, especially in Years 5 and 6.  In lessons where teaching requires improvement, activities are not matched well enough to the abilities of the learners and are not interesting enough to keep pupils’ attention. Also, in some lessons, teachers do not check often enough to find out how well pupils understand, or adjust planned activities to move them on more quickly. This limits the progress of the more-able

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

pupils.  Marking is often of good quality but pupils do not use or respond to teachers’ comments regularly to improve their work.  Improving the teaching of writing and reading has been given the highest priority. There are examples of good practice in the use of phonics (the sounds that letters make) to teach early reading skills, opportunities for pupils to write longer pieces of work and regular guided reading sessions. This is starting to raise standards and to make up for past inconsistencies in teaching.  Provision in Nursery and Reception has improved and is currently strong, although previously it has not been effective enough to enable some pupils in Key Stage 1 to get off to a good start.  Teaching assistants provide good individual support and guidance. They plan their work well and work closely with teachers to focus on learning.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The majority of pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. A small number of pupils are not interested enough in their learning.  The school has developed a behaviour policy that sets out clear expectations. It includes the rewards and sanctions that should be used. The policy is not applied consistently enough by a small number of staff.  Behaviour in Nursery and Reception is outstanding.  Attendance is in line with the average for primary schools. The school has taken effective steps to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence.  Arrangements for child protection and ensuring that staff are suitably experienced and qualified meet requirements.  Pupils from different cultural and social backgrounds get on well together. They say that bullying in its various forms, including name-calling, takes place. However, it is rare and the school deals with it effectively. Pupils say they feel safe at school.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although leaders have made a successful start in tackling past underachievement, it is too soon to see the full impact of the actions taken to accelerate pupils’ progress and ensure consistently good learning for all pupils.  Leaders have improved teaching through effective use of performance management. As a result, there have been a relatively high number of staff changes and the school now has a higher proportion of good teaching. The achievement of pupils is strongly improving but some pupils still have ground to make up due to weaker teaching in some year groups in the past.  Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The leadership team is relatively new but shares the headteacher’s strong commitment to improving the school. Improvements in attendance and the quality of teaching demonstrate the capacity of leaders and managers to drive the school forward.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders check the quality of teaching regularly and provide good support for new and inexperienced teachers.  The local authority has provided the school with effective support that has contributed to improvements in teaching.  Pupil premium funding is spent on individual tuition, booster groups, phonics groups and social groups. The school uses the funding to focus on progress. Pupils eligible for the pupil premium are making similar progress to other pupils in the school, although some are making better progress as a result of the support provided. Leaders are not sufficiently clear about which activities are having the most positive effect for this group of pupils.  The governance of the school: – The governing body provides effective challenge to school leaders and knows what is happening in its school. Governors monitor the progress made by pupils, through the analysis of data, in order to judge how effective the school is. They understand how well teaching has

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

improved, and about how the school reviews staff salaries and performance. Although governors know how pupil premium funding is spent, they do not have a sufficiently detailed evaluation of how well it is working. Members of the governing body ensure they have sufficient training to carry out their role properly.

p.5

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

p.6

Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

p.6

School details

Unique reference number 110276 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 401111

p.7

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.7

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 393 (40 in the nursery) Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jeremy Shields Headteacher Judith Ejdowski Date of previous school inspection 2–3 February 2010 Telephone number 01296 482278 Fax number 01296 336709 Email address headteacher@haydonabbey.bucks.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

p.8

School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.8

School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

p.8

School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.8

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.8