Hatfeild Primary School

Hatfeild Primary School Lower Morden Lane, Morden, SM4 4SJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 The school is an attractive and lively place where pupils are well taught and enjoy their learning.  The Nursery and Reception classes give children a good start to their education in a colourful and friendly environment.  Pupils are achieving well and they are now making faster progress than at the time of the previous inspection. They make particularly good progress in reading.  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make good progress as a result of well-planned support.  Behaviour is outstanding. Pupils are polite, friendly, keen to learn and cooperate exceptionally well with each other in class. They feel very safe in school.  Teaching is good and some is of high quality. Teachers give pupils good feedback and set suitable targets so that pupils know what to do to improve their work.  The headteacher and leadership team, together with governors, have improved

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This is a good school

teaching and achievement since the previous inspection.  Pupils join in enthusiastically in many interesting activities and clubs all of which help to promote good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Attendance has improved and is better than the national average.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Progress in writing and mathematics is not yet as good as it is in reading.  Work in lessons is not always matched accurately enough to the abilities of all pupils.  Planning in English and mathematics is not always sharply focused enough on anticipating what pupils are likely to find most difficult, as well as ensuring that lessons cover the essential subject knowledge and skills.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons or part lessons, two of which were joint observations with school staff, listened to pupils reading and made short visits to classrooms. They also attended one assembly.  Meetings were held with: the house captains and two other groups of pupils; a representative from the local authority; the Chair of the Governing Body and two other members; and senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors looked at the school’s checks on how well it is doing, performance management, the tracking of pupils’ attainment and progress, school policies, records on behaviour and safety, attendance, the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning, as well as safeguarding documents.  Inspectors scrutinised 11 questionnaires completed by staff, 57 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s own surveys. Other parental views were sought at the start and finish of the school day.

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Inspection team

Grace Marriott, Lead inspector Additional inspector Heidi Boreham Additional inspector John Worgan Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Hatfeild is a larger than average primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is slightly below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils entitled to free school meals) is below the national average though with considerable variation between year groups.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. A minority are from a range of minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is broadly average.  The school has a breakfast club which is managed by the school and an after-school club which is not managed by the school. The latest report for the after-school club can be found on the Ofsted website.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  At the time of the previous inspection the headteacher had been in post for only a few weeks. There have been some changes to the leadership team and the Early Years Foundation Stage leader joined the school in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding by making sure that the work always matches the abilities of the different groups so that it builds on what pupils already know and is neither too easy nor too difficult.  Increase the rate of progress and raise attainment, particularly in writing and mathematics, by focusing the work of subject leaders on helping teachers to identify exactly what pupils might find most difficult and why, so that they can plan better.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are broadly in line with the expectations for their age. They make good progress in all areas of learning and move into Year 1 with knowledge, skills and understanding that are better than average for their age. Their reading skills are particularly good.  In 2012, pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 improved considerably and was above average overall. The proportion reaching the higher Level 3 also improved. As in other key stages, reading is stronger than either writing or mathematics. The results of the Year 1 phonics (linking letters with the sounds they make) screening test were much higher than the national results.  In previous years, attainment in English and mathematics in Key Stage 2 was broadly average and pupils made the expected progress from Key Stage 1. In 2012 results in English followed this pattern. In mathematics they dipped below average. This was because earlier in their school

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The achievement of pupils is good

career, a small group of pupils did not make enough progress. Despite intensive support, they were not able to catch up. The current Year 6 have made much better progress over time and many of them are already working at the level expected by the end of Year 6. Pupils in other year groups are also making good progress and many are working above the levels expected for their age.  Pupils learn to read well and enjoy reading. This is because of the systematic approach to teaching reading across the school and the excellent phonics teaching in the younger classes. For example, in an outstanding lesson in Year 2, pupils were making excellent progress in applying their knowledge to unfamiliar words.  All groups of pupils are making good progress from their starting points. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because teachers quickly identify their individual needs and provide well-planned support. Those at an early stage of learning English

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The achievement of pupils is good

are given good support to help them make good progress and like other pupils, they did very well in the Year 1 phonics screening.  Pupils who are eligible for pupil premium also make good progress. The outcomes for this group are improving and at the end of Key Stage 2, though their 2012 results were below the school’s results overall, they did better than similar pupils nationally. The evidence for current pupils shows that the gap between their results and those of other pupils is closing, because the funding is used to provide support where it is needed most, such as additional support in lessons or in small groups where pupils are at risk of falling behind.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good over time and some is of high quality. Teachers are successfully encouraging pupils to have a positive attitude towards learning so that they want to do their best and achieve well. Other adults are very well deployed in classes to make sure that different groups of pupils receive help according to their individual needs.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage teaching is good overall and some is of high quality. For example, in a story session in the Nursery, the teacher seized every opportunity to develop children’s vocabulary and early reading skills. In a mathematics session, reception children learning the vocabulary associated with subtraction made good progress because the teacher used songs and games to keep them interested. Occasionally, opportunities were missed to encourage children to talk about what they were doing and sometimes the carpet sessions went on a little too long and as a result, the rate of progress slowed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations and the lively and active approaches to learning which enable them to make good, and sometimes rapid, progress. For example, in an outstanding religious education lesson where pupils were totally engrossed by a dramatic retelling of the Christmas Story, the teacher encouraged the pupils to think deeply about the vocabulary they might use when writing a letter from Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. This helped them to make excellent progress. In the sessions in Key Stage 2 where pupils are expected to complete extended pieces of work independently, teachers were particularly good at demonstrating how their writing could be made more interesting to a reader.  In a few lessons pupils make less progress. Sometimes the tasks set for higher-attaining pupils start at a relatively low level and they do not move on quickly enough to harder work that makes them think. On a few other occasions the work is too difficult for some pupils and they

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The quality of teaching is good

need more guidance on what to do to make good progress.  Teachers have improved the way in which they check on how well pupils are doing. They ask probing questions to check understanding and mark pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly. They set targets which break the work down into manageable steps so that pupils understand what they need to do next. The best marking is outstanding and results in a real dialogue between teacher and pupils which enables pupils to make excellent progress.  The impact of better checking on pupils’ progress is being seen in faster progress and higher standards across the school. The staff know, however, that there is still more to be done to make sure that progress in writing and mathematics matches progress in reading. They are increasingly using work in other subjects to help to develop pupils’ skills in English and mathematics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school has very high expectations for the way in which pupils should behave. Pupils fully understand what is expected of them and respond positively, learning to be self-disciplined and take responsibility for their own behaviour and actions. The behaviour in the playground after it had snowed showed that pupils could have great fun and still play safely. Pupils confirm that the exemplary behaviour seen during the inspection is typical.  Outstanding behaviour contributes strongly to learning. In a Year 5 English lesson the high level of cooperation and a willingness to listen to, and respect, other people’s ideas, helped pupils to make excellent progress. In the Early Years Foundation Stage the children develop very good social skills through learning to share and take turns, for example when using a timer to make sure that everyone had a chance to use the scooters and bikes.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe and say that they feel safe in school

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

because relationships with adults are so good. They know that there are adults whom they can talk to if there are problems. Discussions with both older and younger pupils showed that they all know what constitutes bullying and what to do about it. Pupils and their parents and carers say that bullying seldom happens and if it does, it is dealt with quickly and well.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance rates have gone up since the previous inspection and are above average. The school has effective systems to encourage pupils to attend.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, deputy headteacher and leadership team are very clear about what needs to be done to improve the school further. The staff and governing body share their vision and their commitment. The local authority provides an appropriate level of support. They all have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development and the ability to make sure that the school continues to improve.  Accurate checking of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and good action plans have brought about significant improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement. Pupils are now doing much better than they were at the time of the previous inspection and the school is succeeding in narrowing gaps in attainment between different groups. Leaders and managers fully understand the data about how well pupils are doing. They make sure that, as well as being used by all teaching staff, the information is used effectively to target additional help for pupils with

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The leadership and management are good

particular needs.  Senior managers make regular and thorough checks on the quality of teaching and have an accurate view of the strengths and areas for improvement. The information gained from this is used well to decide on priorities for staff training, whether at an individual or a whole-school level. Staff understand the performance management system and know that promotion and moving up the pay scales depend on sustaining good teaching.  The Early Years Foundation Stage is well managed and the planning shows a good balance between activities led by adults and those chosen by the children. The outdoor areas for both Nursery and Reception are used well to extend children’s experience and plans to improve them further are good. Staff keep good records of children’s progress and these are used well to help children move from the Nursery to Reception and settle quickly.   Leaders and managers have effectively ensured that the curriculum provides a good range of

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The leadership and management are good

experiences overall which help to ensure that work in different subjects supports learning in English, mathematics and information and communication technology. For example, Year 5 pupils had thoroughly enjoyed the Victorian role play and would be using what they had learnt as stimulus for writing about that period of history. Subject leaders have focused less on identifying the obstacles to learning and planning specifically to overcome these. The leadership team has plans to strengthen this aspect of the role of subject leaders.  Pupils enjoy a good range of clubs and activities which help them to develop social skills and an understanding of and respect for their own culture and those of others. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good as a result of the good provision.  The welfare of all pupils is regarded as important, for example the breakfast club ensures a good start to the day for many pupils. Safeguarding is taken very seriously and fully meets the

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The leadership and management are good

current requirements. Staff work very hard to ensure that all pupils are safe and have equal opportunities to succeed. Regardless of background, pupils are given support and access to all of the school’s resources to ensure there is no discrimination of any kind.   The school works successfully with parents and carers and is clearly at the centre of its local community. Parents and carers receive good information explaining how their children are taught in school and how they can help at home, as for example in the reading workshops held for parents and carers and the ‘Family Maths Challenge’ organised by a governor.  The governance of the school:  Governors are increasingly focused on improving the school further so that it provides an outstanding education. They have a better understanding of the data and know how well the school is doing compared with other schools and are asking more challenging questions to

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The leadership and management are good

ensure all pupils make at least good progress. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and relative weaknesses in teaching and are clear that decisions about promotion must be linked to teachers’ performance. Governors have had appropriate training in safeguarding and safer recruitment and they are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Governors ensure that the pupil premium is spent well on providing pupils with good support for their academic work and also make sure that, where necessary, pupils have help to develop their social skills and confidence.

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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

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 102632 Local authority Merton Inspection number 403831

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School details

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

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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 470 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mick Bradshaw Headteacher Frieda Perry Date of previous school inspection 10–11 November 2010 Telephone number 020 8337 1332 Fax number 020 8330 0859 Email address head@hatfeild.merton.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 .

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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.

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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

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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

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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’.

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School details

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

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