Heyes Lane Primary School

Heyes Lane Primary School Crofton Avenue, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 6BZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The attainment and progress of the vast majority of pupils has been consistently above average by the end of Year 6.  The leadership of the school is dynamic, ambitious and forward thinking. The headteacher and his senior leadership team articulate a clear vision to a cohesive staff who are committed to ensuring the best for pupils.  The quality of teaching is good. Teachers, teaching assistants and other adults are a talented, well trained, caring and dedicated team. They have high expectations of pupils and form very positive and productive relationships with them.  Pupils say that they feel safe and are proud of their school. They form strong bonds with each other and behave well during lessons, at play and around the school.  Governors have a good knowledge of the school and are fully aware of its strengths and what it needs to do to improve.  Parents speak very highly of the school and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

say that they appreciate the school’s ‘open- door’ policy, the approachability of the headteacher, and the care, guidance and support provided for their children.  The curriculum provides many outstanding opportunities for pupils to learn from first hand experiences through their visits and visitors who come into school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Attainment in writing, though above average, is not as good as in reading and mathematics. Standards achieved in 2012 were not as good as in previous years.  The quality of the monitoring of teaching is not yet consistent enough to support the school in its ambition to make more of its teaching outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 39 lessons including small-group teaching activities and parts of lessons. Four lessons were joint observations with senior leaders. Inspectors also observed two assemblies.  Inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 2, 3, 4 and 6 and held discussions with three groups of pupils about their experiences in school.  Pupils’ work was scrutinised during lessons and separately with the headteacher.  A number of school documents were examined; these included the school’s self-evaluation, monitoring records of the quality of teaching, school data on pupils’ progress, governing body minutes of meetings, and records of attendance, safeguarding and behaviour.  Meetings were held with nine members of the governing body, including the Chair of Governors, and a meeting took place between the lead inspector and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took into account 66 responses to Ofsted’s on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as

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Information about this inspection

well as the school’s own surveys of parents’ views. Three letters from parents as well as a telephone conversation were taken into account as were questionnaires completed by 23 members of the school’s staff.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Anthony Buckley Additional Inspector Maria McGarry Additional Inspector Sheila Loughlin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much larger than average sized primary school with a large nursery and three form entry from Reception to Year 6.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language is much lower than the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school makes use of what is on offer at Longford Park School and Pictor Special School.  The school is ‘dyslexia friendly’ and has achieved a number of awards, including: Eco and

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Information about this school

Healthy Schools Award and the Quality Mark from the Basic Skills Agency.  Since its last inspection the school has amalgamated with its neighbouring infant school. A number of new staff have been employed, including three newly qualified teachers. The school has a new senior leadership team. The headteacher took up his post in September 2012. The school provides pupils with opportunities to engage in a number of extra-curricular activities these include, ukulele, craft, cross country and fencing clubs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers do not spend too much time in lessons explaining what pupils have to do and provide as many opportunities as possible for them to set about their work and engage in learning as quickly as possible  lessons are consistently matched to the needs and abilities of all pupils so that those who find work difficult are supported and those with more ability are fully challenged.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of leadership and management from good to outstanding by ensuring that:  the quality of the monitoring of teachers’ performance is as robust as possible and that all lesson observations are clearly graded and precisely indicate what teachers need to do to improve their practice.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is not outstanding because the achievement of pupils in 2012, though higher than the national average, was not as good as in previous years and attainment and progress in writing was not as good as in reading and mathematics.  Pupils join the school with skills and abilities which are at least in-line with those expected for their age. By the time they enter Year 1 the vast majority have made at least good progress; some make outstanding progress, particularly in their communication and language skills.  The standards achieved by pupils in reading by the end of Year 1 are, in many instances, outstanding. Pupils performed at a level well above the national average in the national phonics screening test.  The teaching of mathematics is a strength and the vast majority of pupils reach standards expected by the end of Year 6, many girls make outstanding progress.  The school has set ambitious targets for the achievement of pupils in 2013 and can provide

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The achievement of pupils is good

compelling evidence which indicates that it is on track to achieve these and improve on its performance in 2012. The school has invested significantly in small group teaching to further develop the writing skills of its pupils. The school’s tracking data, writing journals and evidence in books all point to good improvement in writing in 2013.  Reading at both Key Stage 1 and 2 is well above average and is an outstanding feature of the school. With the full support of parents the school has fostered a culture and environment in which reading is central. Pupils read often and those pupils who read to inspectors read well and used their skills very well to identify and read unfamiliar words.  The gap between the achievement of pupils eligible for the pupil premium and those who are not was slightly wider in 2012 than in 2011. However, those pupils are now making better progress. Through close tracking the school has been able to identify any pupils who do not

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The achievement of pupils is good

make expected progress and support them through small group teaching. Governors and the headteacher have made it a priority to ensure that all groups of pupils achieve to the best of their ability.  The school works in partnership with a number of specialist agencies and provides specialist training to staff to ensure that the vast majority of pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The vast majority of lessons observed were good, some were outstanding. Inspectors also observed some lessons which required improvement. In the vast majority of lessons teachers push pupils, have very high expectations of them, and work hard to make learning as interesting as possible.  Teachers’ marking is of the highest quality; they take great care to make sure that comments are helpful and constructive. Genuine opportunities are made available for pupils to say how they feel about lessons and to say how well they think they have done. They regularly comment on the work of their class-mates.  Pupils are given opportunities to comment on what teachers say about their work in a meaningful way. In one Year 6 English book a progressive dialogue could be seen overtime between a teacher and a pupil. With great encouragement and support a pupil developed from not being sure how well she was doing to being able to say, ‘I am confident that I have

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The quality of teaching is good

understood your comments and know how to improve my work.’  Relationships between teachers and pupils are strong, teachers do all they can to support pupils to achieve well. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson pupils were asked to complete a short test, the teacher was very careful to explain to pupils that they were capable of answering all questions and gave them a number of tips reminding them of what they had already learned. This made pupils confident in completing the test, and most did well.  The vast majority of teachers are highly skilled and ask questions which encourage pupils to think deeply about their area of study. Teachers are very sensitive when asking pupils to share their work. In an outstanding lesson in Year 3 a teacher skilfully dealt with an incorrect spelling in a paragraph that a pupil had written by turning it into a learning experience for everyone.  In the best lessons, teachers get pupils to summarise what they have learned, and share with

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The quality of teaching is good

class mates how much they have understood. In a Year 1 English lesson, both teacher and teaching assistant worked well with pupils to get them to share their descriptions of Little Red Riding Hood.  At times teachers spend too much time introducing lessons and explaining what pupils will be learning. In such lessons not enough time is left for pupils to actively engage in their learning activities and teaching assistants do not work to their full capacity.  The majority of teachers plan lessons well, however, not all take into account the specific learning needs of all pupils. As a result, pupils sometimes find work either too easy, or too difficult.  All parents who completed the parent view questionnaire and the school’s own surveys said that they were happy with teaching in the school and with the progress their children make.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite, well mannered and very welcoming towards visitors. Their behaviour in and around the school and at play is good. Older pupils take on board responsibility for younger pupils in a conscientious and mature manner.  Pupils are very proud of their school and are especially proud of their extra-curricular activities and the opportunities they have to learn to play a musical instrument. During the inspection pupils were very excited about their school’s involvement in a major choir event at the Manchester Evening News Arena.  The school works well with parents to ensure that attendance is good. As a result of this, pupils understand the importance of attending school. Their good behaviour and positive attitude towards learning means that they come to school ready to learn.  All pupils, including those in the Early Years Foundation Stage, say that they feel safe in school. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have a good understanding of cyber bullying and of how to stay safe

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

while using the internet; younger pupils are still developing their knowledge and understanding in these areas.  Pupils say that bullying is rare; the school’s behaviour log confirms this. Pupils say that they are confident in reporting concerns to adults and say that any such concerns are always dealt with quickly. Incidents of discriminatory behaviour, including name calling, are very rare and are always dealt with. Pupils learn through their personal, social and health education lessons, that all people should be treated equally and fairly.  Within the classroom, pupils support each other well and work effectively together in pairs and in small groups. They have positive attitudes towards their learning. However, when there are not enough opportunities for them to actively engage in their learning, some pupils start to lose interest and become unsettled.  The school has a very active Parent Teacher Association. The vast majority of parents say that

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

their children are safe in school, that they are well looked after and that the school deals effectively with bullying and poor behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leadership team have been in place since September 2012. Together they have a very clear vision of the future for the school. This is communicated to and supported by all members of staff, parents and governors. The school is well respected and known within the local authority for the outstanding support that it gives to newly qualified teachers and students training to become teachers.  Parents have commented that the new headteacher is highly approachable and staff recognise that he is able to engage in ‘hands-on activities’, including regular teaching responsibilities, as well as the more strategic responsibilities needed to effectively lead and manage the largest primary school in the local authority.  With the full backing of governors the senior leadership team have successfully managed a complicated amalgamation. Through their hard work and determination the joining of the infant

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The leadership and management are good

and junior schools has taken place with the minimum of disruption. As one pupil noted, ‘ the only noticeable change has been in the school name and logo’.  The school leadership team is highly ambitious and have managed to maintain higher than average achievement throughout the school during a very demanding juncture in its development. Leaders have been quick to identify any groups of pupils not achieving to their fullest potential and have implemented a broad range of small group teaching activities and booster sessions, which have helped to ensure that all pupils continue to thrive and progress.  The school has led on a number of innovative programmes. In the Early Years Foundation Stage through an initiative called Orbit, the vast majority of parents of nursery and reception children work with teachers using IPads, IPhones and the internet to chart their educational development.  The curriculum is an outstanding feature of the school. Each new curriculum topic is started off

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The leadership and management are good

either with a visit, or a visitor to the school. Pupils have been especially excited by a Viking visitor and visitors who talk about life in Britain during the Second World War.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strong feature of the school and pupils enjoy learning about their friends, people in their local community and around the world. Year 2 pupils regularly write to a school in The Gambia.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. The school promotes equality of opportunities well and ensures that all pupils access every aspect of the curriculum and are given every opportunity to succeed.  The local authority provides light touch support and has recently worked with the school in a number of areas including managing the targets set for the headteacher.  Leadership and management are not yet outstanding because the monitoring of the quality of teaching is not yet outstanding. While teachers are observed on a regular basis and support is

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The leadership and management are good

provided through training and mentoring, neither lesson grades nor areas for improvement are concise enough to ensure continuous improvement. The performance of teachers and their pay progression are linked closely to the progress of their pupils.  The governance of the school:  Governors have been very conscientious in ensuring that they are well trained and knowledgeable about the school, including the school’s performance data in relation to other similar schools. They know the school’s strengths and what it needs to do to improve further. Governors have been highly involved in the recruitment and selection of several staff and have been prepared to re-advertise posts to ensure they can chose from as wide a field of candidates as possible. Governors hold the headteacher to account and actively monitor his performance against challenging targets. Governors engage in school activities through their

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The leadership and management are good

curriculum roles and are aware of teachers’ performance and the mentoring and training that is put into place in order to improve the quality of teaching. Governors know how much money the school receives, including the pupil premium, and how this money is spent.

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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 106288 Local authority Trafford Inspection number 400229

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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 680 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Cllr. Mrs Pamela Dixon M.B.E. Headteacher Mr Thomas Gadsby B.Ed (hons) Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0161 973 9850 Fax number 0161 962 0763 Email address hlps.office@traffordlearning.org 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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