Harefield Infant School

Harefield Infant School High Street, Harefield, Uxbridge UB9 6BT

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where as a result of good teaching they make good progress.  Teaching across the school is consistently good with examples where learning in lessons is outstanding.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics so that by the end of Year 2 many reach standards that are above the national average in English and mathematics.  Strong leadership from the headteacher, subject leaders and the governing body has brought about improvements to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and attendance is above average.  Pupils enjoy school, have good attitudes to learning, understand how to keep themselves safe and have a strong sense of right and wrong.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The outside area in the Early Years Foundation Stage is not developed as well as the inside space to promote all aspects of children’s learning.  Marking is not yet consistent across classes and subjects to help pupils to improve their work. They do not have enough chance to assess their own and each other’s work.  Whilst boys are making better progress in writing they are still not doing as well as the girls

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in each class including the Nursery. They visited 23 lessons and part lessons and observed 11 teachers.  Joint observations were conducted with the headteacher, including a joint learning walk, which involved brief visits to all classes and looking at pupils’ books.  A range of documents was scrutinised, including the school’s development plan and self- evaluation.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, met with the school council and interviewed subject leaders, governors, the School Improvement Partner and parents and carers.  Parents and carers were interviewed at the start and end of the day and inspectors looked at 41 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Gill Bosschaert, Lead inspector Additional inspector Naureen Kausar Additional inspector Howard Dodd Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is slightly larger than the average infant school with a Nursery.  There is an Early Years Foundation Stage unit containing three classes of children.  The majority of the pupils are from White British backgrounds, with a few children from minority ethnic backgrounds, some of whom speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is average.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average but rising.  The school shares the governing body with the junior school.  The school has links with Harefield Academy.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a breakfast club managed by the school’s governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding in order to quicken pupils’ progress by: – developing the skills of boys in writing by inspiring them through discussion and creative activities such as role-play and drama. – improving teachers’ marking so that is consistent across all subjects and is expressed in ‘child friendly’ language which helps them to improve – helping pupils to become more independent by encouraging them to asses their own and each other’s work.  Develop the outside area in the Early Year Foundation Stage to reflect the good practice seen in the classrooms within the unit.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Nursery and Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress from below age- related expectations. Consequently, they begin Year 1 with attainment that is average.  In Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress so that by the end of Year 2 standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. This is due, in part, to pupils’ progress being closely monitored in reading, writing and mathematics and receiving additional help from specialist teachers and well-trained additional adults if they are falling behind.  The progress of boys in writing has lagged behind that of girls in recent years.. As a result, a greater emphasis was placed on potentially boy-friendly topics such as ‘dinosaurs’. This has resulted in the attainment of both boys and girls rising at the end of Year 2. However, whilst boys are now making good progress they are still doing quite as well as girls.  Pupils’ attainment is rising in reading because of the great emphasis placed on reading. For

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The achievement of pupils is good

example, one pupil has read 50 books since the beginning of term because motivation has increased through the introduction of an online reading programme.  The teaching of mathematics and a variety of interventions have also been instrumental in improving progress in mathematics. Some pupils are now making rapid progress in the subject. For example, in a Year 1 mathematics lesson, pupils were working at levels higher than expected for their age group. Work in books illustrated these higher levels of work are consistently expected.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium make good progress; so too, do disabled pupils and those who have special educational special needs. The school is effective at closing the gap between these groups of pupils and pupils nationally.  A very small group of pupils who speak English as an additional language do less well than pupils nationally. However, systems have been put in place, which are helping to narrow the gap

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Nursery and the Early Years Foundation Stage unit there is a good range of stimulating activities covering all areas of learning. Adults encourage independence and develop children’s vocabulary and listening skills by encouraging them to talk about what they are doing and seeing. However, the outside area in not as well developed as the inside space and, consequently, is not used as effectively to develop all areas of children’s learning.  In Key Stage 1, teaching is good and sometimes of high quality. This is because teachers and other adults have high expectations and set tasks which stimulate thinking and demonstrate new skills well. For example, by the end of one Year 1 lesson, pupils were able to write an address on a postcard correctly using the correct layout and punctuation.  Pupils say they enjoy learning because, ‘Everyday at least one thing is fun’, explained a Year 2 pupil. This opinion reflects the observation of lessons seen by inspectors and in the work in

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The quality of teaching is good

books, which showed good development in each lesson.  Teachers use all subject areas to develop pupils’ vocabulary, listening skills and understanding. For example, in a physical education lesson great emphasis was placed on ‘over’, ‘under’, ‘beside’ and ‘behind’ which reinforced pupils’ understanding of position. In two mathematics lessons pupils were seen to jump up and down a number line to reinforce their understanding of addition and subtraction.  Reading is taught well and the development of letters and sounds is giving pupils the skills needed when they encounter words they do not know or of which they are unsure.  Teachers have used a variety of approaches with some success to encourage pupils to write, particularly the boys. This has resulted in improvements for both girls and boys although the gap still remains. Sometimes opportunities are missed to motivate boys through more creative approaches such as discussion, role play and drama.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There has been a recent improvement in how pupils who are supported by the pupil premium are taught. New schemes have been bought to address gaps in learning and pupils now make similar progress to pupils nationally.  Teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good because support is given by a specialist teacher and work is set at the appropriate level. Teaching assistants are very accomplished at knowing when to give support and when to step back to allow pupils to work independently.  Marking is variable. In English and mathematics it tells pupils how to improve but in topic books this is not the same. In these books, teachers’ comments are not always written in a way that pupils can understand.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are warm and welcoming and have very positive attitudes to learning. They work happily in small groups cooperating well with adults and each other. They have a strong sense of right and wrong and talked with animation about sanctions and what the reasons were for them.  Adults manage more challenging behaviour very well on the rare occasion it occurs, and other pupils are not disrupted in their learning should problems occur.  Behaviour around the school, in lessons, in the playground and in the dining hall is good and some behaviour was seen to be outstanding. For example, when queuing for their lunch they waited quietly and patiently for their turn.  Pupils are taught to think about other people and for several generations the pupils have visited the Anzac graves in the local cemetery and placed flowers on the graves on Anzac Day. Grandparents remember doing this themselves with fondness.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school and were able to discuss staying safe outside school, including the use of mobile phones. They fully understand what to do if there is any bullying but explain it does not happen often. Exclusions are rare. However, some parents and carers had concerns about behaviour which inspectors investigated but found to be unfounded.  The school behaviour policy is reviewed by governors regularly and is displayed on the school’s website for parents and carers, and it closely links with the junior school’s policy, adapted to be age appropriate, as the two schools have the same governing body.  Attendance is above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher had just taken up the appointment at the time of the last inspection and has worked tirelessly to improve standards in teaching, pupils’ learning and behaviour since then by providing focused professional development. The relatively new senior leadership team uses its skills successfully to drive improvement so demonstrating the capacity to improve further.  Self-evaluation is accurate and realistic. It is closely linked to the school improvement plan, which has successfully focused on raising standards in English and mathematics. It rightly highlights boys’ writing as an area that continues to require attention because, although the progress of boys has improved in writing they still do not do as well as girls.  Music and art enhance the curriculum well. Educational visits to the mosque and other places of worship enable pupils to better understand communities outside the village. Linking subjects has

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The leadership and management are good

increased language development.  Performance management is managed thoroughly and is closely linked to pupils’ progress. Staff feel they are supported well by the headteacher, senior leaders and the local authority. For example, training on ‘Getting teaching to outstanding’ has resulted in no teaching judged as requiring improvement or being inadequate in the school.  Training on new programmes to support pupils’ learning in mathematics and writing has shown dramatic increases in standards in these subjects although boys still do not achieve as well as girls.  There are good links with Harefield Academy and pupils from there are encouraged to develop their Sports Leadership skills working with younger pupils.  School policies are clear and easily available on the school website for parents and carers.  Pupils are supported well, and any form of discrimination is confronted effectively showing the

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The leadership and management are good

firm commitment by the school to promoting equal opportunity. Pupil premium funds are used effectively and ensure that eligible pupils make good progress whenever possible.  The school works well with parents and carers. There is a strong parent association and all parents and carers spoken to in the playground, before and after school, said they were happy with the headteacher, the progress their child made and the information they received about their child. Results on ‘Parent View’ showed all those responding would recommend the school to another parent or carer.  The local authority provides light touch support and training.  The governance of the school: – Governors know the school well and are very supportive. They were awarded the Governor Mark in 2011. One of the Academy staff is a governor and has provided valuable experience to the governing body over the building of the new Early Years Foundation Stage unit.

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The leadership and management are good

Governors provide excellent support but also appropriately challenge proposals made by the senior leadership team until they are convinced they are appropriate. They attend regular training provided by the local authority and any other training they can access. Governors are fully involved in performance management procedures and pay careful consideration to teachers’ salaries. They are clear that challenging targets related to the progress of pupils have to be met for teachers and leaders to have salary increases. Governors compare the school’s performance with similar schools both locally and nationally. They fully understand how pupil premium funds are used and know how much the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection. All aspects of safeguarding requirements are understood and met.

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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 102382 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 400544

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 289 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Barrie Evans Headteacher Mrs Bernadette Lloyd Date of previous school inspection 3–4 March 2010 Telephone number 01895 671954 Fax number 01895 822553 Email address harefieldinf@hillingdongrid.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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