Caroline Haslett Primary School

Caroline Haslett Primary School Faraday Drive, Shenley Lodge, Milton Keynes, MK5 7DF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ skills in English and mathematics are above average. Progress in reading, writing and mathematics is good.  Children achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly in reading, and consequently are well equipped for learning when they move to Year 1.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress. This is because the school ensures they receive additional support that matches their needs.  The quality of teaching is good and some is outstanding. In most lessons teachers have high expectations of pupils. They plan and teach lessons that are of interest to the pupils and help them to learn well.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is outstanding. They are polite, welcoming and proud of their school. They get on extremely well together and say that the school always keeps them safe.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Parents are very positive about the school and hold it in high regard. They appreciate the care and support shown for their children.  The school is well led and managed due to the strong leadership of the headteacher and the effective support and challenge of the governing body. This has helped to bring about improvements in teaching and achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. Although most teachers plan well to help pupils of all abilities learn, in a few lessons, the work set for the most able pupils is not always sufficiently challenging, especially in mathematics.  Marking in pupils' books does not always help pupils know how to improve their work.  Leaders and managers are not systematic enough in collating evidence from different monitoring activities to ensure that the best practice that exists within school is used to bring about improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons or parts of lessons taught by 15 teachers, and one assembly. Five lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders.  Inspectors heard pupils read, scrutinised their work and met with them to discuss their lessons.  Meetings were held with the pupils’ council and another group of Key Stage 2 pupils, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and senior leaders. Inspectors also observed pupils at break time and during rehearsals for a school play.  Inspectors looked at the school’s assessment data, information about its self-evaluation and planning for improvement, records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding and procedures for the management of teachers’ performance.  Inspectors took account of the 44 responses to Parent View (the on-line parent questionnaire) and spoke to parents at the beginning and end of the school day. They also took account of the

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Inspection team

Adam Hewett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Aileen King Additional Inspector Cliff Mainey Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above the national average. Nearly a quarter of the pupils speak English as an additional language and this is above the national average.  A below average proportion of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding to the school. This funding is based on the number of pupils at the school known to be eligible for free school meals, those with parents in the armed forces and those in the care of the local authority. In this school there are no pupils with parents in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school has a specialist provision with 10 places for pupils with speech and language

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Information about this school

difficulties. There are currently nine pupils receiving additional support in this provision.  A breakfast club and an after-school provision are provided each day by the school.  The school meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring teachers match tasks in all lessons to the needs of different groups of pupils, especially for more able pupils in mathematics  ensuring that all marking gives a clear indication to pupils on how they can improve their work and pupils have the opportunity to reflect on teachers’ comments  ensuring pupils have enough time in lessons to work by themselves  increasing pupils’ involvement in the assessment of their own work so they gain a better understanding of how well they are achieving.  Further increase the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  developing a more effective system for collating evidence from the monitoring and evaluation of the school's work to ensure that the best practice is shared to bring about further improvement  ensuring data collected is easily accessible to all staff so the tracking of pupils' progress is

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

more effective  making sure school leaders make fuller use of assessment data to set targets for pupils’ achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school with skills and understanding that are typically broadly in line with, or for a small minority below, expectations for their age. Their starting points vary from year to year but they all make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and develop good learning and listening skills, playing and cooperating well with other children.  Their progress in reading and writing is good due to a strong focus on the teaching of phonics (the links between letters and the sounds they make) and the creation of exciting opportunities to write for a purpose. In one lesson, children in a Reception class joined in enthusiastically with the reading of a story and then wrote independently about a train journey.  The reading screening check in Year 1 last year showed that pupils were making good progress with scores well above those found nationally. This outcome has been maintained again in 2013

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The achievement of pupils is good

with a further increase in the proportion achieving the expected standards. The school places a very high emphasis on the teaching of reading across the school and this is reflected in the high standards that are achieved and the enjoyment that pupils gain from reading.  Pupils continue to make good progress and by the end of Key Stage 1 their work in English and mathematics is above the standard of that found nationally.  While the standards achieved by pupils in Year 6 in 2012 were above average, the progress for some of these pupils had slowed. The school's assessment data and evidence gathered during the inspection indicate that the current Year 6 pupils have made good progress which compares well with other pupils across the country.  The progress of some higher-ability pupils in school, particularly in mathematics, is not as good as it could be.  In 2012 the pupils in Year 6 who were eligible for pupil premium funding achieved standards in

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The achievement of pupils is good

English and mathematics that were on average up to three terms behind others in the school. The school has used the funding to employ additional staff, provide training and introduce specific learning programmes in reading and mathematics to support these pupils. This has helped to rapidly close the attainment gap for the current eligible Year 6 pupils with others in the school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. High-quality support and individual learning programmes help these pupils, including those in the special resource identified as requiring specialised teaching for speech and language difficulties, to achieve well.  The progress of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those speaking English as an additional language is particularly strong due to targeted support and a growing confidence in speaking English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching seen during the inspection was mainly good with a small proportion of outstanding teaching and this reflects the school’s own records for teaching over time and work seen in pupils’ books. Tasks are usually well planned to meet the needs of all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Most teachers plan lessons that are exciting and relevant to the pupils. In a Year 6 lesson pupils used their imaginations well to write a diary entry about a desert island and used a wide range of advanced vocabulary and sentence structures to interest the reader. The school makes very good use of interesting topics to engage pupils’ interest. Year 4 pupils had been motivated by a visit linked to their studies of the Romans and produced high-quality prints of mosaic patterns.  In the best lessons teachers have high expectations of pupils. They set tasks that are appropriate to the different needs of groups of pupils and use questioning well to assess

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding and to promote deep thinking. Pupils are given time to consider their answers and to deepen their understanding.  In a minority of lessons the same task is set for all pupils and insufficient attention is paid to the needs of different abilities, especially the more able. While individual or small-group support for lower-ability and disabled pupils or those with special educational needs means that they can access the task, higher-ability pupils sometimes find activities too easy and so they do not always make the progress of which they are capable.  In a few lessons too much time is spent with pupils listening to the teacher which means that they are not given enough time to work by themselves.  Pupils are set targets for improvement. However, these are sometimes not sufficiently focused on the next steps in learning and pupils are not given the opportunities to assess their own progress against clear success criteria. This means that the pace of learning for a few pupils is

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The quality of teaching is good

not as fast as it could be.  Some marking does not provide sufficient guidance to pupils on how their work can be improved. The best examples do so and pupils have the chance to reflect on what they have done and to consider what should be done next to further develop their learning.  Teachers and teaching assistants work together well to plan and deliver lessons for pupils who need additional help. In a small number of lessons teaching assistants work well with small groups of higher-ability pupils to set more challenging activities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning strongly contribute towards the good progress they make. They are very keen to learn and are willing participants in lessons. They take on the responsibility for managing their own behaviour and set themselves very high standards. This leads to behaviour across the school that is outstanding.  Pupils are consistently polite and courteous towards each other and adults. They are helpful and cooperative and take real pride in their school. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are fully included in all aspects of the school’s life.  Behaviour both in classrooms and at breaks and lunchtimes is outstanding. Pupils understand what is expected of them and strive to ensure they achieve these high standards. Behaviour management by staff is consistent and applied fairly. This means that learning is never disrupted.  Bullying of any form is extremely rare and when it occurs pupils are confident that it will be dealt

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

with promptly and effectively. The curriculum is very well planned to support an understanding and tolerance of other people and this is reflected in the way that pupils interact with others of different faiths and beliefs. Assemblies and visitors to school reinforce a strong sense of what is right and wrong.  Pupils have a very good understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. They understand about the need to use the internet safely and about cyber-bullying and what to do if it occurs. They are taught about road safety and are given the opportunity to cycle to and from school.  Parents, pupils and staff all view behaviour as strongly contributing to the ethos and the quality of the school’s provision and all hold the school in very high regard.  The school council takes its responsibilities very seriously and knows that it is actively involved in ensuring that everyone is kept safe and happy in school. Pupils are provided with a range of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

opportunities to take on responsibilities and they value and appreciate these roles. They are aware of their responsibilities to others and are involved in supporting a range of charities.  Attendance rates are in line with those of similar schools and the school's policies to maintain good punctuality and attendance are effective and are applied well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other senior leaders have a strong focus on driving up achievement by improving the quality of teaching. They have a clear view of what needs to be done and have implemented well-considered plans for development. These have resulted in the more effective teaching of reading across the school and increased opportunities for writing for a purpose. They regularly check the impact of plans for improvement and adapt them as required.  Senior leaders set a positive example for other teachers through their own teaching practice. The headteacher and deputy headteacher both have teaching commitments and work with specific groups of pupils to improve their achievement.  Subject leaders effectively manage their areas. They have been involved in evaluating teaching, looking at pupils’ books and reviewing planning. They have a clear view of the priorities for their subjects and are responsible for producing improvement plans. However, while staff regularly

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The leadership and management are good

assess the progress of all pupils, the data collected are not easily accessible to all staff and this makes the tracking of progress and leaders' setting of targets less effective.  The good leadership of the specially resourced provision ensures that pupils receiving additional support for their speech and language needs are fully integrated within the life of the school and make good progress. The school ensures equality of opportunity for all pupils.  Arrangements for managing teachers’ performance are good. Teachers are set targets that are linked to pupil performance and this is now linked to teachers' pay progression.  School leaders make effective use of the pupil premium. Pupils eligible for additional funding receive small-group support, one-to-one tuition and additional resources including laptop computers. These actions have brought about an improvement in their rates of progress.  The curriculum actively engages pupils in their learning. Topics, such as Crime Week, are very

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The leadership and management are good

well planned to appeal to the pupils’ interest and allow for the wider application of skills learnt in English and mathematics. Visitors to school promote pupils’ understanding of spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues and help to prepare them for their lives in a multicultural society. Pupils appreciate the wide range of visits, including two residential trips.  While school leaders are involved in the regular monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning, there is not a fully effective system to gather information together and ensure that the outstanding practice within the school can be shared with all teachers. Where inadequate teaching has been found the headteacher has not hesitated to take action to bring about rapid improvements.  Parents are very positive about the school and a very large majority of those who responded to Parent View would recommend the school to others.  The local authority has until recently taken a light-touch approach with the school but has this

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The leadership and management are good

year been more involved, at the school’s request, in monitoring teaching and learning.  The governance of the school:  The governing body provides good support and challenge for the school. It has a good understanding of the quality of teaching and how well pupils are achieving and is well aware of the performance management procedures and any staff salary increases. Governors meet different groups of pupils to discover their attitude to all aspects of the school’s work and make regular visits to classrooms. They were responsible for incorporating the running of the before- and after-school provision within the school and this has helped to establish a well-run provision that is valued and appreciated by parents and pupils. Governors have a good knowledge of and involvement in financial management and ensure that all the resources available to the school, including pupil premium funding, are used effectively for the benefit of

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The leadership and management are good

the pupils. The governing body ensures that all safeguarding requirements are met and that the school is a safe place for pupils, and governors take up opportunities for further training.

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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 110394 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 413239 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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 436 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rob Vaughan Headteacher Ian Fergus Date of previous school inspection 10–11 December 2009 Telephone number 01908 231101 Fax number 01908 679332 Email address caroline.haslett@milton-keynes.gov.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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