Hayfield Lane Primary School

Hayfield Lane Primary School Hayfield Lane, Auckley, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN9 3NB

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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

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

 Progress is uneven as pupils move up through the school. It is not consistently fast enough to be good and so achievement requires improvement.  Teaching is too variable and not enough is good or outstanding.  Work is sometimes too hard or too easy for particular groups of pupils.  Less-able pupils are not always provided with suitable resources to help them learn.  Teachers do not consistently require pupils to follow the advice given when books are marked.  Some pupils’ books contain too little completed work in writing and mathematics.  A small minority of pupils find it hard to control their behaviour when they are not closely supervised.  There has not been time for the new senior leaders to implement all their plans for the school. They cannot yet show that their work is leading to sustained improvements in achievement, teaching and behaviour. That is why leadership and management currently require improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children’s learning gets off to a quick start in the Nursery class. Progress is also accelerated during Years 5 and 6.  Pupils are learning to judge how well they have learned and how they can improve their work.  Teaching assistants often make strong contributions to helping pupils to learn.  Pupils are happy in school and feel safe. Most pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes. Bullying is uncommon.  The headteacher has quickly gained an accurate view of the school’s performance. Detailed plans mean that other leaders, staff and governors know exactly what needs to be done in order to make this a good school.  Leaders, managers and governors are all playing their part in making sure that the school moves forward. Already there are signs that teaching is improving.  Plenty of visits, visitors, clubs and links with the community add richness to the curriculum.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 12 lessons. One observation was conducted jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, staff, members of the governing body and two representatives of the local authority.  A range of documents were examined, including records of pupils’ progress and behaviour. The inspectors looked at the literacy and numeracy books of pupils from each year group.  The 29 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account, as were informal discussions with a number of parents.

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Inspection team

Rosemary Eaton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Juliet Demster Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Hayfield Lane is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is a little above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.  The headteacher and the deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2013. The other members of the senior leadership team are also new to their roles.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement by ensuring that teaching is consistently good or better. Focus particularly on ensuring that:  work for different groups of pupils takes full account of what they have each learned already and what they need to learn next  learning resources are always available to help less-able pupils to understand and learn  pupils are required to follow the advice given by teachers when books are marked  pupils’ books contain more evidence of writing, especially extended pieces such as stories and reports, and of mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that behaviour is at least good overall by:  training more staff in applying the school’s agreed approaches to managing pupils known to have behavioural difficulties  extending the use of nurture groups (small groups aimed at teaching pupils the skills they need in order to manage their own behaviour) to help pupils with behavioural difficulties to cope with their emotions.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by checking that the plans for improving the school are implemented on time and have the intended impact on achievement, teaching and behaviour.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There are marked variations in pupils’ progress in different year groups and subjects. The school’s records and pupils’ books show that although some pupils make better than expected progress from their individual starting points, there are others who do not achieve enough. There is no clear pattern of achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils may do well in a subject one year and then less well with different teaching the following year.  This variability means that pupils’ achievement requires improvement, despite the results of the national tests at the end of Year 6, which might suggest that pupils are achieving well. A great deal of catching up occurs during Years 5 and 6, where teaching has been consistently good or outstanding since the previous inspection.  The good progress children make in the Nursery is not sustained to the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are not prepared well for work in Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The headteacher has carefully measured the progress made by different groups of pupils. This work reveals inconsistency in all cases. There are no groups whose achievement does not require improvement.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make uneven progress from their starting points. Teaching assistants often provide effective support for these pupils but sometimes work during lessons is not adapted well enough. For example, some reading books are too difficult for individuals. The learning of pupils with significant behavioural difficulties accelerates when the school’s work with other agencies is successful and enables the pupils to benefit fully from lessons.  Most-able pupils do not achieve consistently well. This is because there is not always enough difference between their work and that set for other pupils. There are times when teachers do not enable the most-able pupils to move on quickly enough. The headteacher is taking a number

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

of steps to increase the proportion of pupils working at the highest National Curriculum levels. This is just one example of the high priority given currently to providing all pupils with equal opportunities to achieve well.  The progress made by pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is broadly at the rate expected nationally. In 2013, attainment in mathematics, reading and writing of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals was around one year behind that of other pupils.  The headteacher has recently introduced a more structured programme for teaching phonics (the sounds made by letters) in order to improve pupils’ reading skills in Key Stage 1. It is too soon to see the impact of this on their progress over time but pupils are currently learning well during these fast-paced lessons. The school’s survey of pupils’ attitudes confirms that they enjoy reading but older pupils requested a wider choice of books.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Even the most-able Year 6 pupils make careless errors such as ‘there dog’ (their dog) and ‘countrys’ (countries) in their writing. In most year groups, pupils’ books indicate that they do not have enough opportunities to write at length and apply their skills and knowledge to stories and reports, for example. However, pupils increasingly use a wide range of interesting words in their writing because teachers make a point of developing their vocabulary. For example, a less- able pupil in Year 5 confidently used words such as ‘hobbling’ and ‘ravenous’ in his writing.  In mathematics books, there is often insufficient work recorded. Tasks do not always take enough account of what pupils have already learned. This applies particularly to the less-able pupils. For example, on several occasions, one pupil in Key Stage 1 had managed only a few correct answers in a long list of calculations.  Despite pupils’ inconsistent progress, attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 has risen since

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the last inspection. This is because in some year groups, pupils make accelerated progress as a result of good and better teaching.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not enabling pupils to make consistently strong progress. That is why teaching requires improvement even though there is good and outstanding teaching in several classes.  Lessons observed and the work in pupils’ books show that teachers do not always take enough account of what different groups of pupils have already learned. Sometimes the most-able pupils are not given work that really stretches them and at the same time those that are less-able struggle to tackle their tasks without a great deal of adult support. However, some teachers match work very closely to what pupils need to learn next. In the Nursery class, children’s understanding of mathematical language developed well through questions and tasks that the teacher adjusted carefully according to her detailed knowledge of each child.  Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to enable less-able pupils to learn well. For example, in

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

mathematics lessons, pupils do not always have objects to help them understand exactly what happens during addition or subtraction.  Pupils’ books are often marked well, informing pupils of just what they need to do in order to improve. Some teachers make sure pupils follow this good advice and so, for example, their ability to use punctuation improves. In other cases, there is no indication that pupils have taken any notice of marking and so the same mistakes are repeated.  This term, priority has been given to involving pupils more in judging how well they are learning and what they need to do in order to improve. There are some good examples of pupils checking their own work and that of other pupils and giving useful feedback. This is helping pupils to learn without relying too much on adults.  The skills of teaching assistants are often used well to support learning. In the best instances, teaching assistants act as teachers, for example, checking pupils’ understanding and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

demonstrating new learning. Occasionally, they are required simply to supervise pupils rather than enable their learning to move forward.  Pupils’ behaviour is usually managed well during lessons. Mostly, work is motivating and pupils are kept busy. Tasks are explained clearly, so pupils know what is expected and any inattention is generally dealt with quickly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 The school’s records of incidents of unacceptable behaviour indicate that behaviour overall requires improvement. A minority of pupils, some of whom have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, are not always able to cope in situations where they are not closely supervised, for example at playtimes. This sometimes results in aggression and unpleasantness towards staff and other pupils. Some of these incidents have led to pupils being excluded.  The headteacher has already taken action aimed at reducing incidents of inappropriate behaviour. The school is in close contact with the local authority’s specialist service and a number of staff have had training to help them manage the most challenging pupils. Nurture groups have been organised to help particular pupils to cope with their emotions, for example, feelings of anger. Both of these approaches are to be extended to involve more staff and pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 In lessons, around school and at playtimes, most pupils need no prompting to behave well. Pupils themselves voice no concerns about behaviour and feel that it has improved this term. They say that ‘It’s a happy school’, ‘Everyone is friendly’ and ‘We all get on with each other.’  School councillors, playground leaders and ‘buddies’ help to keep the school running smoothly and happily.  Pupils are keen to be successful learners. They frequently try hard, get involved in discussions and work together well in pairs and groups.  A small number of parents have some concerns about bullying at the school. However, pupils feel safe here and have great confidence in the adults in school. They generally understand what bullying is, although some of the younger pupils do not view ‘teasing’ as bullying. Pupils are certain that bullying is not a problem here. The school’s records confirm that bullying is uncommon and is dealt with effectively by senior leaders.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe including when using the internet or mobile phones.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The headteacher and other senior leaders have been in position for such a short time that there has not been time for them to take all the actions they have planned. Although there are some early signs of improvement, it is too soon to see sustained improvements in the school’s performance. As a result, leadership and management require improvement.  The headteacher quickly saw beyond the school’s national test results and judged that achievement, and therefore teaching, require improvement. Her observations of pupils’ behaviour led her to view it as less than good. These accurate judgements formed the basis of the detailed plans for school improvement. Through them, other leaders, staff and governors are aware of the headteacher’s high expectations for the school and their own roles in making it good or better.  Teaching is starting to improve, with shared approaches to planning lessons and more consistent

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The leadership and management require improvement

marking. Lesson observations by the headteacher result in action plans for each teacher, designed to ensure that improvements are maintained and built on.  Arrangements are currently in place to improve the expertise of individual teachers, develop leadership skills in senior and middle leaders, and to help teaching assistants manage pupils with challenging behaviour, for example.  All those with leadership responsibility have developed action plans to improve the provision in particular aspects of the school. These have led for example to a ‘Reading Café’ for parents to help them support their children at home.  When possible, the headteacher consults widely before decisions are made. For example, she took account of the views of staff, parents and governors when allocating the new Primary School Sport funding. Parents were keen for after-school clubs to be extended and so activities such as an ‘Energy Club’ are now available. Pupils are very clear about the link between physical

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The leadership and management require improvement

activity and fitness.  The curriculum is being developed to enhance achievement, for example, through the new phonics programme and the purchase of mathematics and reading resources. It includes some memorable experiences such as visits, including residentials, visitors and wide-ranging clubs. A strong feature is the promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are encouraged to have high self-esteem and confidence and to appreciate and take part in artistic and musical activities.  Safeguarding meets the government’s current requirements. Staff are constantly alert to potential concerns, and leaders respond quickly and thoroughly to anything that might affect pupils’ well-being.  The headteacher feels well supported by the local authority through discussions with officers and by being directed to other sources of support.  The governance of the school:  Governance has improved since the previous inspection. Governors are in a good position to

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The leadership and management require improvement

challenge leaders. For example, because they are well aware that pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching vary too much, a core group of governors question the headteacher particularly closely to find out what is being done to improve matters. Governors have a clear understanding of how staff performance is managed. They know that the pupil premium is now targeted more precisely and have arrangements in place to enable them to judge the success of each of the actions.

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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 106746 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 425737

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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 190 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alastair Gooderham Headteacher Louise Tempest Date of previous school inspection 24 January 2012 Telephone number 01302 770427 Fax number 01302 772410 Email address office@hayfieldlane.doncaster.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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