Haslucks Green School

Haslucks Green School Haslucks Green Road, Shirley, Solihull, B90 2EJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Progress is improving and pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. By the time they leave the school in Year 6 attainment is well above average. The most- able pupils attain very highly in mathematics.  Teaching is good and a small proportion is outstanding. There is a strong and successful focus on making learning relevant and interesting.  Pupils feel extremely safe and secure within the school and greatly appreciate the support that the school provides them with. Behaviour is good and pupils work well together in lessons.  The headteacher has very high expectations for the school community and her commitment to improvement is shared by all members of staff. This has resulted in improvements in teaching and achievement since the last inspection.  Parents are extremely positive about the work that the school does with their children and speak highly of the care and support that are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

provided.  Governors now have a good understanding of how the school is performing and use the information available to them effectively to challenge the school to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough pupils make outstanding progress. Teachers do not routinely ask the kinds of searching questions that would help pupils of different abilities to think more deeply about what they are learning.  In their marking of pupils’ work in mathematics, teachers do not provide enough guidance for pupils on how they can improve their work or insist on a high standard of presentation in pupils’ work.  Subject leaders have not had sufficient opportunities to monitor their subjects and check how well pupils are learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or parts of lessons. Four of these were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to a number of pupils in Years 3 and 6 read. They met with two groups of pupils to gain their views of the school. They spoke informally to pupils at break and lunchtime. They also attended two assemblies.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including assessments and records of pupils’ progress, the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding, child protection and attendance, minutes of the governing body meetings, records of how teaching is managed and the school improvement and self-evaluation plans.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior staff and three governors. A telephone discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 42 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the

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Information about this inspection

22 responses to the staff questionnaire. They also spoke to several parents at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Adam Hewett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Joanna Austin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized junior school.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is below the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below that in most schools. The majority are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is just above average.  The school meets the government’s floor targets which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school has its own breakfast club which operates before the start of the school day. A privately run organisation provides more extensive before and after school care on the school

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make a greater proportion of the teaching outstanding so that pupils’ progress is also outstanding by:  ensuring that marking in mathematics provides pupils with clear guidance on how they can improve and makes clear the standards of presentation that teachers expect in pupils’ work  developing all teachers’ skills in questioning so that pupils of different abilities are encouraged to think about their work more deeply.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the effectiveness of leadership and management of the school by providing more opportunities for leaders within school to monitor and improve teaching and learning within their areas of responsibility.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well. From starting points in school that are well above average, they make good progress in reading writing and mathematics to achieve standards that are well above average by the end of Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013 the proportions making expected progress were above those found nationally. However the proportions of pupils exceeding expected progress were below last year’s national average in writing and mathematics. School data and work in pupils’ books indicate that more pupils in the current Year 6 will exceed expected progress and that more pupils will achieve the higher levels of attainment. Pupils in other year groups are also making good progress. However, the standard of presentation of pupils’ work in mathematics is not always as good as it should be and this means that pupils sometimes make avoidable mistakes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from different ethnic backgrounds achieve as least as well as other pupils in school. This shows the school’s commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in line with other pupils across the school. This is because their needs are identified early and additional one-to-one or small-group support is provided to help them catch up with the others. The school monitors their progress closely and, where necessary, provides further help.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding make good progress as the funding has been used well to provide high-quality support. Additional teachers work closely with the pupils to address their individual needs. In 2013, the attainment of these pupils in Year 6 was behind that of their classmates by about one term in reading and two terms in writing and mathematics. Data for pupils currently in Year 6, who are eligible for pupil premium funding, suggest that because of their good progress the gap between their attainment and other pupils is narrowing in both English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has been successful in improving standards in both mathematics and writing since the last inspection. Pupils are provided with meaningful opportunities to write extended pieces of high quality work across a range of other subjects. They confidently apply their skills in mathematics to real-life problem-solving activities. In a Year 5 lesson seen during the inspection pupils worked enthusiastically together to solve a series of number problems that were carefully designed to meet the needs of pupils of all abilities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils read fluently and with enthusiasm and make very good progress in reading. They are able to choose books from a good range of interesting reading material in the well-resourced library. This reflects the importance that the school places on encouraging pupils to regard reading as an enjoyable and worthwhile activity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection and all teaching is at least good, with a small proportion that is outstanding. The improvement in teaching has resulted in pupils making better progress but there is still not enough outstanding teaching to ensure that all pupils make really rapid and sustained progress over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are now much more accurate in assessing pupils’ progress and in using this information to set challenging targets for pupils. Teachers use the assessment information that they have gathered much more effectively than in the past to match work to pupils’ needs and abilities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between pupils and staff are good and pupils display very positive attitudes towards learning. All teachers have high expectations of pupils and set challenging tasks related to real-life situations. Pupils of higher ability are consistently set work that is sufficiently hard for them and this helps to ensure they are working at appropriately challenging levels and attain very high standards.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The marking of pupils’ work in writing is thorough and provides pupils with a clear indication of how well they have done and what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils are often involved in reading each other’s work and providing well thought out comments on what improvements could be made. However marking in mathematics is less effective. Often there is too little indication of how pupils can correct errors and make better progress and there is a lack of focus on the presentation of work and how it is set out. This leads to a slowing down in progress and an occasional lack of care in the way pupils present their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 When teachers use questioning well they ensure that the questions are appropriate to the different needs and abilities of the pupils within the class and there is an expectation that all pupils will be able to think about and respond to the question. However some teachers ask questions of the whole class that are not pitched at the right level of difficulty for many of the pupils, being too easy for some and too hard for others. This leads to a lack of involvement of some pupils in the lesson, which restricts their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants work well alongside teachers to provide additional support to small groups and individuals. This helps to ensure that pupils with particular needs, including those that are disabled or who have special educational needs, are able to make good progress and close any gaps in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Staff use a consistent approach towards behaviour management and this results in a calm and hard-working atmosphere across the school. Pupils are polite, courteous and show respect for each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Almost all the parents who responded to the Parent View survey felt that the school works hard to make sure that pupils are well behaved. This view was shared by governors, staff and pupils. Partnerships with parents are good and parents appreciate the work that the school does with their children.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils play well with each other on the playground and show consideration for each other. They move quietly and sensibly around the school and are proud both of their school and their school uniform.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that there is virtually no bullying at Haslucks-Green and that when it does occur it is always well dealt with. They had a good understanding of different types of bullying, including the use of inappropriate and hurtful words. These views are confirmed through the behaviour records that the school keeps.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils have an extremely well developed understanding of what constitutes safe behaviour. The school provides clear and strong guidance on how to use computers, mobile devices and social networking sites safely and pupils have an excellent understand of the dangers that could arise through misuse.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have great confidence that the school will always act in their best interests and appreciate the contribution that the school’s part-time counsellor offers them. Access to the school is very well controlled during the school day and this adds to pupils’ sense of safety and security.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and all that it offers them, including the good range of after-school clubs and activities that support pupils’ well-being and health. The breakfast club provides a good start to the day for the pupils who arrive early. Attendance is good and this reflects the positive attitude that pupils have towards school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has been a strong force in bringing about improvements in teaching since the last inspection that have resulted in increased rates of achievement for pupils. She has focussed on ensuring that all staff accurately assess pupils’ progress and use this information to plan lessons that are appropriate to their different needs and abilities. The improvements in standards in writing are an example of what this has achieved.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development, gained through thorough checking of all aspects of the school’s work. There are clear and well-thought out plans for improvements that focus on improving the quality of teaching and pupil achievement. However subject leaders have not had sufficient opportunities to be involved in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of teaching within their subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff performance is managed well and there are secure links between the quality of teaching and its impact on pupil performance and pay progression. Checks made on teaching and learning are rigorous and accurate. Where relevant, areas for improvement are followed up with support and training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has developed a relevant curriculum that allows pupils to apply skills across a range of subjects and to extend their knowledge. During their time at the school, all pupils learn to play a brass instrument and the success of this was seen during the inspection through the high quality end-of-year music performance. There are good links and partnerships with other local schools and businesses. Learning is enhanced by trips, visits and science and technology ‘theme’ weeks.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is a strong and effective focus on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils visit places of worship to extend their understanding of different faiths and there are strong links with the local community, including involvement in a gardening club. Pupils have a clear sense of right and wrong and this is reinforced through a code of conduct that pupils produce each year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is making good use of the additional sports funding to widen the range of activities available to the pupils, including introduction of after-school cheer-leading and street dance and the involvement of coaches from rugby and cricket clubs. A specialist PE teacher from a local secondary school has taught lessons for all pupils and this has developed pupils’ skills in physical activities and increased staff confidence in teaching these activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school places a strong emphasis on safeguarding all pupils and ensures that all statutory requirements are met.  The local authority has provided additional support to the school to improve teaching in mathematics and writing and has been involved in reviews of the effectiveness of its work. It recognises the improvements that have been made since the last inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have successfully developed their skills in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school since the last inspection and now provide good levels of challenge and support. They make good use of the information available to them to compare how the school is doing with other schools, both locally and nationally. Governors have taken responsibility for making sure they have received training and support from the local authority in how best to fulfil their roles. They ensure that all the resources available to the school, including the pupil premium, are used to best effect to improve pupil achievement. Governors know how good teaching is and what is being done to improve it. The governing body ensures that reviews of the performance of teaching staff are carried out and ensures that pay rewards are linked to improvement in pupils’ progress.

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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 104046 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 442529

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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 Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bernard Murray Headteacher Carol Taylor Date of previous school inspection 23 October 2012 Telephone number 0121 744 2088 Fax number 0121 744 0646 Email address office@haslucks-green.solihull.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 and 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

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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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