Haywood Grove School

Haywood Grove School St Agnell's Lane, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7BG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The strong, inspiring leadership of the headteacher and senior leaders, with the support of governors, has ensured that teaching has improved and is now good.  From their starting points, pupils make good progress. Standards have risen and continue to rise.  The school’s work to develop safeguarding systems and structures are good. They ensure that all pupils feel safe and that they are safe.  The new induction process for all pupils makes sure that staff have an accurate picture of the pupils’ starting points and allow progress in all aspects of learning to be measured and celebrated.  Relationships between adults and pupils are good. This makes pupils feel happy, respected and thoughtfully looked after. Pupils come to lessons ready to learn.  The good behaviour of pupils is a reflection of the way in which skilful staff use a range of strategies to support them.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet consistently outstanding. Teachers currently have a range of data from which to work. However, this is not yet a unified data system and so is over-complicated.  While increasing, pupils are not given every opportunity to manage their own behaviour, so that they are given trust in and responsibility for their actions.  The school’s resources for teaching the new curriculum and associated skills are limited. Some learning areas do not celebrate pupils’ work or extend pupils’ learning further.  Outdoor space to meet the needs of pupil’s social and physical development is limited.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed the teaching in all seven classes as well as induction sessions for small groups of new pupils. The headteacher joined the inspector for two of these visits.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the leadership team, the Chair of Governors, the school’s improvement partner, and spoke to two parents face to face.  The inspector met informally with pupils, heard them read and observed the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make).  Work from different year groups was sampled, records of pupils’ progress were examined and the school’s development and improvement plan evaluated.  A range of documentation concerned with safeguarding, behaviour and safety, and attendance were reviewed. The inspector also looked at documentation related to the management of the performance of staff.  The inspector evaluated the views of 13 staff that responded to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and took

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Information about this inspection

account of the seven responses of parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector also considered parent responses to the school’s own parental questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Mary Rayner, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Haywood Grove is a mixed, non-residential primary school for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties in Hertfordshire. It currently educates 46 pupils, six of whom are girls.  Pupils join at different times throughout their primary schooling. They come from across the county, so some travel long distances each day.  All pupils have a statement or an education, health and care plan, mainly for their behavioural, emotional and social difficulties but also for other needs, including specific learning difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils eligible for free school meals or those who are looked after) is above the national average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the leadership and management of the curriculum by:  unifying the approach to the recording of assessment data in order to use this information to plan more accurately for the needs of individual pupils  ensuring that the curriculum is well resourced and meets the needs of all pupils in all subject areas  creating links with outstanding primary provision to share best practice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the rate of pupils’ progress by:  improving the learning environment so that displays enhance and celebrate pupils’ learning and achievement  working with the local authority to improve the outdoor space so that pupils are able to make progress in their physical development and social skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve behaviour by:  offering pupils more opportunities to manage their own behaviour, showing them trust and giving them additional responsibilities.

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The leadership and management are good

 Under the effective and inspiring leadership of the headteacher and the senior leaders, the strong staff team have worked together to raise the achievement of pupils. The school has successfully tackled the weaknesses identified at the last inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The staff’s shared vision and ethos for the school continue to drive forward change at a good pace. Timely actions taken by the leadership team have ensured impact on a wide range of areas including: rapid increase in achievement; significant reduction in physical interventions; reduction in the incidents of bullying; and an increase of time spent in class by pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff speak very highly of the leadership of the headteacher. Their passionate commitment to their jobs ensures that they effectively support the vision and ethos of the school, moving it forward. There is drive, determination and ambition to be excellent and for all pupils to make even more progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders give high priority to training in safeguarding, generally going beyond requirements. They have created excellent communication systems with up-to-date information that can be accessed and shared by those who need it.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders are highly visible and accessible. They are always available to assist staff in managing and diffusing behavioural issues. Staff feel well supported.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s purposeful guidance for staff, including the rigorous management of their performance, has been successful in improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has comprehensive systems for checking pupils’ progress in academic, social and emotional aspects of learning. From this they identify those who might need extra support or other interventions. However, there is no unified method of collating this data to ensure ease of monitoring and analysis of the pupils’ progress. There is an appropriate emphasis placed on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and on society’s values. Pupils are consistently challenged to make good choices, value the opinions of others and work collaboratively with their peers to gain new skills. They are now skilled enough to be able to seek support for their learning from their classmates.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good use is made of pupil premium funding to support small group work, such as the pupil induction group. There is also individual work, such as occupational therapy to promote pupils’ independence.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils are benefit from the additional sports funding, receiving lessons from external coaches and taking part in after-school activities. Coaches work effectively alongside teachers to improve their skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders think about staff in the way that they think about pupils: they value individuals and ensure that all are supported and challenged to do the best job possible. This means that staff are given appropriate areas of responsibility and their skills developed to fulfil their roles effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new curriculum is still developing but is already having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Pupils are offered a wide range of learning opportunities which target their individual needs. However, the resources for this new curriculum are under-developed. Consequently, opportunities to deepen and reinforce pupils’ learning are occasionally missed.

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The leadership and management are good

 Lesson observations now focus on the learning and progress that takes place during lessons. The senior team are honest, open and realistic about what teachers are doing and what could be done better within each classroom. As a result, teachers know what to do next to improve outcomes for pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is aware of the way that the sports grant and pupil premium money has been spent and knows about the resulting benefits on pupils’ achievement.  Governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet current requirements.  Members of the governing body are well informed about the school and support its strategic direction.  Governors are familiar with performance arrangements for staff and the link to pay. They can explain what is being done to improve the school further.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The revised behaviour policy emphasises the importance of teachers using positive rewards for good behaviour and this has worked well. It is a credit to the staff and pupils how infrequently poor behaviour affects the learning of other pupils. Inspectors observed pupils able to remain on task and not be distracted when other pupils were experiencing difficulties.

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Behaviour

 Staff skilfully use a wide range of behaviour management strategies to engage pupils positively in the learning activities taking place. A positive outcome of this is the significant reduction in the use of physical intervention and an increase in the time pupils spend in class. There are numerous success stories where staff work closely with pupils new to the school to ensure that they participate enthusiastically in lessons with other pupils.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. Pupils want to learn and be involved in the creative activities taking place in lessons. They are able to appreciate their own success and that of their peers, and enjoy celebrating this through assemblies and class review time.

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Behaviour

 Relationships between pupils and with staff are excellent because staff are such positive role models. The modelling of expectations about how to act, such as in their responses to questions, encourage and support all pupils to think about the words they use and the impact of these on others. This continuous reinforcement of expectations has resulted in pupils learning to manage their own behaviour. On the occasions they are unsuccessful in doing this, they have learnt to calm down very quickly and re-engage in their learning. However, the chance to offer additional responsibilities and show trust is sometimes missed.

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Behaviour

 Despite bordering on substantial green fields, the play space for pupils in Haywood Grove is very restrictive. Although staff manage this space as well as they can, it does limit pupils’ physical and social development.

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Behaviour

 Outcomes of the school’s parent questionnaire show that parents believe that the school is a safe place and that their child is happy there.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel safe because the school does a lot to keep them safe such as teaching them about internet safety including cyber bullying.

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Safety

 The adults’ emphasis on the safety and well-being of pupils has created a climate in which pupils are listened to. This gives pupils the confidence to share problems and worries with staff.

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Safety

 Child protection training for staff is thorough and senior leaders implement child protection policies rigorously. The school has good safeguarding procedures in place and complete all statutory checks on the suitability of staff to be employed. This is checked by the local authority regularly.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good knowledge of the different forms of bullying and they say that they are confident that any bullying would be dealt with quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There is now a good climate for learning. Pupils are encouraged to use their words rather than actions to communicate their learning needs. This means that the environment is calm and settled. Pupils are able to concentrate on the work they are doing, even on the occasions when others are having problems.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants offer the right amount of support to pupils in the right way. They know when to provide pupils the opportunity to work independently and give them a feeling of success when completing work on their own.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The new induction group, to support pupils new to the school, is a strength. Teachers assess pupils’ abilities in academic and social skills and share this information with class teachers ensuring that they are well informed and plan teaching accordingly. Staff also support pupils in to class, helping them to make friends, understand rules and find their way around. Pupils say this is really helpful.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The passionate commitment of teachers to their role means that they plan for pupils as individuals giving them a feeling of self-worth and increasing their confidence. Pupils are able to take risks in class work and cope well if they do not always get it right.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are good at giving explanations to improve pupils’ learning. For example, in a Year 4 literacy lesson, based on the story of Mrs Cole, the teacher demonstrated the different ways in which pupils could develop their writing. Pupils, as a result, then wrote effectively their own stories which had a ‘twist’ in them. However, in this and other lessons, there is a lack of resources to support learning further and engage all pupils, including the most able, in challenging work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of communication skills in the widest sense means that pupils are able to use words to describe their feelings and difficulties. For example, in the induction group pupils made good use of their communication skills to explain their worries about being new and joining their new class. Teachers then used language and explanations effectively to give pupils the strategies to manage these concerns.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan well for the varied needs of the group. However, the environment lacks creativity and vibrancy. Displays do not always celebrate pupils’ work or provide opportunities to extend learning further.

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is good

 All pupils make progress at a good rate. In some cases, when issues regarding behaviour have been addressed, pupils make very rapid progress. The school’s ability to measure progress in a range of areas including gains in social as well as academic achievement, is improving lesson planning. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress.

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is good

 Achievement for pupils in this school context is heavily based on improvements in pupils’ social and communication skills. The school’s data show that many pupils are making rapid progress, especially in communication skills. For instance, some pupils are now able to manage their own behaviour well and can be trusted to complete activities independently.

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is good

 Work seen in pupils’ books and in lessons shows they are currently making good progress in all year groups as result of the improved quality of teaching and support. The pupils’ enthusiasm and willingness to learn are major contributory factors to the gains they make in their learning.

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is good

 Pupils enjoy reading and sharing books with adults and do so regularly. Pupils’ skills in phonics (linking letters to the sounds they make) are developing well. As a result, they are able to use a range of strategies to sound out words.

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is good

 The majority of parents responding to the school survey, on Parent View, and those spoken to agreed that their children are making good progress in school. One parent spoken to was clear that staff support has had a dramatic impact on her son saying ‘he now runs into school, he wants to be here’.

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is good

 Whole school data show that all groups make similar good progress including the most able, disadvantaged pupils and looked after pupils. Most able pupils are generally challenged well, although the school does not always have the resources to extend them fully at all times.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 131319 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 442057

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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 Special School category Maintained Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 46 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julie Lannon Headteacher Catherine Smith Date of previous school inspection 26 April 2013 Telephone number 01442 250077 Fax number 01442 260058 Email address admin@haywood.herts.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

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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