The Hyde School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Since becoming an academy, the school has made rapid progress. The excellent leadership of the headteacher has brought about considerable improvement. She is extremely well supported by leaders at all levels, including governors. Together they have ensured that teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved dramatically.  From starting points well below what is typical, pupils make outstanding progress to reach average standards. Current Year 2 and Year 6 pupils are on course to reach above-average standards.  The quality of teaching is outstanding. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils. All leaders teach and set an excellent example to other staff.  Pupils rise to the challenges they are set and have very positive attitudes to learning. Their behaviour is outstanding both in class and around the school.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils say they feel completely safe at school, a view supported by almost all parents and carers. Pupils have a very good understanding of different types of bullying and say that The Hyde is ‘a bullying-free school’.  The provision for children in the early years is outstanding. Children thrive because they enjoy a wide range of stimulating experiences carefully planned to meet their needs.  All groups of pupils make outstanding progress. The school meets the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs extremely well. Pupils at the early stages of learning English acquire the language quickly because of the high-quality support they receive.  Governors are highly effective in supporting and challenging school leaders. The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust and the local authority both play a key role in helping the school to improve even more.  Leaders use their knowledge of what could make

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

provision at the school even better to secure improvements.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 37 lessons or parts of lessons, including 15 observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteachers. Inspectors also attended an assembly.  Members of the inspection team listened to pupils read and looked closely at samples of pupils’ work with senior leaders.  The inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including development plans, policies, self- evaluation reports and safeguarding records. They considered evidence of the school’s partnership work and the information provided for families.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils chosen at random. Discussions were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and other staff. Inspectors talked to the Chair of the Governing Body and four other governors, and to representatives from the Elliot Foundation Academy Trust and from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the 23 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They also spoke

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Information about this inspection

informally to parents and carers in the playground.  The inspectors considered the 55 staff questionnaires that were completed.

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Inspection team

Nick Butt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Lacey-Hastings Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Hyde School is much larger than the average-sized primary school. There are two classes in each year group.  The school became a sponsored academy with the Elliot Foundation Academy Trust in September 2013, when the predecessor school, of the same name, was judged to require special measures.  The early years consists of a Nursery unit and a Reception unit. Most children attend the Nursery unit part time, although there are some full-time places, and the Reception unit full time.  Almost all pupils are from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is high, including many at the early stages of speaking English.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority) is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2.  The school shares its site with a children’s centre, which is not part of the school and which is run independently by Barnet Local Authority. The children’s centre was not inspected as part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Build on the school’s work to provide more opportunities for pupils to use and apply their writing skills across different subjects.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Under the headteacher’s inspired and relentless leadership, the school has made rapid progress in the 18 months it has been an academy. She has built an excellent team of senior leaders who all share the same vision, drive for improvement, determination and passion. As a result, the culture of the school has transformed. It is now a dynamic and lively place where all pupils flourish, where teaching is outstanding and behaviour is exemplary. Everybody embraces the assertion that ‘it’s all about the children!’  The school has benefited enormously from being part of a wider family of schools through the Elliot Foundation Academies Trust. The Trust has provided outstanding tailored support for leaders and managers. Close links with the local authority have continued. The school is now in a position where several leaders provide support for other schools both within the Trust and in the local authority.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Middle leaders, including subject leaders, phase leaders and leaders of specific aspects of the school’s work, have a very positive impact on their areas. They are extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about all they do.  The outstanding leadership of teaching means that the quality of teaching has improved very rapidly since the school became an academy. Teachers receive all the support they need and are held to account well for their work. Teachers work closely together to share best practice and reflect upon one another’s teaching.  The pupil premium is used very well to close gaps in learning and to give pupils opportunities they would not otherwise experience. For example, the ‘SHINE’ Saturday school gives pupils a wide variety of activities to enjoy that build their confidence.  The highly effective curriculum inspires pupils and meets their needs very well. It motivates them to learn

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and contributes well to their outstanding achievement. Pupils have many chances to benefit from visits, visitors and clubs. Whole-school projects like ‘The Knight’s Challenge’, linked to a painting in the National Gallery, promote pupils’ creativity. Many pupils produced detailed models of castles at home to bring in. However, just occasionally pupils do not get opportunities to develop their writing skills across different subjects.  The school promotes British values very well. It recently won a ‘National Speaker’s Award’ from over 700 entries for a school council project which raised pupils’ aspirations for their future careers. Pupils had lunch with the Speaker at the Houses of Parliament to discuss their project. They held a parallel general election and voted for the best manifesto, which governors agreed to underwrite, so that the budding politicians could ‘deliver’ on their promises. Governors were encouraged to discover that the outstanding

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The leadership and management are outstanding

quality of mathematics in the school meant that all the manifestos were fully costed and viable.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness extremely well. They excel in art and music. They understand about fairness and the rule of law. Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain. One of the school’s great successes is the way that all pupils are fully included and have equal opportunities to succeed. There is no discrimination.  Safeguarding arrangements meet all requirements and are highly effective. All staff are trained in keeping pupils safe. All checks are rigorously undertaken before anyone begins work at the school. Excellent relations with other agencies ensure all parties keep each other fully informed about the progress of any support work with families facing difficulties.  The primary physical education and sport premium is spent very effectively on training staff and the high-

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The leadership and management are outstanding

quality teaching of physical education by a sports specialist. Students enjoy taking part in netball and football tournaments. Pupils are able to take part in a wider range of sports, including golf and curling. Their participation rates have increased.  Parents and carers are very supportive of the school and value the many courses they can take. They comment on how much the school has improved in the last 18 months.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governance is highly effective. The very experienced Chair of the Governing Body runs an efficient and very skilled governing body. This makes excellent use of individual governors’ skills. Governors have an outstanding understanding of data about how well pupils are performing. They know all about the quality of teaching. They visit regularly, for example, through ‘governor-in-school’ days, to find out for themselves how well the school is doing. Individual governors are linked to subjects and other aspects of the school’s work and so build up their understanding of these areas. Governors know about how leaders manage the performance of teachers and other staff and the targets they set for them. They know how the school rewards good teaching and how it would tackle any underperformance. They make sure that the spending of additional funding, such as the pupil premium, has a positive impact on

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They take ‘Pride in The Hyde’ and really appreciate the support they receive. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are extremely positive. This is evident both in their high levels of engagement in class and in the excellent effort they put into homework. Pupils work very hard at open- ended tasks to complement their learning in school. They often produce work that is imaginatively presented and of high quality.  Pupils are articulate and confident because they are proud of their achievements. They develop an understanding of their own worth and are polite and cheerful. Pupils’ behaviour around the school is exemplary. They support one another extremely well, for example as ‘mini mentors’ (with behaviour) and ‘young leaders’ (with play).  The school’s highly effective systems ensure that behaviour remains outstanding. All staff consistently apply policies and procedures relating to behaviour.

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Behaviour

 Pupils really enjoy coming to school. The school works very well with the few families whose children miss large amounts of school to reduce their absence. This has brought attendance into line with the national average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Excellent systems ensure that all pupils are safe. Meticulous records log any concerns staff may have. Pupils say they feel safe and almost all parents and carers who expressed a view agreed that their children are safe.  Pupils say there is almost no bullying and they are confident adults will deal with any worries they may have. They are very knowledgeable about different types of bullying, including cyber bullying and homophobic bullying. Pupils have designed posters to raise their classmates’ awareness of bullying.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to keep safe. They learn about risks that can be taken safely and risks to avoid. ‘Play buddies’ ensure that the outside areas are safe for pupils to play. They make sure that the play equipment is safe and used properly.  The school site is kept secure. Rigorous systems control who has access to the building. Office staff are

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Safety

highly vigilant in ensuring that only authorised persons are admitted.  Pupils learn about e-safety and how to stay safe when using social media. Pupils take responsibility for one another and encourage one another in staying safe.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding because teachers have consistently high expectations of all pupils and make their learning enjoyable. Excellent coaching has resulted in rapid improvements in the quality of teaching since the school became an academy. Leaders and governors have not backed away from taking difficult decisions where necessary to tackle weaker teaching. The school’s mantra, ‘Nothing less than good is good enough’, has been taken to heart by all staff.  Pupils have responded very well to the better teaching. They are much more actively involved and are very enthusiastic about their learning. Pupils also said that their confidence has grown as a result of the support they have received.  Leaders lead by example in promoting high-quality teaching, as ‘everybody teaches at The Hyde’. Pupils benefit from the support and expertise of additional adults, who are trained very well.  Excellent relationships between adults and pupils mean pupils want to do their best and take a real pride

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

in rising to the challenges they are set. This means they are not afraid to take risks and are keen to explain what they have been learning about. For example, Year 5 pupils, who have struggled in the past with mathematics, were making very good progress in their understanding of fractions and took pleasure in showing the inspectors what they could now do.  Reading is extremely well taught. Pupils learn phonics (sounds linked to letters) systematically. They use their skills very effectively in sounding out unfamiliar words. They develop a love of reading and read widely. Pupils have many opportunities to read to an adult and to discuss their understanding. The school challenges pupils to read 10 times per week and nearly all are meeting this target.  Writing is very well taught. Pupils write in a wide range of genres with a specific purpose. Teachers show them what high-quality writing looks like. They often share good examples from the pupils so that the

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

class can benefit from the best writing.  Displays around the school celebrate writing, much of which results from the exciting and stimulating experiences pupils have enjoyed at school or on trips. Leaders have identified that pupils need more opportunities to apply their writing skills across different subjects and have made this a priority for improvement.  The impact of teaching on learning and achievement in mathematics is outstanding because teachers set work at just the right level for pupils. They give them plenty of opportunities to use and apply their mathematical understanding in solving a range of problems.  Teaching staff are adept at checking how well pupils are doing in lessons and move their learning on in a timely manner. Pupils develop a deep understanding of mathematics and this equips them very well for the skills they need in everyday life. For example, pupils measured and costed out the outdoor area and

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

submitted a proposal to governors for new playground equipment.  Books show that high-quality marking helps pupils to make rapid progress in their work. They consistently act upon their teachers’ comments, and this accelerates their learning.

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is outstanding

 Children join the Nursery and Reception classes with skills well below the levels typical for their age in all areas of learning. A significant proportion of these children are new to learning English.  Achievement in the early years is outstanding because teaching staff provide a rich, stimulating programme of learning that feeds children’s natural curiosity. There is a key emphasis on developing children’s language skills. In 2014, children made rapid progress to reach broadly average standards by the end of the Reception Year.  The progress of all groups of pupils is outstanding across the school. When the school became an academy, standards were very low in all subjects. Since then the considerable improvements in teaching, and the excellent systems to measure and track pupils’ progress, have brought about a complete transformation.  In 2014, standards were average by the end of Key Stage 1 and a little above average by the end of Key

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is outstanding

Stage 2. Pupils did particularly well in reading and spelling, punctuation and grammar. This year, because the rate of improvement has continued apace, pupils in both key stages are on course to reach above- average standards.  In each year group, the school’s data show, and books confirm, that all groups of pupils are achieving outstandingly well.  The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is outstanding because teaching staff identify pupils’ needs promptly and develop programmes of support for them precisely suited to meet their needs. Highly skilled support staff play a very important role in helping to bring this about.  Disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress from their different starting points. Leaders ensure that they clearly identify these pupils and track their progress very carefully, comparing their performance with that of others in the school.

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is outstanding

 The pupil premium is spent very effectively to meet both the academic and personal needs of disadvantaged pupils. As a result, most gaps in attainment have closed or are closing rapidly. For example, in 2014 the gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and the others in the school was four terms behind in mathematics, half a term behind in reading and one and a half terms behind in writing. For the current Year 6, gaps had reduced by Easter to half a term behind in writing and mathematics and less than half a term behind in reading.  Compared with other pupils nationally, disadvantaged pupils in 2014 were just under three terms behind in mathematics, there was no gap in reading, and these pupils were just over one term behind in writing.  The achievement of the most able pupils is outstanding because they have demanding work to do that enables them to reach the higher levels of performance. In every year group the attainment of these

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is outstanding

pupils’ is consistently high. This rate of progress is outstanding given that when the academy was formed many of these pupils were well behind where they should have been.  As almost all the pupils are from minority ethnic groups and most of them speak English as an additional language, their achievement is also outstanding. Pupils who join the school speaking limited or no English make rapid progress because they receive specialist teaching straight away. They are given every support in acquiring the language as quickly as possible.

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is outstanding

 Teaching staff provide a rich, stimulating and varied programme which enables children to make outstanding progress from their starting points. Children are extremely well prepared for Year 1.  All children, including disabled children and those with special educational needs, make sustained progress because staff know all the children very well as individuals and tailor the work to their needs.  Teaching is outstanding. Both the indoor and outdoor areas promote high-quality experiences for children in all areas of learning. Children saw the wonder of eggs hatching. They marvelled at the scent from lilac flowers as they made their own perfume.  Leadership and management of the early years are outstanding. All staff understand how young children learn. They work very well together as a team. Excellent assessment procedures encourage partnerships with parents and carers, who can access their children’s records online. Parents and carers join their

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is outstanding

children each week to read with them and find out more about their learning.  The early years classes promote children’s language particularly well. Displays of children’s work celebrate the outstanding progress they are making.  Children are kept safe in the early years and guided in how to explore and climb safely. Their behaviour is outstanding. They take turns and understand class routines and what represents acceptable conduct. They move between the inside and outside areas purposefully and calmly.

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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 139817 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 450076

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 491 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Lester Headteacher Jo Djora Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 020 8205 8707 Fax number 020 8205 6152 Email address head@hyde.barnetmail.net 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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