Haxey CofE Primary School

Haxey Church of England Primary School The Nooking, Haxey, Doncaster DN9 2JQ Inspection dates 10–11 May 2016

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Haxey has improved significantly since the previous inspection. One parent typical of many said, ‘It’s like a completely different school’.  Senior leaders and governors have high aspirations for pupils’ academic and personal development.  The school continues to improve because of the interim headteacher’s relentless focus on rapidly improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Staff have high expectations of themselves and their pupils. They have created a highly effective team.  Children in Reception enjoy a wide range of exciting activities to stimulate their learning. A high proportion make good progress and they are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils behave well in and out of lessons. They show great pride in their school. Pupils take on roles of responsibility with maturity and are well prepared for the next stage in their education and for life in modern Britain.  Pupils’ learning is enhanced by the use of

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This is a good school

specialist expertise in subjects such as physical education, religious education and music.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers’ feedback is not always clear enough for pupils, and on these occasions, pupils struggle to understand what they need to do to make rapid progress.  Teaching is not consistently of the highest standard to enable all pupils to make rapid progress.  Individual pupils who have complex special educational needs or disability do not always receive sufficient specialist support to enable them to achieve their full potential.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Take action to achieve outstanding outcomes for pupils in all year groups by ensuring that:  existing best practice is shared, so that the quality of teaching is consistently of the highest standard  pupils receive meaningful feedback to enable them to accelerate their progress in lessons  staff have a clear understanding of the specific needs of pupils who have special educational needs or disability in order to provide them with specialist support.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Governors, staff and parents say that the interim headteacher has been pivotal to the rapid improvement in the work of the school and they share her ambition for the future. As headteacher, she is relentless in seeking ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning in line with the school’s mission to provide ‘a happy, secure, caring and stimulating learning environment where everyone is valued and can develop and achieve their full potential’.  The senior team leads by example. Senior leaders have established a culture of high expectations, and staff work as a cohesive and effective team. Rigorous performance management drives improvements in teaching and learning. Leaders and teachers have a clear understanding of their roles, responsibility and lines of accountability, which strengthens further the school’s strong capacity for continued improvement.  Subject leaders have excellent knowledge and understanding of the subjects they lead. They work

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

closely together to ensure consistency in their approach to monitoring the quality of teaching. They accurately identify how teachers and teaching assistants are doing and they provide a range of high- quality training to equip staff with additional skills. Teachers are encouraged to take part in research projects and gain additional qualifications to further strengthen their expertise.  Rigorous and regular checks are made by teachers to determine how well pupils are doing. Disadvantaged pupils and individual pupils identified as underperforming are given opportunities to work in small groups to catch up quickly. Pupils say that this intervention helps them greatly, as do the online programs that their teachers recommend to them, for example, to improve reading, spelling and recall of multiplication tables. Leaders pay careful attention to secure the positive impact of this additional support on pupils’ progress. There is clear evidence to demonstrate the benefit to pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

learning, particularly those who are disadvantaged.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability receive high-quality additional support that is managed very effectively. The newly appointed leader has already improved the attendance of this group of pupils and has accurately identified those who need statements of special educational needs, or education, health and care plans. However, staff who support pupils with complex special educational needs or disability would benefit from further specialist training to enable them to gain a clearer understanding of how to address the specific needs of these pupils.  The broad and balanced curriculum is skilfully interpreted by teachers who design imaginative ways to motivate pupils, encourage participation, and promote their personal and academic development. Innovative links between subjects, such as the Vikings theme in Year 5, help make learning interesting

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and relevant to pupils. Pupils describe their learning as ‘fun’, especially their sport and music lessons. Teachers make excellent use of visits and specialist visitors to help deepen pupils’ understanding. Pupils are very keen to take part in the growing range of clubs, and ‘Nanna Cakes’ baking group is one of their favourites!  Leaders carefully monitor how well pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain across classes. From Reception to Year 6, pupils develop their self-confidence well as they are encouraged to take on particular responsibilities. The democratic election of the school council is taken very seriously. The pupils who are elected are highly respected and carry out the role in a mature and effective way.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through the curriculum. Diversity is celebrated and demonstrated through high-quality and thoughtful displays of pupils’ work.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Children in Reception are extremely proud of their photograph album, which records the many opportunities they have to study different cultures. Pupils enjoy finding ways to raise funds for those less fortunate than themselves and they make a valuable contribution to events in the local community.  The governance of the school  Governors now have an extensive knowledge of the school and rigorously hold senior leaders to account on school improvement. They receive regular reports on the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes. They regularly challenge leaders, particularly about the progress that all pupils are making.  The governors’ training programme is extensive and this has a positive impact on their performance in fulfilling their statutory duties. For example, governors found their ‘Visioning Day’ helpful in gaining a better understanding of their strategic roles and responsibilities in implementing the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school’s improvement plans.  Governors are clear about how additional funding is spent and how this impacts on pupils’ outcomes, and they ensure that policies relating to pay progression for staff are fully adhered to and that movement up the pay scale for teachers relates to their performance.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Leaders are tenacious and successful in their efforts to improve the quality of teaching. Since the last inspection, there has been a strong emphasis on developing creative ways to enable pupils to learn and make rapid progress. Staff work closely together to develop their skills and confidence, and the quality of teaching over time is now consistently good across the school.  Teachers are enthusiastic and well qualified. They have high expectations of both behaviour and learning, which pupils respond to very well. Teachers plan activities that make learning enjoyable for the great majority of pupils. During the inspection, pupils enjoyed designing, making and writing about a Viking shield during an activity that was skilfully planned by the teacher. She expertly combined pupils’ learning of history, art and literacy within a single challenging task that met the needs of all abilities. Pupils were excited, highly motivated and productive. They concentrated diligently to create

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

imaginative and accurate designs that they described carefully using handwriting that was above the standard expected by pupils in Year 5.  There are occasions when teachers do not plan tasks that enable pupils to make the progress expected of them. This is often because the work is either too hard or too easy for some pupils, who then become distracted and off task. In some cases, this also leads to a decline in the standard of pupils’ behaviour, which slows their learning.  Pupils’ progress in mathematics is improving rapidly and pupils typically show sustained levels of concentration and perseverance in these lessons. This is due to the expertise of the subject leader, who has implemented a highly successful strategy of bronze, silver and gold challenges that pupils enjoy selecting for themselves. Teachers design challenges that enable pupils of all abilities to develop and apply a range of mathematical skills and to explain their reasoning inside their imaginative ‘marking

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

stations’.  Reading is taught well throughout the school and this promotes pupils’ love of books. The teaching of phonics has improved rapidly since all staff undertook specialist training. Pupils are given every opportunity to practise and hone their skills in school and at home, and consequently, reading standards are rising.  Writing is also taught effectively, and leaders have invested heavily in resources and training to improve pupils’ progress in the use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Teachers provide many varied opportunities for pupils to write in other subjects and their books show that this is beginning to have a positive impact on the quality of their writing.  Pupils are adept at accurately assessing their own work and that of others. They generally make appropriate corrections to improve their work in response to the comments from teachers. There are times, however, when teachers’ feedback is not clear enough for pupils and on these occasions, pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

struggle to understand what they need to do to make rapid progress.  The majority of pupils who have special educational needs or disability receive effective support from teaching assistants that enables them to participate fully in lessons and make good progress. Not all staff have sufficient understanding of the more complex needs of a small number of pupils and are not always able to provide the specialist support to enable these pupils to make good progress in all lessons.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The overwhelming majority of parents responding on Parent View feel that their children are happy at school. Pupils say that they are proud of their school and that they feel valued and respected.  All pupils responding to their online survey said that their school encourages them to take on responsibilities, and inspectors saw this in every class, for example as buddies and sports ambassadors. Members of the school council are keen to make decisions to improve their school and represent the views of their classmates. A member of this group described the school as ‘one happy family’.  All pupils spoken to by inspectors and those who responded to their online survey agree that they feel safe in school. The vast majority of parents responding on Parent View also agree. Pupils are confident that staff will listen to them if they are worried. Pupils know about all forms of bullying and say that

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Personal development and welfare

there is little bullying because adults help to settle any incidents quickly.  Pupils spoke positively about how adults help them to do well, have fun and make friends. They have a clear understanding of personal safety, particularly when using the internet, because it is built into so many lessons.  Leaders and staff take pupils’ emotional well-being very seriously and parents speak highly of the support available to them. Staff make sure that the school is a safe and harmonious place, where pupils learn about themselves and others. This results in a better understanding of, and respect for, one another and contributes well to the very strong community spirit within the school.  The school’s work with external agencies is very strong. This ensures that the school’s work to support the learning and welfare needs of pupils whose circumstances may make them feel vulnerable is very effective.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Staff provide a caring environment with a calm and purposeful atmosphere for learning. Consequently, pupils are happy, polite and very caring. The mutual respect between pupils and adults ensures that the skills of individual pupils are valued, their talents nurtured and their self-confidence is improved.  Pupils in all year groups are keen to learn. They speak with confidence about what they are learning and display consistently strong attitudes to their work. They show respect towards each other from a young age.  Attendance is improving steadily and is currently above average. Strategies to tackle the absence of individual pupils are proving successful, and staff work hard to involve other professionals where necessary.  The school works hard to establish productive relationships with parents to enable them to gain a greater understanding of how they can help to improve their children’s learning. This is particularly

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Behaviour

successful in the early years provision.  There are occasions when pupils lose concentration and become distracted as a result of work not being at the most appropriate level for them. This does slow their learning and on occasion, this minority of pupils do not behave as well as others.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Children join the school with starting points that are typically around or above those expected of children of similar age. Careful nurturing in the Reception Year combined with effective teaching ensure that children make at least good progress in preparation for their move into key stage 1.  The decline in the proportion of pupils achieving national expectations in the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2015 was disappointing for the school, given the high standards reached by pupils in the previous two years. The school monitoring system accurately predicts that the proportion will once again be above the national figure this year. The underperformance of disadvantaged pupils and boys in 2015 was addressed immediately and the improved quality of teaching and resources is reflected in the rising standards in reading currently being achieved by all pupils.  Attainment at the end of key stage 1 is consistently above national figures and in 2015, it was

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Outcomes for pupils are good

significantly high in writing. Work in books and school tracking data show that pupils are continuing to make at least good progress and a high proportion are on track to exceed age-related expectations at the end of the year as a result of the highly effective teaching they are receiving.  Outcomes at the end of key stage 2 continued to improve in 2015 and were again above national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics combined. Girls and disadvantaged pupils also achieved above national expectations for English, grammar, punctuation and spelling, whilst boys were below the standard expected.  Almost half of pupils in Year 6 made more than expected progress in reading and writing in 2015. However, the proportion making expected progress in mathematics was below that seen nationally. Inspectors agree with the school’s monitoring system, which demonstrates that the majority of pupils currently in Year 6 will make more than expected progress in mathematics and reading this year. A high

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Outcomes for pupils are good

proportion will also make at least expected progress in writing. Examples of high-quality writing are visible around the school, celebrating pupils’ achievements and challenging others to match them.  Inspectors’ analysis of current pupils’ work in English, mathematics and science shows that standards of attainment are continuing to rise across key stages 1 and 2. As a result of consistently good teaching across the school, pupils in all year groups are making at least good progress in developing their knowledge, skills and understanding in these areas.  The majority of pupils with special educational needs or disability are making good progress, from low starting points in some cases. The well-planned extra support pupils receive in phonics and mathematics has accelerated their progress in these subjects. However, the few pupils who have complex special educational needs or disability do not always have the opportunity to reach their

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Outcomes for pupils are good

potential in lessons, as staff are not always aware of how best to support them.  Although the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in the school was below that of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally in 2015, the majority made more than expected progress in reading and writing. Monitoring by school leaders and an analysis of pupils’ work show that disadvantaged pupils across the school are now making good progress, but some gaps in attainment remain.  Across the school, the most-able pupils are now making at least good progress, particularly in mathematics. An analysis of work showed that they are being challenged more often than at the time of the last inspection. As a result, they are deepening their understanding and are working hard to reach the very highest standards.  In several subjects, the expertise of the specialist teachers, for example in physical education, religious education and music, is enabling pupils to learn very well in these subjects. The school has achieved

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Outcomes for pupils are good

the Sainsbury’s Sports Kite Mark (Silver).

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Early years provision is good

 Leadership of the early years provision is good. Children enter the Reception class with skills, knowledge and understanding that are typically at or above those of children their age. Outcomes for children by the end of the early years have improved still further since the previous inspection, when they were judged to be good.  In 2015, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development was again above average. The school’s current assessment information indicates that all children are making good progress towards reaching a good level of development, and a high proportion are exceeding expectations in a number of areas.  Children benefit from high-quality teaching, including in phonics, using their knowledge of sounds and letters well to read and write words and sentences. They also learn very well by choosing their own activities from those that staff set up for them, following accurate assessments of children’s learning

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Early years provision is good

and careful consideration of how this can be moved on. Staff make full use of the well-equipped and spacious indoor facilities to prepare children well for their learning in Year 1.  Adults skilfully question children to promote their language development. For example, in one activity, children responded well to adults’ questions about how plants grow. Adults interact well with children, providing good models of speaking and listening.  Children are very happy and they behave extremely well. Boys and girls work very well together and they are respectful of and kind to one another.  The early years staff develop strong relationships with parents and provide many opportunities for them to get involved in their child’s learning.  Accurate evaluation of the early years provision has resulted in plans for a rich and stimulating outdoor learning environment that will overcome the difficulties with the design of the current area, which is not

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Early years provision is good

well designed to extend children’s learning and development.

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School details

Unique reference number 118011 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 10011988

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 182 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Carol Lindley Interim headteacher Mrs Jo Buckle Telephone number 01427 752294 Website http://e-voice.org.uk/haxeycoe Email address admin.haxeyprimary@northlincs.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 26–27 March 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and all speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.  A smaller than average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which at this school provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils who join part-way through the school year is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  There is one Reception class in the early years, which children attend on a full-time basis.  There have been a number of new appointments to teaching posts since the last inspection.  There have been significant changes to the membership of the governing body since the last inspection.

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Information about this school

 The interim headteacher was appointed in April 2015.

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Information about this inspection

 Standard assessment tests were taking place for pupils in Year 6 at the time of the inspection.  Inspectors observed eight lessons or part lessons, two of which were jointly observed with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of pupils’ work in books and observed pupils at playtime and lunchtime.  Discussions were held with school staff, five governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors talked to pupils about the school’s work, listened to some pupils read aloud and talked to them about books that they enjoy.  Inspectors observed various aspects of the school’s work and considered a range of policies and documents. These included information about pupils’ attainment and progress, planning and monitoring documentation, the school improvement plan and self-evaluation summary, safeguarding policies, and behaviour and attendance records.

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Information about this inspection

 Account was taken of 48 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also met with a group of parents, spoke to parents as they were bringing their children to school and received a message from one parent. The online questionnaire responses received from 31 children were also considered.

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Inspection team

Catherine Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Julia Wright Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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