Hazel Hurst School Mapperley Ltd

Hazel Hurst School Mapperley Ltd 400 Westdale Lane, Mapperley, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG3 6DG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor has not ensured that all the Independent School Standards are met.  Leaders do not have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, they do not act quickly enough to improve aspects of the school’s provision that are less strong.  Staff do not have a clear understanding of the priorities for the school and cannot fully explain their role in bringing about improvement.  The school’s appraisal process does not focus enough on making sure staff further improve outcomes for pupils and children.  The proprietor is not able to check effectively on the quality of the school’s provision because the school does not regularly engage with other schools or other educational establishments in order to compare the quality of their work.  Standards in mathematics are not as high as for reading and writing, particularly for the most able pupils.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 All staff show a strong commitment to the school. They create a warm and caring ethos and ensure that pupils are safe and happy.  Teachers effectively plan learning that helps pupils develop well their knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of subjects.  Most pupils achieve standards that are in line with, or better than, the expectations for their age.  The school engages well with parents. Day-to- day communication is good. Parents have confidence in the school to keep their children safe and support their learning effectively.  Pupils behave well at all times. Relationships between all members of the school community are positive. Teachers encourage pupils to be mindful of others and they develop good social skills.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the leadership and management of the school by: – developing a secure understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school’s provision – undertaking appropriate actions to improve the aspects of the school’s provision that are less strong, for example ensuring that standards in mathematics are as strong as in reading and writing – ensuring that all staff have a clear understanding of the priorities of the school and know their role in bringing about improvements – developing a thorough process to manage staff performance, ensuring that staff are able to maintain and improve outcomes for children and pupils – establish working relationships with other schools to ensure that all leaders, including the proprietor, are in a good position to check on the quality of the school’s provision, and to learn from the practice of others.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietor ensures that particulars of the arrangements for meeting the standard in paragraph 7 are published on the school’s internet website or, where no such website exists, are provided to parents on request (paragraph 32(1), 32(1)(c)).

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The proprietor has ensured that all but one of the independent schools standards are met. The school has an up-to-date safeguarding policy that reflects the latest government guidance, but this version of the policy is not on the website. The school is aware of this, but was not able to access the website to make the change during the inspection. However, paper copies are available for parents on request.  Leaders do not demonstrate a clear knowledge of the school’s strengths and what it needs to do to improve further. Although leaders carry out monitoring activities, they do not evaluate their findings effectively. Consequently, they do not identify aspects of the school’s work that are less strong or take actions to make improvements.  Leaders do not ensure that staff have a clear understanding of the priorities for the school and, therefore, staff are not able to explain their role in bringing about improvements.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

Leaders do not check the quality or impact of work carried out by staff who have particular responsibilities.  The school’s appraisal process (the management of staff performance) does not focus enough on making sure staff are able to maintain and improve outcomes for pupils and children. Although staff are able to attend training courses and undertake online professional development, these opportunities are not planned strategically or focused on what the school needs to do to improve.  Leaders’ oversight of attendance is not precise enough. Although absences are followed up in a timely manner, leaders do not always monitor patterns of absence.  The headteacher knows all the children very well and is aware of their learning needs. She actively promotes the effective assessment practice that leads to good outcomes for children, but there has been some over-reliance on the systems introduced by the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

previous leader for the early years. Although the information gathered through the teachers’ assessments is used to check the progress of individuals, it is not evaluated or used effectively to identify areas that could be improved.  The curriculum provides a range of opportunities for learning in a range of subjects. Themes and topics provide variety and often follow the interests of the pupils. They are able to take part in many practical activities that engage and excite them, for example taking part in an experiment to grow seeds from the international space station.  Pupils develop spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding through their interactions with others, books and stories, visits to places of worship and curriculum themes. For example, pupils worked alongside members of the local community when they contributed to the church flower festival. Activity days and visitors help pupils understand

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

the roles of people who help uphold British values. For example, pupils enjoyed the visit from a police officer. Such activities are effective in helping pupils prepare for their later life in modern Britain.

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Governance

 The proprietor’s understanding of the quality of the school’s provision lacks sufficient precision. As a result, there is not a secure understanding of how to improve the school.  The proprietor is not able to check effectively on the quality of the school’s provision because the school does not regularly engage with other schools to compare and moderate their work.  The proprietor knows the safeguarding duties and is committed to the welfare, well-being and safety of the pupils and staff. Through her daily contact as headteacher, she demonstrates great care for all the children.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Safeguarding is reviewed regularly at staff meetings. All staff are vigilant in their care for the pupils. Because staff know pupils well, they are alert to any small changes that could give them cause for concern.  Staff monitor pupils’ welfare and work with external agencies if necessary. They know what actions they should take if they have a concern. Online training has ensured that they are aware of recent government guidance.  The school engages well with parents, encouraging them to play an active part in their child’s education. Frequent informal contact between staff and parents ensures that there are good lines of communication at all times to facilitate support for pupils and to keep them safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Well-established routines and clear expectations ensure that pupils settle quickly at the start of the day and are ready for learning. They enjoy the familiarity of the activities at the start of each lesson, as well as the range of practical learning opportunities also available for them.  Teachers effectively plan learning that helps pupils develop step-by-step their knowledge, skills and understanding. Frequent assessments measure progress against individual targets and enable teachers to adapt their planning to meet pupils’ individual learning needs.  Teachers are responsive to pupils and take opportunities to introduce new ideas or reinforce earlier learning. For example, pupils enjoyed counting the number of elephants, while enjoying a story about Elmer the Elephant and his friends.  The classrooms are rich in books and the printed word. As a result, pupils enjoy stories and learn to read confidently, using their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

to tackle new words. Books are also used to support different aspects of the curriculum, for example an African counting story helped pupils develop their number skills.  Assessments are increasingly made using an application on a tablet computer. This helps staff to capture information quickly, either by taking a photograph or making notes. This information is also available to parents and provides additional information about their child’s learning.  There is a good range of learning activities for pupils and those that are directed by an adult are tightly focused. However, where pupils choose their own activities, occasionally the learning focus is not made as clear.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils communicate confidently and appropriately for their age. They learn to work well with others and develop positive relationships with peers and adults alike.  Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and say it is a safe place where their children are looked after well. Pupils understand that teachers help to keep them safe while at school, for example by ensuring that the gate is locked.  Off-site visits to places in the local community are providing experiences that help to develop pupils’ understanding of other cultures. They have visited places of worship to take part in religious celebrations. Other visits have given insights into the lives of others; for example, pupils visited a Chinese restaurant to sample food at Chinese New Year.  Pupils know the simple concepts of right and wrong. The can explain the difference

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Personal development and welfare

between kind and unkind actions. They know that some behaviour is not acceptable ‘because it is not being kind’. They also recognise that saying sorry is a way of acknowledging that they have upset someone by their behaviour. Though they are aware of unkindness, younger children have not yet developed a full understanding of different types of bullying.  The school’s records indicate that incidents of bullying are extremely rare. This is because staff supervise pupils well and take prompt action if pupils are unkind to one another.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils’ conduct is good at all times. The school is orderly and calm as a result of close supervision by adults. There are no disruptions to learning.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy the range of activities on offer to them. They are keen to talk about what they are finding out and are enthusiastic in their responses.  Pupils of statutory school age enjoy school and attend regularly because of the close support they receive from staff. Staff follow up any absences quickly to ensure that pupils are safe.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 From starting points that are broadly in line with expectations for their age, most children achieve a good level of development at the end of the early years and go on to reach the standards expected of them by the end of key stage 1. Some pupils are working at standards that are beyond those expected for their age, particularly in reading and writing.  Learning journeys and workbooks demonstrate good rates of progress in different subjects. Writing books show that pupils systematically build their skills over time and are working at standards consistent with their age.  Work across the curriculum is often practical and recorded in different ways, for example through drawings or models. As a result, pupils develop knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of subjects.  Pupils develop the skills that help them to move on in their next stage of education. Parents commented about how well their children have settled at the large junior school

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Outcomes for pupils Good

to which they have transferred.  Pupils read confidently and accurately. They have good comprehension skills and use the text and pictures to answer questions about the story. Pupils also explain why they enjoy a particular story.  Standards in mathematics are not as strong as in reading and writing. Most pupils are working at the standards expected for their age; however, fewer pupils achieve greater depth in their learning in mathematics.

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Early years provision Good

 When children start at the school, sometimes as young as two years old, they quickly settle in as a result of the warm welcome they receive from staff and the well-established routines. They are encouraged to develop their independence and soon begin to demonstrate greater confidence as they enjoy the range of activities on offer.  Children enjoy their learning, both indoors and outdoors. Teachers plan engaging activities to help children develop a range of skills. For example, children improved their jumping and hopping skills when learning to play hopscotch. Regular assessments are carried out and children are given new targets as they achieve each step in learning.  Children behave well at all times of the day. They are enthusiastic about their learning, but also enjoy the social times, such as lunchtime and outdoor playtime.  Most children achieve a good level of development by the end of the early years. Some

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Early years provision Good

exceed the early learning goals and have competent reading and number skills for their age. Consequently, children are well prepared for the expectations of key stage 1.  Staff are vigilant in ensuring that children are safe. All staff have received training in paediatric first aid. Communication with parents is effective in ensuring that any minor concerns are swiftly followed up and resolved.  Until recently, there was strong leadership of the early years. This member of staff has now left the school. However, the systems that were put in place for assessment and planning continue to ensure that children make good progress.  All statutory requirements for early years provision are met.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Email address hazelhurstschool@btconnect.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18–19 January 2012

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Information about this school

 Hazel Hurst School opened in 1934 and is a small independent school for boys and girls aged between two and seven.  There are currently 30 pupils on roll at the school, of which 15 attend part time.  The school is organised into three classes, nursery, kindergarten and prep. All classes have suitable adult-to-pupil ratios.  The school aims ‘to create a happy and secure environment for all children to reach their potential in personal, spiritual, academic and physical development’. The curriculum is based on ‘the Early Years Foundations Stage, linking into the National Curriculum when appropriate for each child’.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in all classes and observed pupils at other times of the school day. The inspector also scrutinised planning and curriculum information and reviewed pupils’ work alongside the headteacher.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, business manager and teaching staff.  The inspector evaluated a range of information relating to pupils’ academic progress and welfare.  The inspector scrutinised school records relating to attendance, the recruitment and training of staff and information relating to welfare, health and safety. This included school policies to keep children safe.  The inspector considered the six responses to the staff questionnaire. She also took into account the four responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, as well as talking informally with parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jane Salt, lead inspector 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

Parent View 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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