Hazelbury Bryan Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Julie Sharpe Hazelbury Bryan Primary School Droop Sturminster Newton Dorset DT10 2ED

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Short inspection of Hazelbury Bryan Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 17 October 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in January 2014.

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Short inspection of Hazelbury Bryan Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Hazelbury Bryan Primary School

You have overseen changes in staffing and governance well. You provide the children of the village with good and enriching learning experiences. Pupils are polite and courteous at all times. They appreciate the range of activities offered: sporting, musical, cultural and exploratory. Parents are positive about their children’s education under your guidance. As one parent commented, ‘The headteacher knows every child and the individual personalities and caters accordingly.’ You have made sure that the school is a valued hub in the community.

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Short inspection of Hazelbury Bryan Primary School

Since the last inspection, you have maintained the focus on mathematics. The lead for mathematics ensures that teachers understand the increasing demands of the curriculum. Following the end of key stage tests, the lead has analysed pupils’ responses. As a result, she is working with teachers to improve pupils’ understanding of problems in key stage 1. Teachers in key stage 2 are working on ratio, proportion and percentage problems. This analysis is beneficial. Results for pupils improved in key stage 2 in 2017 with pupils, including the disadvantaged, achieving the expected standard. You are aware that there is further work to do in key stage 1 to make sure that more pupils achieve the expected standard. In both key stages, you are working on improving the number of pupils who meet the higher standard.

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Short inspection of Hazelbury Bryan Primary School

The school has a new marking and feedback policy. There is some inconsistency in teachers’ application of it. Some pupils are not given time routinely to correct work. This is partly because of staff changes and absences. You have good systems in place to check teachers’ use of the policy. You and the other leaders are monitoring the situation. This is an area that you know needs further scrutiny.

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Short inspection of Hazelbury Bryan Primary School

 You and the safeguarding governor have worked together successfully. You have created a risk-averse culture within the school. The school’s policies to ensure that pupils are well protected are in place. All staff, including governors, undertake training in child protection. You test the understanding of staff on a regular basis. The checks undertaken on staff, visitors and recruitment are stringent. A wide range of outside agencies support vulnerable pupils effectively. Staff know how to keep pupils safe from abuse, from sexual exploitation and from the influence of radical or extreme views. You protect pupils well once the school day begins. The gates to the site are locked and the reception area is secure and monitored with CCTV. You are undertaking a risk assessment on the security of older pupils’ arrival into school. This will increase their safety further.

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Inspection findings

 We discussed the work that you are doing to improve outcomes for the middle- ability and most-able pupils in the school. They are doing well at the expected standard. Yet, you know that more should be achieving the higher standard. You and the staff in the Nursery and Reception classes are aware of the potential of the able pupils. You are monitoring them closely to make sure that they exceed expected standards in the early learning goals. In the same way, you are reviewing the progress of those who left Reception having exceeded expectations at a good level of development. You are paying close attention to the work set for these pupils. You review teachers’ planning to ensure that it provides suitable challenge in every subject. In this way, you and the other leaders are providing a good level of support. The aim is for more pupils to achieve their potential.  Next, we discussed the progress of pupils who have special educational needs

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Inspection findings

and/or disabilities. You are the special educational needs coordinator. You run a very inclusive school. You have nearly twice as many pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities as the national average. Many have complex needs. Trained teaching assistants support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities skilfully. These pupils thrive within the school community.  You and the staff in the pre-school and Reception classes have noticed that several children have difficulties with speech. The speech and language service is providing weekly support in school with a speech therapist. The therapist trains staff in ways to aid the children’s verbal development too. Many children are making good progress and catching up with their peers. Those who have more severe delays in speech continue to work with the therapist. You have improved the way that you teach phonics. Each day, the children start with a phonics

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Inspection findings

session learning how to say the sounds that letters make. Some of the able pre- school children join in. Already, children are making more progress in comparison to last year.  As well as the progress in phonics, we looked at the development of children in the early years phase. The early years leader is working with the pre-school teacher. They are planning activities that lead children to work in the outside area. Now, there are good and stimulating activities in which children can engage. Children work on their numeracy skills and other important early learning goals. There is equipment on which children can take risks safely. They experiment with their balance and agility. Inside, children write, count and improve their motor skills. Children are able to listen and attend from the start of their time in school.  The focus and attention of the children in Reception are impressive. They engage in

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Inspection findings

activities inside the school and out of doors. They understand how to take turns and speak politely to each other and staff. Teaching assistants monitor children’s progress constantly. The able children are challenged continually and those who are not developing as quickly are well supported. Parents are informed daily about their children’s progress on a web-based tool. Communication between parents and pre- school and Reception staff is good.  Finally, we discussed the persistent absence of pupils, and some groups of pupils, in 2016. To improve this, you have worked with parents to explain the importance of regular education. You have highlighted the impact that non- attendance can have on pupil progress. Persistent absence has reduced and the rate is lower than the national average. It is the same for the attendance of disadvantaged pupils. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have attendance that is close to the national average, now.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 pupils of middle and high ability make the best possible progress from pre-school class onwards so that more pupils, including those who are disadvantaged: – are provided with challenge to deepen their thinking in reading – apply numeracy skills effectively so that they reason more proficiently in mathematics  teachers improve pupils’ writing so that more achieve greater depth by: – checking pupils’ spelling, grammar and punctuation skills, knowledge and understanding more precisely – ensuring that activities planned develop pupils’ ability to write accurately across a range of subjects and genres – expecting pupils to use the grammatical and technical aspects of writing learned when writing for different purposes.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Dorset. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, the assistant headteacher, the early years leader and governors. I had a telephone conversation with the principal adviser for the local authority. I spoke informally with pupils. I visited lessons for all classes in the school. I looked at the quality of work in pupils’ exercise books and considered documentary evidence relating to the impact of the school’s work, including safeguarding. I took into account 32 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, and 18 comments written by parents, plus the nine responses from staff to the Ofsted online survey.

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