The Hayfield School

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

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Mrs Lisa Fox Headteacher The Hayfield School Hurst Lane Auckley Doncaster South Yorkshire DN9 3HG

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

Following my visit to the school on 20 February 2018 with Marianne Young and Andrew Cummings, Ofsted inspectors, 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 February 2014.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield 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 The Hayfield School

Your strong, determined leadership has ensured that the school builds on the successes outlined in the previous inspection report. Your school self-evaluation is very accurate. You are justifiably proud of the achievements of your pupils. You will not allow any complacency and are very aware of the aspects of the school’s work which need further improvement. You are ably supported by your leadership team, who clearly share your determination and vision for the school. On your arrival, you saw quickly what was required for the school to move forward. You and your governing body had some difficult decisions to make and you tackled those issues with both courage and sensitivity. You always had at the forefront of your mind what was in the best interests of the pupils in the school.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

The governing body is experienced and ambitious for the pupils of the school. Governors can explain very clearly how they have developed their skills since the previous inspection. They appreciate the training they have received on such things as analysing pupil progress information. Minutes of governing body meetings demonstrate their increased confidence to challenge leaders because of this training. Governors have particularly benefited from the opportunities given for them to meet and question a wider variety of senior and middle leaders. You have taken clear actions to respond to the areas for improvement identified in the last inspection report and the strategies have been effective. Middle leaders, for example, are now a strength of the school. They have a clear view of their role in checking the quality of teaching and ensuring maximum progress for all pupils. Furthermore, due to the close relationship with senior leaders and effective use of

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

consultants, they now have the skills to fulfil that role.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

You were also asked at the last inspection to improve the quality of teaching and learning to ensure that all pupils are stretched and challenged. The vast majority of teachers now know their classes well and use the information they have to pitch the work at a suitably challenging level. Ensuring that every teacher has clear information about every pupil in every class has been important in this move forward. However, you are aware of the importance of ensuring that all teachers reach the standard of your best teachers currently.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

You are very clear about what you expect of pupils, namely hard work, kindness and decency, and they have responded well to your high expectations. Behaviour in the school is good. There is a calm, purposeful atmosphere both in classrooms and around the school.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

During the inspection, we agreed that there are aspects of the school’s work which need further improvement. These include continuing to improve the quality of teaching and learning and establishing a more consistent approach to homework.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

There is a culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders, including governors, have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of a high quality. Pupils say they feel safe and that they have confidence in school staff to help them resolve any issues which arise.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and know what they have to do if they have a concern. This is because they receive high-quality training and support. Governors are also well trained and fulfil their responsibilities thoroughly.

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Short inspection of The Hayfield School

Pupils too, receive extensive training on potential dangers and, consequently, they can speak confidently about measures they can take to keep themselves safe. Older pupils, in discussions, could see clearly how their training in different years was age-appropriate.

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Inspection findings

 The GCSE results for 2016 and 2017 showed that good teaching was leading to good progress. You monitor the progress of pupils in all subjects across all year groups. Your progress information shows that pupils across both key stages continue to make strong progress. Observation in lessons and close scrutiny of pupils’ work books confirmed this.  You can be proud of the fact that attendance figures have consistently been above the national average over the last few years. Furthermore, the number of fixed-term exclusions has been lower than the national figure.  A real strength is the extra-curricular provision, which affords pupils numerous opportunities to develop their skills and experience new things. The wide range of activities and trips out of school was clear in your recent reports to governors. Pupils confirmed this in their conversations with inspectors and they clearly appreciate these diverse opportunities.

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Inspection findings

 You decided for a variety of good reasons to close the sixth form and you accept that progress in the sixth form in some subjects over the last two years has not been as strong as you would like. However, the final group of students are making better progress. Year 13 students talk very positively about the quality of teaching and support they are receiving. They are particularly impressed with the amount of time outside lessons teachers are prepared to give. They are also very appreciative of the high level of support they are given with university applications.  Despite some difficult times, staff morale is high and the Ofsted staff questionnaire showed the vast majority of teachers to be supportive of the changes.

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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

 they continue to focus on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, so that that all teaching comes up to the standard of the very best teaching now evident in school  there is more consistency across different subjects with regards to homework, so that pupils make maximum use of this opportunity for independent learning  they continue to monitor the progress of the final year of sixth-form students and offer support where necessary, so that they continue to make strong progress.

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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 Doncaster. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors met with you, your senior leaders and some of your middle leaders, governors, a cross section of staff and groups of pupils. I had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors had conversations with pupils informally at social times. We gathered a range of evidence from conducting observations of learning and from scrutinising pupils’ work jointly with your middle and senior leaders. The inspection team checked and evaluated documents, including your website, child protection policy, safeguarding records, school self-evaluation, school improvement plans, attendance and behaviour information and minutes from governors’ meetings. Inspectors also reviewed 125 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, 47 responses to the staff questionnaire and 47 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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