Hailey Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hailey Church of England Primary School Hailey, Witney, Oxfordshire OX29 9UB

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Outcome

Hailey Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like their school. They feel happy and safe. Pupils learn the importance of being kind and considerate alongside their learning in subjects. Teachers take care to notice and reward these behaviours. Pupils value the certificates they are given for being helpful and friendly as much as those for their work. Leaders expect pupils to behave well and work hard. They have ensured that the school ethos, ‘Together everyone achieves more’, is evident throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils behave well. They are keen to offer ideas and answer questions. Older pupils build on the comments and observations of their peers. They enjoy their learning, although they say that, sometimes, mathematics is too easy for them. Pupils value their good-humoured interactions with staff. These underpin relaxed but respectful relationships throughout the school. Pupils are confident that, if they make mistakes, adults give them the support they need to get it right next time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Outside, pupils play happily together. They told inspectors that ‘Everyone is kind and friendly.’ They do not worry about bullying. Pupils enjoy using the extensive grounds with the popular trim trail. Older pupils patiently show younger ones how to use equipment to play games.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders’ ambition is for all pupils to achieve as much as possible. They are rightly proud of pupils’ consistently secure achievements in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave the school. This prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education in these subjects.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

However, leaders are now wisely revisiting a range of other subject areas to check that there are clear sequences for what pupils should learn term by term. They are developing plans to help teachers to build on pupils’ skills and knowledge across all subjects. While a start has been made on this work, leaders know that much of it is at an early stage. 18 October 2019

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Consequently, the quality of education pupils experience in foundation subjects, such as art and geography, is not currently as well developed as it is in English and mathematics. So, although pupils gain relevant knowledge in these subjects, a lack of careful sequencing means that pupils do not build on their knowledge securely enough. For example, in art, pupils are not mastering techniques or, for example, building knowledge well of artists through history.

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Linked to the school’s agreed approach, establishing early reading skills and a love of books has been carefully developed to weave through and link to learning themes. For instance, pupils told us that a recent move to study whole books rather than a series of comprehension activities has made these activities more exciting for them. Pupils get off to a good start with their reading in the early years. They quickly learn their phonics and relish using these skills in their early reading and writing. As pupils move up through the school, they learn how to find information from texts. They talk confidently about types of books and the authors they enjoy.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who need to catch up with some areas of their learning are mostly supported well. Adults adapt learning plans accordingly and provide pupils with useful extra help. However, sometimes, the reading books for these pupils are not well matched to their needs. When this happens, pupils struggle to experience success or to enjoy reading.

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Pupils across the school learn to calculate in mathematics successfully. Starting in the early years, teachers use their assessments well to carefully plan work which develops children’s number skills. Through the school, those with SEND are supported effectively. Pupils enjoy mastering their times tables through regular practice. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils across the school to apply these skills to challenging problems or to apply their developing mathematical reasoning. This means that, while they enjoy mathematics, pupils sometimes feel it is too easy.

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Pupils value the opportunities afforded to them to be part of the wider life of the school. They develop secure skills as responsible citizens because of the focus on their behaviour and attitudes. As they reach the top of the school, they take very seriously their roles as ambassadors or sports leaders. This prepares them well for responsibility as they move on.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that keeping pupils safe is a priority. Staff have regular safeguarding updates. They have the training they need to spot signs of abuse and know how to report these concerns. Leaders act on any concerns promptly and appropriately to help keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe. This is particularly important as they move around the three buildings that make up the school site. Pupils also learn how to manage risks outside of school, for instance when online. 18 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in some subjects. It is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to review subjects that they are in the process of bringing this about. Leaders need to ensure that they build on the work that has started so that the content of all subject plans is carefully sequenced to support teachers to build pupils’ knowledge.  Leaders need to pay careful attention to ensuring that the books given to pupils who need to catch up with their reading are well matched to support pupils in applying and developing reading fluency, understanding and enjoyment.  Leaders need to ensure that pupils have regular opportunities to apply and develop their knowledge of number through applying it to help them to solve problems and extend their mathematical reasoning skills.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 8 June 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 18 October 2019

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 18 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111255 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 January 2016

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Information about this school

 This is a small Church of England voluntary controlled school. There are four classes and a nursery, which was established in 2016. The nursery caters for three- and four- year-olds.  The school consists of three separate buildings which share the site and are linked by walkways. One building contains the early years classes and key stage 1 class, another the key stage 2 classes. The hall and school offices occupy the third building.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors met with the headteacher, leaders, staff and representatives from the governing body. The lead inspector spoke to a representative from the local authority on the telephone. An inspector spoke to parents and carers at the school gate and considered their responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, including free-text responses.  We did deep dives in the following subjects across the school: reading, mathematics and art. We visited a range lessons and looked at learning plans. We spoke to pupils and staff about pupils’ learning and we looked at pupils’ work.  The inspectors spoke to pupils, parents and staff about the school’s work to keep pupils 18 October 2019

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safe. A range of safeguarding documentation was considered, including the record of recruitment checks.

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Inspection team

Deborah Gordon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Charlotte Wilson Ofsted Inspector 18 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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