Hawes Side Academy

Inspection of a good school: Hawes Side Academy Johnsville Avenue, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 3LN

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Outcome

Hawes Side Academy continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe. Leaders take swift action if any bullying happens. Leaders prepare pupils well to live in a diverse society. Leaders make sure that most pupils attain as well as pupils in other schools in reading, writing and mathematics. Some adults do not have the same high expectations of pupils in other subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

When teachers follow leaders’ plans, pupils achieve well in most subjects. Sometimes, in subjects other than English and mathematics, teachers do not teach what leaders expect them to. When this happens, pupils do not do as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils are welcome at the school. The wide range of activities that they can take part in helps them to develop confidence and an interest in learning. Pupils are respectful and tolerant of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well as they move around the school and during lessons. Sometimes, teachers allow some pupils to disturb the learning of others. Leaders work closely with midday staff to manage pupils’ behaviour. Some members of staff and older pupils agree that more activities on the playground would make lunchtimes more enjoyable.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn in each year group. They have clear plans in place for the curriculum that pupils are taught. Leaders have set out the steps of learning that pupils need in each subject. The activities that leaders have planned help most pupils do as well as they should. Some pupils could do better. Some adults’ expectations are not high enough.

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

Many leaders of subject areas other than English and mathematics are new to the role. They do not make sure that teachers are teaching what they should be. As a result, in 13–14 November 2019

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some subject areas, pupils have not learned what they should have. This is true in geography. Pupils in key stage 2 cannot explain what they have learned in this subject. In contrast, pupils in key stage 1 do not achieve as well as older pupils in some subjects.

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Pupils are well prepared for their next stage of learning in English and mathematics. Staff support and nurture pupils well. Parents and carers said that adults in school look after their children well. Pupils develop confidence to try new things.

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Some pupils at the school face many challenges. Some struggle to manage their feelings. The special needs coordinator provides plans for teachers to make sure that vulnerable pupils get any support that they need. Plans are also in place for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). When teachers use this information, all pupils can join in learning activities. Some pupils with SEND do not get the same level of support.

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Teachers plan activities that help pupils understand the world ‘beyond Blackpool’. Leaders have been successful in developing this aspect of pupils’ knowledge. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils can hold short conversations in Mandarin. Pupils value and respect traditions and cultures other than their own.

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Most pupils know how they should behave. They do not always follow the rules, because some adults do not insist on good behaviour in lessons. This is particularly true in key stage 1. The teaching of phonics is uneven across different teaching groups. Some adults do not match phonics learning to pupils’ level of need or understanding. This means some pupils find phonics sessions far too easy or much too hard. Pupils lose interest. Some pupils with SEND do not get the support that they need. Pupils who most need help to catch up with their reading are not well supported.

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In key stage 2, pupils are proud of their reading knowledge and skills. They use challenging words, such as ‘protagonist’, that they have learned before to explain a new story that they have just read. Similarly, in the early years, children are proud of the sentences that they write. This helps children to quickly become familiar with phonics. They can write simple words and sentences.

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Pupils encourage and support each other well. Key stage 2 pupils describe new friendships that they made on residential trips. Children in the early years act out being firefighters in a ‘fire engine’ that they make out of blocks together. Adults in the early years provide effective support when children have minor squabbles.

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Younger pupils play well at lunchtime because they have lots of activities. Older pupils have little to do. Most do not take part in planned physical activity. Adults need to work hard to ensure that good order is maintained.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All school staff focus on keeping pupils safe. Leaders have clear systems and procedures 13–14 November 2019

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in place to check that all pupils, especially the most vulnerable, are protected from any risk of harm. Leaders check that that all staff follow the agreed procedures. Staff and parents use passwords throughout the school to make sure that pupils go home with an appropriate adult. All staff, especially staff in the early years, make sure that pupils are safe when they are playing outside.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some adults do not insist that pupils behave as well as they should. Leaders need to make sure that all staff and pupils understand leaders’ high expectations for behaviour in lessons. They need to check that teachers follow the school’s policy to ensure good behaviour. All staff, especially those in key stage 1, need to ensure that pupils are focused in lessons. Teachers must ensure that pupils do not disturb others’ learning.  Not all subject leaders are equally confident in their role. Senior leaders need to make sure that new subject leaders in subjects beyond English and mathematics are trained and supported so that they can carry out their new roles. Subject leaders need to check that teachers are planning activities that match the plans for their subject area. They also need to check that pupils in key stage 1 and 2 can remember and use what they have learned in all subject areas.  Not all teachers make sure that pupils with SEND get the support that they need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders need to make sure that the activities that teachers plan help all pupils, including those with SEND, to build up their knowledge as well as they can. Teachers need to make effective use of what they know about all pupils in their class to plan activities that challenge and support them. This is particularly true for the teaching of phonics in key stage 1.  The management of behaviour at lunchtime is too reliant on senior leaders. Leaders need to ensure that staff on duty at lunchtime are enabled to maintain good order without the need for intensive support from senior leaders. Leaders need to ensure that all pupils have access to activities to promote good behaviour and physical well- being.  In the next section 5 inspection, deep dives in reading, mathematics and geography may help leaders demonstrate the improvement that is needed to ensure that the school remains good.

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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 13–14 November 2019

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the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Hawes Side Academy to be good on 14 April 2015.

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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.

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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. 13–14 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087672 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 April 2015

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Information about this school

 A new principal has been appointed since the previous inspection.  New subject leaders have been appointed since September 2019.  Other leadership roles have also been reorganised.

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Information about this inspection

 We spoke with the principal, the special educational needs coordinator, a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body, and a representative from the local authority.  We looked at a range of documentation for safeguarding, including the record of required checks carried out on school staff, staff training logs and case files. We met with the person responsible for safeguarding to discuss how the school keeps pupils safe.  We observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. We observed them in the schools’ after-school club and as they moved around the school.  We spoke to pupils about their experiences at school.  We looked at the 47 responses to Ofsted’s parents’ questionnaire, Parent View, and the 13–14 November 2019

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31 free-text responses from parents to find out their views of the school. We spoke with parents as they dropped off their children at school.  We focused closely on reading, geography and Mandarin. We talked to the leaders of these subjects. We visited lessons. We looked at examples of pupils’ work. We talked with teachers and pupils about what pupils were learning.  We also visited other lessons to observe pupils working around the school.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gaynor Rennie Ofsted Inspector 13–14 November 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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