Bayards Hill School

Inspection of Bayards Hill School Waynflete Road, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX3 9NU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 17–18 December 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bayards Hill School is coming out of an unsettled time. Pupils have experienced frequent changes of teachers. They are glad about the recent improved stability in staffing. In almost all year groups, pupils are now learning better than they did before. Teachers are providing most pupils with learning that develops their thinking better. However, this is not true for children in Reception. They do not receive teaching that ensures they learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they are safe in school. They know that they can depend on their teachers to look after them. Most pupils do not think bullying is a problem. However, a small number of pupils and parents disagree with this view. They would like to see teachers take a stronger line with behaviour. Inspectors found that pupils understand the new ‘golden rules’. Almost all of them follow the rules well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play together well during the day. In class, they pay attention to their teachers. Pupils try their best in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development has not been wide enough. They have had some opportunities to extend their horizons, which they have enjoyed. Parents and pupils want the school to increase the range of activities offered.

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better?

The new headteacher has made key improvements to the curriculum over the past term. These changes were necessary and overdue. Teachers now have a sequenced plan for what to teach in most subjects. Many teachers are passionate about improving what their pupils learn. However, some teachers do not the level of expertise yet to ensure pupils learn well. For example, in mathematics and science not all staff have secure subject knowledge. This means that pupils often do not learn well. Their understanding is sometimes weak and incomplete. Leaders have invested in staff training to improve teachers’ subject knowledge and skills.

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better?

The curriculum is variable in its quality. Much of this is due to new content being only recently introduced. Leaders are in the process of establishing the revised curriculum swiftly. An example of this positive change is in reading and writing. The impact of the new approach is improving pupils’ learning. Older pupils are reading and writing with greater confidence and skill. Early reading is less strong. The teaching of phonics lacks precision and consistent quality. Teachers do not assess carefully enough how well pupils’ reading skills develop. This is particularly true in Reception, where teachers fail to provide a rich reading experience for the children.

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better?

Staff’s higher expectations of how pupils should behave, and the improving teaching, have led to better attitudes from pupils towards learning. Pupils behave well in class. They like the calm purposefulness of their lessons. Pupils are eager to 17–18 December 2019

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show what they have learned. They enjoy being successful with more challenging work and take a pride in their work.

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Leaders admit that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have not been well supported. This is now changing. Teachers have been trained and are better able to adapt their delivery to support pupils with SEND. A small group of pupils with complex needs are still finding learning difficult. They are not always settled and ready to take part in lessons. Leaders are now rightly focusing on providing better specialist support for these pupils.

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Early Years provision is inadequate. While children receive strong provision in Nursery, the curriculum in Reception is weak. The learning environment lacks stimulating resources. As a result, children’s imagination is not captured. Their natural desire to learn is not exploited. Staff lack the expertise to systematically develop early reading skills.

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Leaders have provided pupils with a range of personal development opportunities. For example, pupils enjoy the trips to Oxford Science Centre. They have been enthused by what they have learned there. The recent series of Christmas performances gave pupils a chance to shine. However, the provision is not widespread, and leaders do not check to ensure that all pupils benefit.

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The new headteacher and his leadership team are now addressing the significant areas for improvement in the school. Governors provide useful support. Trust leaders have been slow to address the decline in standards at the school. However, they have taken more effective action in the last year. Staff feel supported by leaders. They are optimistic about the impact of the improvements leaders are making. The signs are that the school is moving in the right direction.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff at this school keep pupils safe. They pass on their concerns in a prompt and clear manner. Leaders are careful to ensure they follow up any signs of a pupil being at risk. The school works well with external agencies to safeguard children.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have secure and effective recruitment systems in place. Governors understand their responsibilities. They keep the school’s systems under regular review.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The early years curriculum does not support the development and deepening of children’s knowledge, skills and understanding well. Too few children are secure enough in their phonics skills to read with fluency by the end of Reception. 17–18 December 2019

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Leaders need to make the appropriate changes to ensure children learn what they need to so that they are ready for Year 1.  The quality of education is not good enough. Leaders have started to make improvements but these need to be consolidated and widened to ensure that all pupils, especially those with SEND, are able to learn effectively. Leaders should work swiftly to add depth and breadth to the curriculum to ensure pupils’ learning has firm foundations.  Not all teachers have the required knowledge and confidence in the subjects that they teach. They require training to build their expertise. Leaders need to ensure that staff receive the development they need so that they can quickly improve the learning across the curriculum.  Too few pupils have sufficient opportunities to develop their character and talents. Leaders need to implement swiftly the plans they have drawn up to ensure that pupils benefit. Leaders should prioritise the personal development opportunities

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for all, but especially for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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. 17–18 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111420 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11–12 October 2017

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Information about this school

 Bayards Hill School is a larger-than-average sized primary school.  Early Years consists of two Reception classes and one Nursery class. Children in the Nursery class attend either in the morning or the afternoon.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above the national average.  Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The current headteacher took up his post in June 2019.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with school leaders, the chief executive of the trust, trustees and governors. Inspectors also met with a range of staff.  The inspection team evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding. The school’s single central record was reviewed. Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and other staff responsible for safeguarding in the school. 17–18 December 2019

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 The views of 27 members of staff who responded to Ofsted’s online survey were considered by the inspection team.  Inspectors reviewed the 30 Parent View responses and the 21 free-text submissions from parents.  The team met with groups of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to pupils informally. Inspectors also took account of 13 pupils’ responses to the Ofsted survey.  Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: reading, writing, mathematics, science and personal, social, health and economic education. This involved talking with senior leaders, subject leaders and class teachers about how these subjects are delivered. Inspectors then visited a range of lessons to see this in action, talked to pupils about what they have learned and looked at their work.

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Inspection team

Yasmin Maskatiya, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Hilary Goddard Ofsted Inspector 17–18 December 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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