Hawksworth Wood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hawksworth Wood Primary School Cragside Walk, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS5 3QE

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Outcome

Hawksworth Wood Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. Many can explain the reasons for this. They appreciate the diversity in school with children from different backgrounds. Pupils say they learn from each other. Pupils know that teachers sort out any ‘falling out’ by getting everyone’s point of view. Pupils say the school is a safe place to be. They know about security and safety. They can explain about the fire assembly points on the MUGA (multi-use games area) during a fire drill. Pupils describe how teachers bring learning to life and explain things clearly. Pupils like the trips out of school linked to learning, including residentials. All teachers have high expectations of every pupil.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are certain that behaviour in school is very good. They cannot recall any bullying happening. Pupils can list the many and varied after-school clubs they can attend. These include yoga, drama, dance, choir and gardening. Pupils can describe and explain the school’s values. One of these, curiosity, was discussed in assembly. They told me how they enjoy talking about important issues in assembly. Topics have included young carers, respect, democracy, compassion and the rights of women. Notes are taken by older pupils and displayed outside the hall.

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

School leaders are uncompromising in their efforts to ensure that the school improves. All staff share leaders’ ambition to provide the best education for pupils. Governors know the school well. They hold leaders to account and are committed to the school. Leaders make every effort to support teachers. Teachers say that they have enough time to get their work completed. This ensures that staff can do their jobs well.

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

Leaders have made sure that learning is well planned and sequenced in subjects such as history and geography. In these subjects, teachers deliver the important ideas in the right order to make sure that pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need. In some subjects, such as mathematics and English, teachers plan lessons in a way that helps pupils to remember what they have been taught. Pupils make sense of new learning because they 3–4 March 2020

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can understand how it fits with what they already know and can remember. In other subjects, some pupils find it hard to remember some significant parts of their learning. This stops them making links and connections between key ideas and concepts. Plans are in place to develop the curriculum across the full range of subjects.

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Phonics teaching is effective. Yet, leaders have a clear commitment to making pupils’ early reading skills even better. Some children in Reception can blend sounds to read words like start, car and hard. Teachers ensure that younger pupils learn, remember and blend sounds together. Pupils who fall behind get extra support. Some, but not all, reading books match pupils’ early reading skills. This means that some pupils can read books they take home with confidence and on their own. Others get stuck on harder words that they cannot read. Reading is a high priority for the school. Reading corners in classrooms are inviting. Some pupils can name their favourite authors. All pupils enjoy a story read aloud before they go home. Pupils told me how much they liked reading. The new banner in the library sums it up well – ‘Reading is power.’

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The school supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Pupils get extra support and help when needed. This does not prevent any pupil with SEND accessing the full curriculum. Staff adapt work so that it meets pupils’ individual needs. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve more over time.

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Behaviour in every area of the school is good. Low-level disruption in lessons is rare. Children in the early years are independent and creative. Pupils’ behaviour in all classes, in the hall and at breaktimes is calm and sensible. They are friendly, polite and well- mannered. Doors were often held open for me and every ‘thank you’ met with ‘you’re welcome’. In lessons, pupils are bright, alert and enthusiastic. From investigating heavy and light objects in Reception using balance scales, to using algebraic expressions and formula in solving mathematical problems in Year 6 – pupils’ determination to succeed and enjoyment in learning are obvious.

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Pupils take on important roles in school with enthusiasm. They have the chance to visit many places of interest linked to what they are learning. Lessons allow pupils to be reflective about issues like refugees and asylum. Teachers boost pupils’ self-respect and self-esteem through displays such as ‘wonderful work’ or being a ‘star of the day’ or ‘star of the week’. ‘Mindmate Monday’ helps pupils to understand different aspects of mental health and dispel stigmas. Pupils learn how to cope with different emotions and talk openly about their feelings.

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Leaders are working hard to improve pupils’ attendance. Work has already been done to encourage regular attendance. A range of rewards and incentives are in place for good attendance. Yet, there is some way to go before pupils’ rates of attendance match those found nationally.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3–4 March 2020

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Staff are well trained and know how to keep children safe. The regular updates for staff give them information about risks to watch out for. All staff are watchful in their oversight of pupils’ welfare and safety. The school has a glowing report from the local authority about its safeguarding systems and policies. Staff work hard to support a growing number of pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has a strong culture of safeguarding. This extends to strengthening and supporting pupils’ all-round physical and emotional well-being.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school is focused on ensuring that pupils quickly learn to read. Some pupils read with increasing confidence because they do not get stuck on difficult words. This is because their reading books match closely to their phonics knowledge. Leaders must make sure that all pupils who are learning to read are given books, including books they take home, that contain only the sounds they know.  Leaders have introduced new strategies to discourage absence from school because pupils’ rates of attendance are too low and below average. Leaders must make sure that attendance strategies have a positive effect so that pupils’ rates of attendance improve quickly and the proportion of persistent absence declines.  In some subjects, key ideas and concepts are carefully organised so that pupils’ learning builds progressively. This is especially the case in history and geography, as well as in English and mathematics. Other subjects are not yet sufficiently coherently

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

planned and sequenced. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan next year’s curriculum and train staff in how to deliver it that they are in the process of bringing this about. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is equally strong and that pupils receive regular and deliberate opportunities to help them remember important knowledge and key 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 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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 28–29 June 2016. 3–4 March 2020

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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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are 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. 3–4 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121858 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.hawksworthwood.leeds.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28–29 June 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school runs a breakfast club for pupils.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is more than double the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff, including the community and inclusion worker.  I met with a group of governors, including the chair and vice chair of the governing body.  I took account of the 23 responses from parents and carers to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View. I looked at the 15 free-text comments from parents as part of that questionnaire. I also considered the 27 responses from staff to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and the nine responses to the pupil questionnaire. 3–4 March 2020

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 I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at playtimes. I gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussions.  I considered a wide range of documentation, including subject plans and safeguarding documents. I also looked at information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  I undertook deep dives into reading, mathematics and history. This involved a meeting with subject leaders, visits to a sample of lessons in these subjects and listening to pupils read. The deep dives also included scrutiny of pupils’ books and other kinds of work produced by pupils who were part of the classes I visited. In addition, I had discussions with teachers and a group of pupils from the lessons observed.

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Inspection team

Phil Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3–4 March 2020

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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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