Heath Hayes Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Heath Hayes Primary Academy Wimblebury Road, Heath Hayes, Cannock, Staffordshire WS12 2EP

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2021

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Outcome

Heath Hayes Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Learning is an exciting adventure at Heath Hayes. Pupils enjoy their lessons because teachers ensure that these are interesting. Pupils listen carefully in lessons and are keen to contribute. They develop very positive attitudes to learning. They develop the confidence to ‘be a hero’ with their learning and to ‘have a go’. Pupils work hard throughout the day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high expectations of pupils. They work closely with staff to ensure that all pupils acquire a wide range of knowledge and essential skills. They want every pupil to develop a lifelong love of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At the heart of the school is pupils’ safety and well-being. Pupils have every confidence in adults to look after and care for them. Staff act quickly if pupils fall out. There is hardly any bullying because staff help pupils to be kind to each other. Pupils are polite and courteous to those around them. They behave very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils begin their ‘hero’s journey’ when they join the school. Clubs such as gardening, scooter club and ‘happy healthy me’ provide opportunities for pupils to develop personal skills. They learn to be open to challenges and believe in themselves. Pupils are very well equipped with skills for life when they leave Heath Hayes.

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

Leaders have created and put in place the ‘hero’s curriculum’ – an exciting approach to learning. They have thoroughly considered the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn. Knowledge is carefully sequenced in a series of ‘learning adventures’. Through these adventures, pupils study a broad range of subjects. For example, the ‘Día de los Muertos’ adventure focuses on religious education (RE), while ‘The three little pigs’ adventure covers key concepts in science and art and design. Pupils develop personal resilience on their hero’s journey. They learn to cope with challenges and work hard. This 9 and 10 November 2021

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curriculum is having a powerful, positive impact on pupils’ attitudes to school. It is also ensuring that pupils broaden their knowledge and learn a great deal.

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Pupils get a good start to school. They are enthusiastic and enjoy sharing what they have been learning. Adults help them form positive relationships. They teach them how to play and work together. Pupils are happy, engaged and safe.

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Over time, pupils develop a deeper understanding of key concepts across the curriculum. They acquire the knowledge they need to be successful in future learning. Opportunities to flashback and recap on previous learning are built in. Teachers are acutely aware of the gaps pupils have in their knowledge due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. They skilfully teach the essential knowledge pupils need before they begin a new learning adventure.

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Leaders place a high priority on teaching pupils to read. Highly skilled staff teach phonics from the moment pupils start school. Well-trained adults model pure sounds and support pupils to sound out words. Pupils secure their sounds quickly. Same-day support is given to any pupil who struggles to learn the sound of the day. Daily reading sessions are used to develop pupils’ fluency and vocabulary. Many pupils read regularly at home in the hope of winning the reading trophy. Leaders link interesting books and texts to each learning adventure. Pupils talk enthusiastically about both fiction and non-fiction books.

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Leaders have developed a bespoke mathematics curriculum. It sets out clearly the key mathematical concepts and knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn from Reception to Year 6. Teachers work hard to meet the needs of every pupil in the class, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some pupils say that on occasion, teachers go too fast and move on to new ideas before they have understood fully. Sometimes, this means that errors and misconceptions are not picked up quickly enough. This hinders the progress that some pupils make in mathematics.

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Highly individualised programmes are used successfully to help pupils with SEND make progress. Staff make sure that pupils with SEND do not miss out on the learning adventures. Many parents and carers said that the school goes ‘over and above’ to address the difficulties their child has. A small number of parents did not feel that leaders had ensured that their child reached their full potential. Leaders work with parents to help them understand how their child’s special educational needs are supported. However, some parents do not feel well informed about their child’s learning.

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Teachers are committed to professional development and value opportunities to develop their skills. They ensure that they have secure subject knowledge before teaching something new.

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Teachers plan carefully for, and integrate personal development into the learning adventures. Leaders ensure that pupils have rich experiences and opportunities to learn about the world in which they live. Pupils are nurtured and supported to value themselves and the contribution they can make. They talk about being brave, and believe in themselves. 9 and 10 November 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, staff and governors want every pupil to thrive. They work together to keep pupils safe. They use the hero’s curriculum to teach pupils skills they need to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and what makes a good friend.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that everyone is well trained in safeguarding and highly vigilant. They know the risks pupils face in the local area, such as county lines and right-wing extremism. Leaders act quickly when a concern is reported. Good links with external agencies make sure that vulnerable children and their families get help when they need it.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some parents of pupils with SEND raised concerns about how their children are supported in school. Leaders should continue to take further action to develop communication with parents. Leaders should ensure that parents of children with SEND understand how the school is supporting their child to achieve their full potential.  Sometimes, pupils do not secure new learning well enough in mathematics. This is because teachers do not pick up errors and misconceptions quickly enough. Leaders should further review and refine the teaching of mathematics so that teachers rapidly support and challenge all pupils more effectively.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection 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 in September 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 9 and 10 November 2021

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when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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

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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. 9 and 10 November 2021

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Date of previous inspection

21 and 22 September 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Heath Hayes Primary Academy is a sponsor-led academy within the REAch2 Academy Trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, members of staff and the school business manager. The inspector held a meeting with the chair of the governing body. Meetings were held with a representative for the trust.  Deep dives in reading, mathematics and RE were carried out. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work. The inspector also met with pupils to discuss their learning in these subjects and listened to pupils read. 9 and 10 November 2021

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 A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school, curriculum plans and the school’s website.  When inspecting safeguarding, the inspector considered the school’s procedures for recruiting staff, the quality of staff training and the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe.  The inspector spoke to parents at the end of the first day and the start of the second day of the inspection. She considered the 75 responses, including the 79 free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View, the online questionnaire. The inspector considered the 33 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Nicola Harwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 9 and 10 November 2021

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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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