Hatfeild Primary School

Inspection of Hatfeild Primary School Lower Morden Lane, Morden, Surrey SM4 4SJ

p.1

Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 October 2022

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

While the newly established leadership team are having a positive impact; over time, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is as ambitious as it could be. This hinders pupils from gaining deep knowledge and understanding across the curriculum.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at school with smiles on their faces. They are happy and safe here. Bullying rarely occurs When it does, staff deal with this seriously and make sure it is not repeated. Staff encourage pupils to be themselves and grow in confidence. They celebrate everyone’s differences.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy break times. Most pupils behave well. They interact well with each other and have a range of equipment to play with. However, during break time, boisterous behaviour is sometimes not picked up by staff and, sometimes, older pupils’ do not behave sensibly around the school or during assemblies.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils compete with other schools in a range of sports, such as swimming, gymnastics, basketball, and tennis. Older pupils enjoy the residential journeys that leaders organise. Many pupils attend the school’s popular after-school clubs.

p.2

better?

Although the curriculum is broad, curriculum leaders’ thinking is inconsistent. In many subjects, leaders have not identified the most important knowledge pupils need to learn. They have not made sure that staff routinely follow the intended curriculum in all subjects. Sometimes, teachers are not sure what subject content to teach. This leads to pupils learning incoherent knowledge that is not built upon sequentially in further learning. In the early years, curriculum thinking lacks clarity. Leaders and staff often focus on setting up activities for children rather than developing key knowledge. Staff are not sharply focused on the specific content that children need to learn. As a result, mistakes and gaps in children’s learning are sometimes missed.

p.2

better?

Curriculum thinking in some subjects is better developed. In mathematics, for example, teachers consistently and confidently model new concepts to pupils. Teachers provide pupils with expert support to use a range of resources to help them with calculations. In other subjects where curriculum thinking lacks detail, teachers are unsure about the important knowledge that pupils should be taught. They do not typically give pupils the appropriate support to clarify any misconceptions. This leads to ongoing gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Leaders do not ensure that all staff have the appropriate knowledge of the subjects that they teach and expertise to build pupils’ skills consistently.

p.2

better?

Staff make appropriate adaptations to learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils from the additionally resourced provision 18 and 19 October 2022

p.2

3

(ARP), ‘The Lighthouse’, receive effective support to access similar content to their peers. Interim leaders have improved communication with parents and carers who have children with SEND. They make appropriate links with outside agencies to support pupils’ complex needs.

p.3

3

Pupils who are learning to read, including in the early years, are not strongly supported to read with fluency and confidence. The school’s approach to early reading is at the very early stages of implementation. In recent time, leaders have taken steps to ensure that staff, particularly in the early years, and Years 1 and 2, have received the appropriate phonics training. The interim leaders’ work to develop early reading is beginning to deliver improvements. For example, pupils decode unfamiliar words with increased accuracy. Leaders ensure that pupils access reading books that match the sounds they know. Older pupils can choose books from a range of quality texts. They enjoy reading and look forward to weekly visits to one of the school’s two libraries. Pupils spoke about their favourite books and authors enthusiastically.

p.3

3

There is some low-level disruption in many classrooms. Staff do not routinely deal with it effectively. As a result, pupils often struggle to concentrate on their work, when classrooms are noisy. In contrast to this, children in early years demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning. Staff in the early years encourage children to focus on their work and to be independent. Children in in Nursery and Reception interact with each other respectfully.

p.3

3

Pupils are helped to understand how families can be different in modern Britain. They are especially proud of how inclusive their school is. Pupils are welcoming and friendly. They celebrate each other’s differences. Pupils are taught about how to keep healthy both physically and mentally.

p.3

3

Staff enjoy working at the school. They said their workload was manageable and that leaders looked out for their well-being.

p.3

3

Recently appointed senior leaders have made positive changes in a short time, including to early reading and to the curriculum. They have identified the school’s priorities for improvement. The governing body is working with the local authority to enable the new leadership to make improvements.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Senior leaders have a clear overview of safeguarding. They know their community well and work closely with families to support them. All staff receive thorough safeguarding training to help them spot the signs of abuse. Leaders ensure that they provide staff with regular updates of how to report any concerns. 18 and 19 October 2022

p.3

4

Leaders work effectively with external agencies to support the most vulnerable pupils. Pupils are taught how to keep safe, including online, and are encouraged to speak to an adult if they have any worries or concerns.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s early reading programme is at the very early stages of implementation. Pupils learning to read are not helped to build reading confidence and fluency securely. Leaders must make sure that all staff, including support staff and those who teach in key stage 2, receive training, so that they can provide pupils with effective support. Leaders should also ensure that they check that the school’s phonics approach is followed consistently.  In most subjects, including in the early years, the curriculum lacks depth, ambition and coherence. Leaders have not identified the crucial knowledge they want pupils to learn over time. As a result, pupils do not build a deep body of subject-specific knowledge sequentially. Leaders need to identify precisely what content pupils should learn and in what order. They should also ensure all staff have the required expertise to clarify pupils’ misconceptions.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 From Years 1 to 6, staff do not have consistently high expectations for pupils' behaviour. They do not routinely pick up and deal with low-level disruption in lessons. They allow the noise level to negatively impact on other pupils' ability to concentrate on their learning. Leaders should ensure that all staff have high expectations for all pupils’ behaviour across the school.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 and 19 October 2022

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10226974 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Chair of governing body Richard Robinson

p.5

School details

Interim executive headteacher Anita Saville

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 14 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Since the previous headteacher’s retirement in July 2022, the governing body have been unable to successfully recruit a new substantive headteacher. The local authority has made interim arrangements with a local school. They have placed an interim executive headteacher and head of school for at least the duration of this academic year. They both started their roles in September 2022.  The school has additionally resourced provision for up to 16 pupils with a primary need of autism spectrum disorder.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 18 and 19 October 2022

p.5

6

 Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders. They met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. They also spoke with the school improvement adviser and director of learning from the local authority.  Inspectors met pupils to understand their views about the school.  Inspectors did deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education, art and design, and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons with senior leaders, met with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors considered the behaviour of pupils during lesson visits and around the school. They observed pupils as they arrived to school in the morning.  Inspectors considered the effectiveness of safeguarding through discussions with

p.6

6

leaders, teachers, and support staff. They looked at records relating to safeguarding, including pre-employment checks.  Inspectors spoke to staff about their workload and well-being. They considered the views of staff, pupils and parents, including considering responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.  Inspectors considered a wide range of documentation provided by the school. This included curriculum documentation and school policies.

p.6

Inspection team

Aliki Constantopoulou, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Sacha Husnu-Beresford His Majesty's Inspector 18 and 19 October 2022

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7