Hayfield School

Inspection of a good school: Hayfield School Manor Drive, Upton, Wirral, Merseyside CH49 4LN

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Outcome

Hayfield School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school, where they form positive and caring relationships with their friends and staff. Pupils comment that they feel safe at school. They know that if they are anxious or worried about anything, staff will help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, respond well to leaders’ and staff’s high expectations of their behaviour. During their time at the school, most pupils develop into resilient and confident learners. They behave well. Leaders also expect pupils to achieve highly. Pupils rise to this expectation, which helps to ensure that they achieve well in different areas of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong appreciation of fundamental British values. They know that they should not discriminate against anyone because of how they look or where they are from. If bullying takes place, leaders deal with it promptly and efficiently.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils raise money for various worthy causes. Recently, they prepared hot meals for a local homeless charity. Pupils often sing in the community. They write to, and befriend, elderly residents in a local care home.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils look forward to visits to places such as zoos and farms. They enjoyed going to the seaside in New Brighton, where they performed a dance routine in the Pavilion and collected fossils from the beach. Pupils engage in activities such as rock climbing and canoeing during their annual residential retreat.

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

Hayfield School has recently experienced a period of rapid expansion in staff and pupil numbers. This expansion has had no effect on the ability of leaders and staff to fulfil the school’s aims, which includes enabling pupils to become ‘as successful as they can be’. 27 and 28 June 2023

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Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum, which identifies the essential knowledge they want pupils to acquire. Leaders and teachers have thought carefully about each pupil’s unique personal, social and academic needs. They have crafted individual units of learning, which helps pupils, and children in the early years, to achieve consistently well.

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Staff comment that leaders are mindful of their mental health and workload. Teachers and teaching assistants benefit from regular training opportunities. Teachers use different methods to check how well pupils are learning. They make sure that pupils’ understanding is secure before they move on to new areas, topics and themes.

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Most subject leaders have an accurate overview of how well the curriculum is being taught in their specialist areas. However, this is not the case in all curriculums. Some subject leaders are new. They are developing their subject knowledge and refining their expertise. Therefore, the advice and support that subject leaders give to teachers on how to deliver the curriculum is not as effective as it could be. Occasionally, some pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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Leaders place a high priority on reading. Teachers introduce pupils to a rich range of books, including novels, plays and poetry. Pupils access books in various ways. For example, some pupils use pictures and symbols which they associate with different words and phrases, while others use electronic devices to read books and communicate their ideas.

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Pupils respond positively to the early reading and phonics curriculums, which are taught consistently well by experienced staff. Children in the early years enjoy sounding out different letters and learning to read new words. Staff ensure that pupils keep up with the phonics programme. Those who find reading difficult are supported well and develop reading fluency.

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All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Leaders ensure that staff meet the targets identified in each pupil’s EHC plan. Leaders work with different external specialists, and parents and carers, to make certain that pupils get the support they need. All staff are specially trained to work with pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They adapt learning materials well and provide pupils with the resources and specialist equipment they need to access the curriculum.

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Pupils behave sensibly during breaktimes and lunchtimes. They appreciate the school’s extensive green areas, where they play games and different sports sensibly. Pupils and staff have created a purposeful learning environment in which disruption during lessons is rare.

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Leaders enhance pupils’ personal and social development well. Pupils learn about personal hygiene and safe and appropriate relationships. They eat healthily and know how to maintain their physical and mental well-being. Pupils like to explore the local community, where they meet shop and restaurant workers and develop their social skills. Pupils hone their teamwork skills in the outdoor classrooms and wooded areas. They like to attend different clubs, such as choir, football, board game and dancing clubs. Pupils are responsible leaders. Eco-warriors make sure that the school’s green spaces and pond are 27 and 28 June 2023

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litter free. Play leaders initiate outdoor games. Pupils celebrate different cultural and religious events such as Diwali, Ramadan and Chinese New Year. Leaders make sure that pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their education.

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Governors provide strong support to the school. They are working closely with leaders to ensure that high standards are maintained during this period of rapid change. Parents praise leaders and staff. They told inspectors that their children are happy, safe and learning well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, governors and staff are acutely aware of pupils’ vulnerabilities. Leaders ensure that stringent safeguarding procedures are in place to keep pupils safe from harm. All staff, including those new to the school, adhere to the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures. If staff have concerns about the welfare of a pupil, they record and report them swiftly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make certain that staff are familiar with the latest government guidelines on keeping pupils safe in education. Leaders work closely with external agencies, when necessary. They take prompt action to provide support for pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about safe and unsafe situations through different areas of the curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject leaders are new to the role. They are developing their knowledge and skills. This means that, in a small number of subjects, leaders do not have all the expertise that they need to support teachers to deliver the curriculum as effectively as possible. At times, pupils do not learn as well as they should. Leaders should make sure that subject leaders receive the support they need to ensure that the curriculum is delivered consistently well in all subjects.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns 27 and 28 June 2023

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about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good July 2017.

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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 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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241850 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 and 19 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school caters to pupils of primary age with SEND. Most pupils have autism spectrum disorder and additional special needs, including speech, language and communication difficulties. All pupils have an EHC plan.  Over the last academic year, the school has rapidly expanded. New classroom blocks have been added to accommodate new pupils.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior leaders. They held meetings with other leaders, including those with responsibility for pupils’ attendance and for pupils’ behaviour, welfare and personal development. 27 and 28 June 2023

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 The lead inspector met with members of the governing body. He spoke with representatives from the local authority and the school’s education consultant.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector met with pupils to discuss their learning in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. The lead inspector toured the school grounds with the headteacher.  The lead inspector met with parents. He reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff

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survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors spoke to safeguarding leaders about the reporting and recording of any safeguarding incidents. They talked with pupils about their safety and welfare. Inspectors examined a range of policies and documents. They also scrutinised safeguarding information, including the school’s safeguarding policy.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Amina Modan His Majesty’s Inspector 27 and 28 June 2023

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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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