Haynes Lower School

Inspection of Haynes Lower School Foresters Close, Haynes, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK45 3PR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 13 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 3 and 4 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Haynes Lower School is a warm, friendly and happy school. Pupils enjoy coming to school to learn and socialise with their friends in a safe environment. They want to do well and know that their teachers have high expectations of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values are important to pupils, and they all work hard to show them. The values support pupils in behaving well throughout the school. There are strong relationships between pupils and staff. Staff consider the feelings and experiences of all individual pupils. When a parent who is in the military goes away, the pupil can bring in a teddy bear for comfort. All pupils know this, and they work with the adults to support their friends. Bullying rarely happens. However, when it does, pupils know that the adults will resolve it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are lots of extra-curricular opportunities available to pupils. The faith trips to different places of religious worship and the school trip to France support pupils’ learning about different religions and cultures. Sporting competitions and clubs are regularly run. The choir sings carols in the local area, as well as taking part in larger performances. All these activities contribute to the pupils becoming more independent and confident before they transition to their next school.

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better?

Leaders have constructed a curriculum through which pupils study a wide variety of subjects. In most subjects, leaders have identified precisely the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. They have ordered this so that pupils build towards understanding more complex ideas. Teachers have good subject knowledge. They carefully choose activities that are engaging and help pupils to learn. Throughout lessons, they regularly check on what pupils know and give them support where needed. Therefore, pupils usually progress well.

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better?

In a few subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking is less clear. They have not identified the specific skills and knowledge pupils need to learn. As such, pupils do not make as much progress as they should.

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better?

Teachers question the pupils about the world around them. Therefore, pupils become inquisitive and curious. For example, while on a scavenger hunt, some children in Reception found some chrysalises. They used their knowledge of caterpillars and butterflies to be able to work out what was happening.

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better?

Reading is a priority throughout the curriculum. The teaching of phonics begins in Nursery, where the pupils start to learn initial sounds. All staff have been trained in the phonics scheme. They match the books pupils read to the sounds pupils know. Pupils learn how to decode words well and move on to read for pleasure. Leaders have provided a variety of opportunities for pupils to enjoy reading, such as visiting the school library and local library, a bedtime story evening and younger pupils 3 and 4 July 2023

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reading to older pupils. These activities contribute to pupils’ love of reading and enjoyment of sharing texts. Pupils learn to read well.

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The school supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Staff identify pupils’ needs quickly when pupils arrive at the school. Teachers adapt the curriculum as necessary to ensure that all pupils can access it equally well. This enables pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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Leaders have clear structures and systems in place to ensure a calm environment. Pupils know the well-established rewards systems. They enjoy working towards achieving recognition for their positive behaviour and attitudes. They celebrate each other’s achievements, both in and out of school. This develops a supportive and nurturing environment.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ well-being. They make sure that pupils’ emotional needs are well met by, for example, having talk time with a well-trained adult or taking the school dog for a walk. Older pupils act as well-being ambassadors, and they receive training to support other pupils in the playground. Pupils know that they have this support and, if they need to, they use it.

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The personal development curriculum is carefully planned. Pupils know how to take care of themselves by, for example, eating the right diet and engaging in regular exercise. On Fridays, pupils work together to sell different items for a charity of their choice. They are proud of the charities they support and how well they work together to achieve this.

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Leaders support staff well. They are considerate of staff workload and ensure that this is well balanced. Governors know the school well and have a good balance between support and challenge of leaders. As a result, the school is a positive environment in which to work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There are clear safer recruitment and safeguarding processes in place at the school. Staff receive annual training and regular updates. This ensures that staff know how to identify if a pupil might be at risk of harm. Governors have robust systems in place to check the effectiveness of the safeguarding policy and procedures within the school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They are aware that games and apps on the internet have associated age limits. They know they should only use them when they are old enough. If anything worrying pops up on their computer screens, pupils speak to an adult about it. This helps them to learn how to manage their safety online. 3 and 4 July 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not made clear the knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. As a result, pupils are not all taught the key information they should learn. Leaders should ensure that they make clear to teachers specifically what pupils should learn in all subjects.

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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.

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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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10288419 Type of school First

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection November 2010

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Information about this school

 This school has provision for two-year-old children.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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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 any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  The curriculum in geography, art and music was also considered. 3 and 4 July 2023

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 The lead inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, five governors and a representative from the local authority.  The lead inspector held meetings with leaders responsible for the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Safeguarding records, and the school’s record of pre- employment checks for staff were scrutinised. Inspectors spoke to pupils and checked staff’s understanding of how to keep pupils safe from harm.  The inspectors considered 69 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, and spoke to the parents at the gate.  Pupils were spoken to throughout the school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors spoke to groups of staff, including non-teaching staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Katie Devenport, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Wendy Varney His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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