Hazelwick School

Inspection of Hazelwick School Hazelwick School Close, Three Bridges, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1SX

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The headteacher of this school is Ann Fearon. This school is part of the Hazelwick School single academy trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the accounting officer, Ann Fearon, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lewis Clark. 3 and 4 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Hazelwick School. Staff have extremely high expectations and pupils happily live up to these. Pupils behave impeccably and embody the school values, becoming academically, socially, morally and culturally successful. Pupils’ high attendance reflects their positive attitudes to their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve exceptionally well in national examinations and produce high-quality work within their subjects. This is because the ambitious curriculum and expert teaching inspire pupils to learn. Those in the sixth form also achieve highly in national examinations and are incredibly well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish, benefiting from the extensive range of enrichment activities available to them. They play basketball, football and join the athletics club after school. Others get involved in the debate club, join the eco group or sing in the lunchtime choir.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s annual charity fundraiser in aid of a local hospice is a highlight of the year for pupils and staff. Older pupils organise themselves into planning committees and bid for the right to organise the event. Sixth formers are excellent role models for younger pupils, playing a vital part in the life of the school and learning about the best ways to help younger pupils get the most out of their education.

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better?

The school has implemented an extremely well-designed curriculum across all key stages. Pupils study an appropriately broad range of subjects in key stage 3. English baccalaureate subjects form a central part of the curriculum in key stage 4 and students in the sixth form study a rich range of A levels or vocational subjects.

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better?

The school has arranged the curriculum around its core values and the importance of diversity and inclusivity. Consequently, pupils are imbued with a sense of right and wrong, respect and acceptance from the start.

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better?

Teachers are experts in their subjects. They design learning that enthuses and motivates pupils. Teachers set highly demanding work, including in the sixth form, which encourages pupils to revisit past learning and build on this with new knowledge. Teachers identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and provide timely support where needed, strongly embedding key concepts in pupils’ long-term memory. Consequently, pupils deepen their understanding in all subjects extremely well. Published examination outcomes show that pupils in key stage 4 and 5 achieve highly and disadvantaged pupils perform as well as non-disadvantaged pupils do nationally. Similarly, pupils who speak English as an additional language quickly settle into the school and excel by the time they reach the end of key stage 4.

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better?

Staff identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly and accurately, ensuring that their needs are met fully. The specialist 3 and 4 October 2023

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resource provision provides expertly tailored care and support for deaf pupils. Staff know pupils, particularly pupils with SEND, extremely well. Teachers adapt the curriculum sensibly when needed so that pupils with SEND achieve their best.

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Across the school, staff prioritise pupils’ reading development. Weaker readers are supported very well by knowledgeable and committed staff. This ensures that pupils who struggle to read catch up quickly. Those who speak English as an additional language receive highly impactful support. A central purpose of the school’s approach to the curriculum is improving pupils’ literacy and understanding of key subject vocabulary. This is especially the case in English, where teachers choose a rich array of literature to excite and interest pupils in reading.

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Personal development is extremely well organised. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum in key stages 3 and 4 is designed carefully. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. The astutely planned relationships and sex education programme teaches pupils about healthy and unhealthy relationships, and key concepts such as permission-seeking and giving, appropriate and inappropriate contact, kindness and commitment. In the sixth form, PSHE addresses the issues of respect, consent, sexual harassment and healthy relationships appropriately and thoroughly. Students appreciate this and the wide range of enrichment activities open to them.

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There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to find out about future careers from external speakers, visiting alumni who talk about their professions and trips to universities. Students get a lot out of the mock interviews that staff organise. This contributes to students’ confidence when thinking about their next steps. Involvement in democratic processes, for example the UK youth parliament, gives pupils in all key stages the chance to participate in rich debates and develop their understanding of democracy.

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Staff enjoy working here and believe that they are supported well in managing their workload. Staff feel that leaders are approachable and always willing to support them. Trustees know the school’s strengths and hold leaders to account well, ensuring that they fulfil their statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 3 and 4 October 2023

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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 ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 3 and 4 October 2023

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,879

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 June 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision that accommodates four pupils.  The school uses one registered alternative provider for a very small number of pupils.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Year 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical educational qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders. The lead inspector also met with the chair of trustees and members of the board of trustees.  An inspector spoke by telephone with senior representatives of the alternative providers used by the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, languages, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 Inspectors met with groups of pupils and sixth-form students drawn from each year group.  The lead inspector scrutinised safeguarding arrangements, including the school’s central record of employment checks. Inspectors spoke to a variety of staff to check how well safeguarding referrals and systems work.  Inspectors observed pupils around the school site during lunchtimes and at break. They visited tutor times and the specially resourced provision.  The inspection team considered the views given by parents, staff and pupils through Ofsted surveys.  The lead inspector took into account school documents and other published information from the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Harry Ingham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Fry Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 October 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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