Hyde Heath Infant School

Inspection of Hyde Heath Infant School Weedon Hill, Hyde Heath, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP6 5RW

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding 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 12 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. 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe, happy and have wonderful attitudes to their learning. Pupils know each other well and have strong and positive relationships with staff across the school. Strong, positive values are at the heart of this school community. Pupils know these and the school’s ‘7 Golden Rules’, such as recognising and celebrating courage and kindness in each other and in characters they read about in traditional stories. Older pupils take thoughtful care of the younger ones during playtimes. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and parents value the many school trips. These include visits to Windsor Castle and walks to the village woods and to a local farm. Each week, pupils make a tangible difference to their community, visiting the local care home and sharing their learning. Many external experts visit the school and add to the curriculum, such as visits from a nurse, a scientist and local authors. These contribute to creating memorable, joyful experiences and help pupils to develop their understanding of the world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils’ achievement. Some published outcomes are exceptionally high, and in some subjects these standards are maintained consistently well. All pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well prepared for their next stage of education.

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better?

The school is highly ambitious for all pupils. In Reception, staff create thoughtful sequences of learning that build children’s knowledge and vocabulary. This continues throughout key stage 1, with an appropriately designed curriculum across all subjects. Where necessary, staff work closely with agencies and professionals, such as educational psychologists, to remove barriers to learning that exist for pupils with SEND. The needs of disadvantaged pupils are considered thoroughly. Staff adapt the curriculum and regularly review the impact on children’s learning to ensure that pupils achieve highly. Precise knowledge and vocabulary are identified and taught to help pupils build on what they learn over time.

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better?

Some subjects, such as mathematics, are embedded securely in the school’s work. Across the curriculum, staff are developing increasingly detailed subject knowledge. In design and technology, for example, staff teach about a variety of sewing techniques and help pupils to learn different types of stitching and how to use them successfully. Some staff are very confident in supporting pupils’ understanding, particularly when dealing with pupils’ errors and misconceptions. However, staff expertise in some subject areas is not as secure. This means that in certain aspects of the curriculum, some pupils do not learn and achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Staff teach phonics effectively. They follow the school’s chosen phonics scheme carefully. Reading books are matched closely to the sounds that pupils have learned. When pupils at early stages of reading encounter unfamiliar words, they use phonic 27 and 28 February 2024

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strategies confidently to decode and blend with increasing accuracy. If any pupils fall behind with their reading, they receive thoughtful support to catch up with their peers. The school helps pupils to develop a love of reading in inspirational ways. Staff and pupils act out stories and enjoy carefully chosen texts in lessons and assemblies. Staff share stories regularly. Trips and visitors often link to books and connect to the curriculum in meaningful ways.

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The school promotes pupils’ personal development exceptionally well. There is a wide range of clubs, such as gymnastics, French, cookery and yoga. Disadvantaged pupils, including pupils with SEND, benefit from the extra-curricular activities that the school provides. Strong pastoral support helps pupils to learn how to keep physically and mentally healthy in age-appropriate ways. Pupils learn about fundamental British values and democracy through assemblies and the detailed personal, social and health education curriculum.

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Pupils enjoy the many roles and responsibilities they have, such as being an ‘eco- councillor’, school councillor or ‘play leader’. Pupils play together in the well- resourced school grounds happily. Staff implement approaches to managing pupils’ behaviour fairly and consistently. If any pupils need extra support to behave well, the school does everything that it can to help those pupils experience successful and inclusive lessons and play times. Pupils attend school regularly. Staff work with parents and families effectively to ensure that pupils’ individual circumstances are considered. This helps to ensure that pupils’ attendance remains positive.

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Staff are very proud to work at the school. There is a whole-community ethos, and all staff feel supported with their workload and well-being. Governors understand their statutory responsibilities and support and challenge the school mindfully and robustly. Parents are extremely supportive and appreciate all the efforts of the whole staff team at the school. One parent summarised the thoughts of many others by commenting, ‘This is a wonderful, nurturing school, where all the children feel secure and valued.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subject areas, staff do not yet have all the precise knowledge that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. This means that a small proportion of pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. The school should provide appropriate training so that all staff have consistently strong expertise to teach all subjects equally effectively at all stages of education throughout the school. 27 and 28 February 2024

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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' 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). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Information about this school

 There have been several staffing changes since the previous inspection, including the appointment of the headteacher in January 2022.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, staff and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspectors also met with a representative from the local authority and other leaders within the school. 27 and 28 February 2024

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, design and technology, and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and, where possible, looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self-

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evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Carl McCarthy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Lovell Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 February 2024

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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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