Haydon Abbey School and Pre-School

Inspection of Haydon Abbey School and Pre-School Weedon Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP19 9NS

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 20 and 21 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school where new pupils quickly make friends. Pupils feel that the school is like ‘a family’. They respond positively to the warmth and high expectations of staff. Pupils in Year 6 talk with pride about the range of opportunities and experiences they have had through the school. These include attending a range of clubs, being involved in competitions and going on trips.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across year groups, pupils are happy and feel safe. They demonstrate the school’s six values of ‘Cooperation, Kindness, Honesty, Resilience, Respect and Well-being’. Pupils understand what these mean and, through their conduct towards others, demonstrate them well. Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities and contribute to the school. They enthusiastically put themselves forward for a range of highly prized leadership roles so that they can help run events and be part of changes in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. Following substantial improvements to the school’s curriculum, pupils are increasingly supported to know more and remember more. However, these changes are very recent. In most subjects, pupils have not benefited from these changes for long enough, which means they do not yet achieve as well as they could.

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better?

The school is rapidly developing the wider curriculum so that it is ambitious for all pupils. Improvements focus on making sure that the order in which pupils learn important new knowledge supports them in building understanding. This includes considering when pupils will revisit earlier learning to support pupils to know more and remember more. However, with some of these changes being made recently, pupils do not yet have a secure understanding of important concepts in these subjects. This means they have knowledge gaps that hinder their ability to link their learning or apply it to new tasks. Where the curriculum is stronger, such as in early years, carefully considered steps develop children’s knowledge so they are well prepared for key stage 1.

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better?

Across the school, teachers give clear explanations supported by appropriate resources. There is variation in how well assessment informs teaching across subjects. Teachers check pupils’ understanding, although this is not done systematically. In most subjects, assessment is not being used to reteach areas where pupils have knowledge gaps. This means that pupils progress on to new learning with incomplete understanding.

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better?

There is rapid identification of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Newly introduced approaches, such as scaffolding, alongside appropriate support from teaching assistants, mean that pupils with SEND learn effectively. However, the curriculum, with recent changes, is not yet adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND precisely. 20 and 21 February 2024

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The school is raising the profile of reading effectively. It has increased the time given for reading lessons and there are now specific rewards to encourage pupils to read at home. Phonics is taught well from the start of Reception, with prompt support provided to help pupils who are struggling to catch up, including in key stage 1. Further changes are being made to the reading curriculum. These are intended to ensure that pupils develop the knowledge needed to confidently understand different types of texts.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning across the school. They show these by arriving promptly for lessons and working with focus as they complete learning activities. Clear expectations and routines mean that behaviour in lessons is calm and orderly. This starts in the early years when children learn the habits and behaviours needed to learn well. Around school, pupils are considerate to each other. This includes sharing playground equipment fairly. Pupils confidently share worries with staff because they feel well supported by attentive and prompt pastoral support.

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A broad range of opportunities develop pupils’ understanding of different cultures and backgrounds. This means that pupils are not deterred by differences and feel it is important to treat people equally. They are encouraged to be curious about world issues and develop a broader understanding of society. Through outdoor learning opportunities, pupils learn about how the local environment is valuable and how their actions can contribute to its upkeep. Pupils learn how to look after their well-being and that of others. They know how to keep themselves safe, including online.

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Leaders are making astute changes to improve pupils’ achievement rapidly. Staff understand the reason for these changes and appreciate leaders’ efforts to keep their workload manageable. Governors bring a range of expertise and know the school’s priorities for improvement. However, they do not yet have a clear understanding of the progress and impact of the changes being made across the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a number of subjects, curriculum planning has not supported pupils to understand or revisit important knowledge. Pupils’ learning is hindered because the curriculum has not developed their secure understanding of important concepts. The school needs to embed the substantial curriculum changes so 20 and 21 February 2024

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the order that knowledge is taught, alongside the revisiting of earlier learning, supports all pupils to know more and remember more.  Assessments are not being used to inform teaching across all subjects. This means that pupils continue to have inaccurate understanding and can continue to apply incorrect thinking. The school needs to embed assessment practice so that future teaching addresses pupils’ insecure knowledge.  Governors are not clear about the extent to which changes are improving the quality of education for pupils. This restricts the effectiveness of their work to support and challenge leaders. Governors need to develop their approach so that they have clear understanding of the impact of the school’s development plans and use this to sharpen their work with leaders.

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How can I feed back my views?

school, 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). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.haydonabbeyschoolandpreschool.c o.uk Date of previous inspection 10 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher started in their role in September 2023.  The school provides Nursery provision for two-year-old children in a separate premises on Holman Street, Aylesbury HP19 9LJ.  The school uses one registered and one unregistered alternative provider.  The governing body manages before- and after-school childcare 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

 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, computing and art. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors carried out additional work scrutiny looking at pupils work in history, geography and religious education.  The inspectors observed playtime activities.  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.

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 The inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views on the school. They looked at the schools’ self- evaluation documents, school development plan and reports from external agencies.  The inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the additional free-text responses. This included speaking to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Phillip Blagg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Bill James Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 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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