Hawthorn Primary School

Inspection of Hawthorn Primary School Elmham Road, Cantley, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN4 6LQ

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Graham Rhodes. This school is part of Empowering Minds Academy Trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sarah Cairns, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Charlie Wright. 26 and 27 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school has undergone significant changes. Pupils and staff speak about how these changes have improved the school. Pupils say that they feel clearer about what the expectations of behaviour around school are. They speak about feeling safe. Pupils trust adults to help them if they have worries. For example, pupils talk about how they value the ‘worry boxes’ in classrooms that they use to write down their concerns. Relationships between pupils and staff are extremely secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are taught positive learning behaviours from the early years onwards. Pupils are introduced to clear and consistent routines. The school has developed a productive learning culture. There has been a reduction in the number of behaviour incidents. The school quickly identifies pupils who need support with their behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can achieve in the curriculum. The school has the same ambitions for all its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These high expectations are increasingly becoming realised in what pupils know and remember in the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has taken action to increase attendance. This is beginning to make a difference. A culture of high attendance is beginning to develop in school.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. The school has developed an ambitious curriculum. The school has clearly defined what pupils should learn at each stage of their education. Subject leaders have worked with staff in the early years to ensure that pupils’ learning builds secure foundations in Nursery and Reception.

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better?

Pupils with SEND are quickly identified. This identification begins in the early years. In parts of the curriculum where teaching is highly consistent, such as physical education, teachers skilfully use assessment in lessons. They identify the support pupils might need and adapt their teaching accordingly. In some parts of the curriculum, teachers’ adaptations to questions and tasks based on pupils’ responses need further development.

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better?

The phonics curriculum is comprehensive and detailed. It sets out clearly what sounds pupils should be taught and when. Leaders understand the importance of helping pupils to read as quickly as possible. The school ensures that staff receive regular training to deliver the phonics curriculum consistently. Younger pupils who need extra support with reading are identified and supported well. This helps them to catch up with their peers. Older pupils who need help with reading receive the support they need. Pupils enjoy reading books in lessons that are carefully matched 26 and 27 June 2024

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to the sounds they are learning in their phonics lessons. A love of reading is promoted around school. Books and reading are valued by staff and pupils alike.

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The school has recently developed the personal development offer for pupils. Pupils talk about the increased range of educational visits they are beginning to enjoy. These educational visits are linked to their learning within the curriculum. Pupils learn about different people in society who may be more vulnerable. They have a strong sense of right and wrong. For example, they talk about the importance of reporting unkind behaviour or unkind words if they see or hear it. Pupils in the early years are quickly introduced to the importance of keeping themselves safe and healthy. For example, they are taught to understand how to keep safe in the sun and how to stay hydrated.

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Children in the early years get off to a successful start in their education. Staff build positive relationships with parents at the earliest opportunity. Staff are beginning to promote the importance of high attendance to parents of children in Nursery and Reception. The early years curriculum is well designed and balanced to give children a range of skills and experiences. Children develop their independence and skills during their time in the early years. For example, children who come into Nursery needing to wear nappies are skilfully supported to become independent in this part of their lives. Staff use opportunities throughout the day to read to children. They also ensure children hear and repeat different stories, rhymes and songs. This means that children have opportunities to hear and repeat high-quality vocabulary and language.

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Leaders ensure there is a collective effort to improve the school. Governors and trustees have a clear view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. There are clear systems for helping leaders understand how well the school is performing. Subject leaders have regular opportunities to check how well their subjects are being taught across school. These checks increasingly lead to targeted professional development. In turn, the quality and consistency of teaching in these areas has improved. This approach is not consistently embedded 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)

 Some teachers miss opportunities to carefully adapt tasks and questions in lessons based on pupil responses. This means that some pupils develop misconceptions, or do not have the chance to take their learning further. The school should continue to support staff to understand and enact adaptive teaching throughout lessons to build on what pupils have already been taught. 26 and 27 June 2024

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 Subject leaders do not use quality assurance consistently well to inform further training and development for staff. As a result, the implementation of the curriculum in some areas does not support pupils to know more and remember more in their learning as well as it should. The school should use monitoring to inform further training for staff to continue to improve teaching across the school.

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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). 26 and 27 June 2024

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This school is one of five schools in the Empowering Minds Academies Trust.  The school does not 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

 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.  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. 26 and 27 June 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, early reading, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, the 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 evaluated responses from parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They spoke with some parents dropping their children off at school. The inspectors also evaluated the responses that staff and pupils made to Ofsted’s online surveys.  Inspectors spoke to members of the school’s executive team, including the chief executive officer and the deputy chief executive officer.

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Inspection team

Liam Colclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Buckley Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 June 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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