Setting

CONTENTS

What the school must do in order to comply with the regulations

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CONTENTS

Compliance with the regulations for registration

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CONTENTS

1. The quality of education provided by the school

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CONTENTS

The quality of the teaching and assessment

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CONTENTS

2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

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CONTENTS

3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

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CONTENTS

4. The suitability of the proprietor and staff

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CONTENTS

5. The suitability of the premises and accommodation

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CONTENTS

6. The quality of information for parents and other partners

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CONTENTS

7. The effectiveness of the school's procedures for handling complaints

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by the Office for Standards in Education under Section 163 of the Education Act 2002 in order to advise the Secretary of State for Education and Skills about the school's suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about the school

Hyland House School opened in 1939 for boys and girls between the ages of three and a half and eleven years. The proprietor is the South of England Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventists which runs the school as a charitable trust. It is situated in a large Victorian house on the outskirts of Walthamstow, within a short distance of Epping Forest. There are 52 boys and 51 girls on roll, of whom 31 are under compulsory school age and are funded under the government's Nursery Scheme. The school is full and has a lengthy waiting list.

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Information about the school

The school's main aim is to: "train students to climb and achieve the building bricks that form `Characters of Excellence'" and is firmly based on Christian values. It endeavours to provide an environment in which pupils develop their abilities with confidence. As a result, courtesy, self- respect, respect for others and thoughtfulness are important aspects of school life. Whilst the school's main purpose is to: `help each child to do their best and to enjoy a full and satisfying education at each stage of their development', it also seeks to achieve high academic standards.

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Information about the school

At the age of 11 years pupils transfer to a range of secondary schools. Each year, a number of pupils are successful in entrance tests to independent senior schools.

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Summary of main findings

Hyland House is a caring school with a warm and friendly Christian ethos. Overall, it provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. The relatively new headteacher has already implemented a structured approach to the curriculum and has a clear vision for the educational development of the school. The curriculum is satisfactory and is reasonably well balanced, although there is an under- emphasis on the development of pupils' independent and creative learning skills. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. It is less successful when work is not matched accurately to the needs of pupils with different levels of attainment. There are no pupils with special educational needs (SEN) but the school provides additional support for those who find some aspects of literacy and numeracy difficult. Pupils are happy at the school and relate well to each other.

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What the school does well

ƒ It provides a very good ethos underpinned by Christian values, which enables pupils to feel cared for and part of a family; ƒ it celebrates pupils' achievements and encourages good relationships where pupils learn to respect themselves and one another; ƒ it creates a strong work ethic amongst its pupils and they feel that their work is valued; ƒ its pupils attain high standards in English and science in national tests by the age of 11; and ƒ it places great emphasis on the partnership with parents and has good relationships with them.

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What the school must do in order to comply with the regulations

o Improve the use of assessment to plan work as outlined in section 1 of this report; o take full account of the requirements regarding the health and safety of pupils as identified in section 3 of this report; o ensure that all staff at the school have been subject to checks with the Criminal Records Bureau to confirm their suitability to work with children; o ensure that there is a satisfactory standard of maintenance and decoration and that floor coverings are in good condition as set out in section 5 of this report. o ensure that the statutory information for parents and prospective parents is completed as detailed in section 6 of this report; and o ensure that the procedures for handling complaints meet regulations as outlined in section 7 of this report.

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What the school must do in order to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2002:

o produce a statement regarding its responsibilities under the Act; and o draw up a three-year action plan to improve disabled access.

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The quality of the curriculum

The curriculum is broad and includes all subjects of the National Curriculum. It benefits from specialist instruction in music and physical education (PE). Provision for pupils' personal, social and health education (PSHE) is good. The curriculum is enhanced by visits to places of local and national interest such as the Science Museum and the local library. Good quality displays support pupils' learning and show them that their work is valued.

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The quality of the curriculum

The headteacher has a clear view for the educational direction of the school and has implemented improvements to the curriculum since her appointment. Policies are well documented and schemes of work are being systematically reviewed.

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The quality of the curriculum

Curriculum planning for the Foundation Stage is based broadly on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) guidance for this stage of the children's education. However, it is still in its early stages of development and is not yet having a significant impact on the children's learning. What is to be learnt and the appropriate activities to support this are not always clearly defined. Curriculum planning for Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory. The headteacher has introduced long-and medium-term planning, together with the schemes of work recommended by the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and the QCA. These have not yet had their full impact, especially for younger pupils. This planning helps to ensure that all aspects of subjects are covered effectively through the school's two-year rolling programme. There is a strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy and science. Standardised test results in English and science are above average although mathematics is a

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The quality of the curriculum

There is an under-emphasis on encouraging pupils' creativity and independent learning skills, for example in writing and art. Information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory in Years 3 to 6 but less well developed in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2. The governors have approved plans to upgrade the school's resources and training programme for ICT over the next three years. In PSHE lessons and circle times, pupils learn to take care of themselves and to respect the values of others effectively. In other lessons, such as religious education (RE) and science, they are made aware of topics such as healthy eating, misuse of drugs and sex education.

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The quality of the curriculum

Pupils' physical and musical development is enhanced through the use of specialist instructors. All pupils learn to play both the keyboard and the recorder. Although space is very limited for PE pupils' skills develop satisfactorily. All pupils from Year 2 onwards have regular swimming lessons.

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The quality of the curriculum

There are no extra-curricular clubs or activities organised by the school. Regular visits to the local library and visitors such as the local police make pupils aware of some of the services that are available to them in the community.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Of the 22 lessons and nursery sessions observed, the quality of teaching in 14 was satisfactory, in four it was good and in four it was unsatisfactory. Pupils' interest is usually engaged and lessons and activities proceed at an appropriate pace. In the best lessons, for example in a Year 5/6 science lesson about electricity, the teacher's good subject knowledge and the organisation of the activities enabled the pupils to improve their investigation skills. In a good numeracy lesson in Year 3/4 the teacher made good use of questions to assess pupils' understanding of data handling, and provided a clear demonstration of how to construct a pictograph. Where teaching was unsatisfactory, the activities did not provide sufficient challenge for pupils to make progress in their learning.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

Teachers know their pupils well and enjoy good relationships with them. They expect their pupils to behave sensibly and to work hard. However, teachers' lesson planning needs improvement. In the Foundation Stage, planning and teaching are not focused sufficiently on developing the key skills in the six areas of learning identified by the QCA. In Years 1 to 6, although the learning objectives are usually made clear, the activities do not provide for the varying levels of understanding of the pupils in the class. Generally, all pupils within each class do the same work, which is not tailored to individual need. This means that some pupils find the work too easy and others find it too hard. More careful planning of activities which are clearly focused on the learning objectives would provide a better match of task to the ability and interests of the pupils. The emphasis placed on formal recording of work in English and mathematics does not always allow for pupils to develop

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

independence in organising and recording their own ideas, or to extend and improve the quality of their work.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

Although teachers mark pupils' work regularly, they do not routinely indicate how pupils can improve their work. The school uses the National Curriculum tests to assess pupils' attainment in Years 2 and 6, and it uses the optional QCA tests for pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5. These provide useful information about the National Curriculum levels pupils attain and the progress they are making. However, the school makes limited use of the data to identify areas of learning requiring improvement. There is no formal system for assessing pupils on entry to the school or assessing their progress in the Foundation Stage or Year 1. The school should consider how to track pupils' progress as they proceed through the school to ensure that they are achieving their very best and that the work they are given is sufficiently challenging.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

The school has no pupils with SEN as defined by the Code of Practice for SEN. However, some pupils are identified by their teachers as requiring additional help in developing basic skills in literacy and numeracy. In the session observed, the teaching engaged the pupils' interest well and made good use of time and subject matter that motivated the pupils.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

Teachers provide regular reports to parents on their children's progress. These cover all curriculum areas in detail but would benefit from a comment identifying what needs to be accomplished next in order to improve of the pupil's achievement.

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

In order to comply with the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2003 the school should:

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

ƒ plan lessons more effectively, taking the different needs of pupils into account, especially for those who find learning more difficult (paragraph 1.(3)(d)); and ƒ improve procedures for assessing and tracking pupils' progress as they proceed through the school (paragraph 1.(3)(g)).

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

Hyland House provides effectively for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Its Christian foundation is reflected in the daily life of the school. Class assemblies provide a positive start to the day, with opportunities for pupils to lead elements such as prayer and singing. The school celebrates pupils' achievements, thus contributing to their growing confidence and self- esteem. A calm and purposeful atmosphere prevails in the school, where everyone feels valued and respected. The good relationships between staff and pupils together with the warm welcome extended to pupils and parents contribute significantly to the positive ethos within the school. The pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong. They behave sensibly in class and at playtimes. They clearly understand and respond appropriately to the school rules, which emphasise respect and self-control. Older pupils take their responsibilities seriously and undertake them

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

conscientiously. They take care for example, of younger pupils as a matter of course.

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

The school makes good provision for pupils' social development. The school places strong emphasis on good manners and caring for others. Pupils are polite and greet adults and visitors confidently. Teachers actively promote self-respect in pupils and respect for others. Mealtimes are calm and civilised. As they progress through the school, pupils develop into confident and responsible young people as demonstrated by their approach to their duties as prefects. They learn about the needs of others and respond practically, for example by collecting and giving harvest gifts to the senior citizens who live close to the school.

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

The PSHE programme covers a range of topics appropriate to pupils' ages, including the misuse of drugs and sex education. RE is a strong feature of the curriculum and pupils have the opportunity to study comparative religions in addition to learning about Christianity. Teachers plan educational visits to places of local and national interest to enrich the pupils' cultural development, for example the National Portrait Gallery. Pupils belong to Luton Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) choir and participate in music festivals.

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3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

Pupils are well-cared for and are appropriately supervised. The school has a carefully thought out policy for promoting good behaviour. It clearly identifies the sanctions that may be used in the rare event of any serious or unacceptable behaviour occurring, and these are known to pupils and parents.

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3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

Whilst the school has a policy for the health and safety of pupils on visits outside school it does not take full account of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) guidance: `Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits', particularly in relation to supervision ratios and written risk assessments.

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3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school has not undertaken a recent full risk assessment of the premises and accommodation to identify potential hazards, such as the ground floor window at the front of the building overlooking the playground. Electrical wiring checks for the premises and portable appliances are overdue. The school provided a report of inspections undertaken by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority in March and July 2002 and has acted on its recommendations. Fire safety equipment has been checked recently.

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3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

Although attendance registers were completed regularly at the start of morning and afternoon sessions, some inconsistencies in the method of recording pupils' details and absences were noted.

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3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school has not yet drawn up an action plan to improve disabled access or a statement regarding its duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2002.

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

In order to comply with the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2003 the school should:

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

ƒ revise its policy relating to the health and safety of pupils on activities outside the school with full regard to the DfES guidance: `Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits' (paragraph 3(2)(c)); ƒ improve its response to health and safety matters by giving full regard to the DfES guidance `Health and Safety: Responsibility and Powers' (paragraph 3(4)); ƒ undertake a full risk assessment to ensure that it has regard to the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 and any report from the Fire Authority (paragraph 3(5)); and ƒ maintain attendance registers in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 1995 (paragraph 3(9)). • the school meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 2002? • • does the school need to do to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2002? • order to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2002 the school should: ƒ produce a statement regarding its responsibilities under the Act; and

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

ƒ produce a three-year action plan to improve disabled access.

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4. The suitability of the proprietor and staff

The school has a board of ten governors which meets regularly to make decisions relating to the school's development.

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4. The suitability of the proprietor and staff

All staff have appropriate qualifications and experience. The school is registered with Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) through the British Union Conference of the Seventh Day Adventists so that checks can be made as new staff join the school. Although the school has applied to the CRB for checks on all staff, these have not yet been completed. However, checks that have been made under the previous system through the DfES have been completed satisfactorily for all staff who work closely with children.

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

In order to comply with the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2003 the school should:

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

ƒ prior to their appointment confirm the suitability of all staff to work with through checks with the CRB (paragraph 4(b)).

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5. The suitability of the premises and accommodation

its purpose. Teachers have created stimulating learning environments in their rooms, with attractive displays which celebrate pupils' work and support their learning. Worship is undertaken in the classrooms, as there is no hall for whole school assembly. The outdoor play area is limited but the school staggers playtimes so that there is adequate space for all pupils. There is no grassed play space. The washrooms are adequate for the current number of pupils and staff. There are, however, a few health and safety issues related to the accommodation which inspectors drew to the headteacher's attention.

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

In order to comply with the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2003 the school should:

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

ƒ improve the standard and maintenance of decoration, including redundant loose wiring (paragraph 5(q)); and ƒ improve the condition of the flooring in areas where it currently presents a hazard (paragraph 5(s)).

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6. The quality of information for parents and other partners

The quality of information provided by the school is good. On joining the school all pupils receive a useful information booklet that sets out clear expectations of good behaviour. The school places great emphasis on the partnership with parents and has good relationships with them. This was demonstrated by the positive response to the questionnaires sent out by inspectors. Several parents bring their children a long distance so that they can attend the school. Communications with parents both on a formal and informal basis are good and are a strong feature of the school's ethos. Most parents feel comfortable when approaching the school with questions and suggestions.

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6. The quality of information for parents and other partners

A wide range of information is readily available for parents or prospective parents at the school, such as curriculum details and policies regarding child protection and bullying. Parents also receive helpful information through regular newsletters and the school brochure. However, the brochure does not contain the names and contact details of the headteacher, the proprietor or the chair of governors. There is no information about the policy regarding exclusions.

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6. The quality of information for parents and other partners

Reports are issued three times a year, with the summer term report being more detailed. These keep parents well-informed about the progress their children are making but do not say what pupils need to do next in order to improve. Reports for children in the Foundation Stage are sensibly based on the six areas of learning. Parents regularly talk to teachers after school as well as at formal meetings and most are pleased with the information they receive.

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

In order to comply with the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2003 the school should provide parents with information regarding: ƒ the name of the headteacher (paragraph 6(2)(a)); ƒ the full name, usual residential address and telephone number of the school proprietor (paragraph 6(2)(b)); ƒ the name and address of the chair of governors (paragraph 6(2)(c)); and ƒ particulars of the school's policy and arrangements for exclusions (paragraph 6(2)(e)).

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7. The effectiveness of the school's procedures for handling complaints

The school's procedures for handling complaints are outlined clearly in the brochure. This is a small school and any complaints are usually dealt with swiftly and satisfactorily. Parents are encouraged to discuss any concerns with the class teacher initially and then with the headteacher if they cannot be resolved. The procedures then make provision for the involvement of the Education Director and the governors if an agreement cannot be reached. Whilst these procedures are good and clearly set out, they lack some of the details required by the regulations.

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

In order to comply with the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2003 the school should:

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What does the school need to do to comply with the regulations?

ƒ set out clear time scales for the management of a complaint (paragraph 7(c)); ƒ ensure that one person on the complaints panel is independent of the running and management of the school (paragraph 7(g)); ƒ allow parents to attend the panel hearing and be accompanied if they wish (paragraph 7(h)); ƒ ensure that the procedures provide for the panel to make findings and recommendations and that a copy of these is made available to all concerned (paragraph 7(i)); ƒ ensure that written records are kept of all complaints indicating how they were resolved (paragraph 7(j)); and ƒ ensure that all the evidence regarding complaints is kept confidential (paragraph 7(k)).

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School details

Name of school: Hyland House School DfES ref number: 320/6052 Type of school: Nursery and Primary Status: Independent Age range of pupils: 3-11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll (full-time pupils): Boys 52, Girls 51, Total 103 Number on roll (part-time pupils): Boys , Girls , Total 0 Number of boarders: Boys , Girls , Total 0 Number of pupils with a statement of special educational need: Boys , Girls , Total 0

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils): £2,550 Annual fees (boarders): N/A 896 Forest Road Walthamstow London Address of school:

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School details

E17 4AE E-mail address: Telephone number: 0208 520 4186 Fax number: 0208 520 1549 Headteacher: Mrs G Abbequaye Proprietor: South England Conference of Seventh Day Adventists Chair of the governing body: Pastor Don McFarlane Lead Inspector: Mr D C Houghton D ates of inspection: 29 March - 1 April 2004

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School details

commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted web site (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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