Hazelwood Infant School

Hazelwood Infant School Inspection report

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101997 Unique Reference Number Enfield Local Authority 286239 Inspection number 4 °5 July 2007 Inspection dates Lynn Bappa Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Infant Type of school Community School category 4 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 268 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Margaret Miller Chair Mr Peter Gordon Headteacher 13 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection Hazelwood Lane School address London N13 5HE

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020 8882 0557 Telephone number 020 8886 1109 Fax number

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4-7 Age group 4 °5 July 2007 Inspection dates 286239 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Hazelwood is a slightly larger than average school that draws its pupils from the local area. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is below that normally found in infant schools. Nearly three-quarters of pupils are from a wide variety of minority ethnic heritages, the largest groups being Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot and Turkish. A third of pupils have English as an additional language; this is higher than average, although few are at an early stage of learning English. The school is federated with Hazelwood Junior School and shares a governing body, a leadership team and several other staff. This inspection took place at the same time as that in the junior school and provision for leadership and management was looked at and reported jointly.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007

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Grade: 3

Hazelwood Infants School provides its pupils with a satisfactory education. It has many good features but also some weaknesses that need tackling in order for it to be more effective. Standards are above average by Year 2. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Most children begin school with skills that are in line with what is expected for their age. As a result of good teaching, they are well prepared for more formal learning when they enter Year 1. Over the time they are in the school, most pupils achieve well. Rates of progress are variable, however. Pupils make the best progress in Reception and in Year 2 where there is consistently good teaching. Achievement in Year 1 is more variable, with some pupils not building well enough on their previous learning. This is linked to unevenness in the quality of teaching. Although teaching is good overall, not enough of it in Year 1 is of the good quality needed to enable all

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Grade: 3

pupils in that year group to progress well and evenly. Senior managers have not acted swiftly enough to eradicate these weaknesses. Neither have they calmed parents' anxieties about this issue, expressed in a significant number of inspection questionnaires. Most pupils attend school regularly, work hard and enjoy lessons and other activities. This enthusiasm for learning is engendered because the school provides a rich curriculum which motivates pupils to achieve. The provision for music and art is excellent, for example. Behaviour is satisfactory. There is a small amount of unacceptable behaviour, mostly in Year 1, that gets in the way of learning and is making some pupils feel unhappy. This is of concern to a significant number of parents who feel that the school is not dealing with this problem effectively enough. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school, in conjunction with the junior school,

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Grade: 3

has restructured its management teams to work across both schools. The impact of this partnership on standards and achievement is beginning to show, in curriculum continuity, for example. The school has a satisfactory capacity to improve. Senior leaders have correctly identified its strengths and some of its weaknesses but over-estimate some key aspects of provision such as the quality of teaching. Too many parents feel that their views are not listened to and express concerns about important aspects of the school's work. More needs to be done to make them feel that they are active partners in their children's learning; at the moment, this is not the case for a significant minority of parents.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the consistency with which behaviour is managed.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that the quality of teaching is more consistent and weaknesses eradicated.

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What the school should do to improve further

A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average and achievement is good overall. Children enter the school with standards that are broadly in line with those expected. They make good progress towards the expected learning goals. By Year 2, standards are above average. Progress through the school is inconsistent, however. It is particularly variable in Year 1, with some pupils not building well 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007 enough on their previous learning. This is linked to inconsistencies in the quality of teaching in that year group. Pupils make the fastest progress in Year 2, where there is consistently good teaching and where teachers have strong behaviour management skills. Higher-attaining pupils achieve well. Pupils with English as an additional language are given effective support and therefore make good progress with their work. The achievement of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, particularly where those needs are emotional and behavioural, is

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Children learn to co-operate with each other in the Foundation Stage and develop positive attitudes to their learning which are subsequently maintained across the school. Behaviour is satisfactory overall. Most pupils behave well in lessons and play sensibly together, despite some occasional boisterousness in the playground. Pupils say that bullying is generally dealt with effectively. However, this is not always the case and there is a small number of pupils whose behaviour causes concern. This worries a significant minority of parents who feel that the school is slow to deal with conflict amongst children. Through class circle times and discussions, pupils express their views and feel that they are listened to. They accept responsibilities in a sensible way. Pupils make an outstanding

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Grade: 2

contribution to the school and wider community through, for example, their musical performances. They know the difference between right and wrong and are beginning to appreciate the wider world of art and music. They enjoy healthy foods and exercise and feel safe at school. They are well prepared to begin the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

In the Foundation Stage, teachers plan a good range of activities which excite and challenge children. As one child said, 'I like everything about school!' The pace of learning, however, slows in Year 1, where the quality of teaching is inconsistent across the year group, varying from good to inadequate. In some lessons there are weaknesses in behaviour management, few opportunities to work independently and tasks are the same for all pupils, regardless of their abilities Teaching is consistently good in Year 2 and pupils' progress begins to accelerate significantly. In one outstanding lesson, for example, skilful teaching inspired pupils to use their recent visit to Tate Britain to write creatively and at length. There are some very good examples of marking in Year 2 which enable pupils to know what to do to improve their work. These are not as consistent in Year 1.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with outstanding features. There is a clear focus on making creative links between subjects. These bring relevance and breadth to pupils' learning and enable them to use their literacy and numeracy skills in meaningful ways. The Foundation Stage curriculum takes good account of children's interests and offers a good balance of teacher direction and independence. Teachers are rightly reviewing the Year 1 curriculum to help pupils make a 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007 smoother transition from the Reception classes. Music plays an outstanding part in enriching the curriculum, developing individual talents, and promoting pupils' spiritual and cultural development. Links with schools abroad provide an international dimension. Good personal, social and health education makes a significant contribution towards pupils' personal development. The curriculum is enhanced by a good range of visits, visitors and clubs that

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory overall. Induction procedures are good. As a result, children settle quickly into Reception. As one parent commented, 'My child has settled into school life very smoothly, and his enthusiasm for school is wonderful.' There are good links with outside agencies to support vulnerable pupils. Child protection procedures are thorough. A significant minority of parents, however, express a lack of confidence in the school's procedures for safeguarding their children and managing poor behaviour. Inspectors agree that not enough is done to support the small number of pupils who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour. More also needs to be done to reassure parents on this issue and to ensure that behaviour management strategies are used consistently by all teachers. The school does not monitor the academic and personal progress of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities carefully enough. Written records lack clarity and not enough is done

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Grade: 3

to support those pupils whose needs are primarily emotional and behavioural.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management, overall, are satisfactory with some good features. The governing body is supportive of the schools and knows their main strengths and weaknesses. It is active in shaping the direction of the schools, especially in the way that they work together. It has made a good start in developing the way it acts as a 'critical friend' but there is more to do in ensuring that its monitoring of them is well organised and suitably rigorous. The headteachers are giving good direction to the way in which the schools are federated and manage this link well. This has resulted in pupils benefiting from continuity and enrichment in the curriculum and staff extending their understanding of pupils' progression in learning. Management structures, such as phase and curriculum leaders, are relatively new and staff are still developing their rand;ocirc;les. The impact on pupils' learning and achievement of these

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Grade: 3

structures is not yet fully apparent, although recent initiatives aimed at raising standards in science, for example, are beginning to pay off. Plans for improving the schools' work are comprehensive but there is an insufficient focus on the outcomes expected in pupils' learning, and weak strategies for checking the impact of planned action. Senior leaders check the quality of teaching on a regular basis and provide staff with feedback on how to improve. This is not effective enough; inconsistencies in teaching have not been tackled and not enough attention is given to how well pupils are learning in different subjects. Partnership with parents is not strong enough. More than half the parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire, or who contacted inspectors directly, expressed significant concerns about different aspects of the school, most notably behaviour, teaching and the way that the

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Grade: 3

6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007 schools respond to their views. The schools have not done enough to ensure that all parents are satisfied with their children's education. The schools make good use of the resources available to them. They have invested well in a strong and enriched curriculum that promotes high standards of attainment and effective support for pupils with English as an additional language. The budget is planned and monitored carefully; value for money is good. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hazelwood Infant School,London,N13 5HE Not long ago we came to your school to see how you were getting on and whether there was anything we could suggest that would make the school better. You made us feel very welcome and we enjoyed meeting you. A special thank you to those children who spent time talking to us about their work and the things they enjoy about school. In return, I want to tell you about what we thought. We think that your school is giving you a satisfactory education. Most of you make good progress through the school and reach higher than normal standards in English, mathematics and science by the time you leave. We think you also do some good work in music, art and history. You have a good range of activities to do, both in class and in clubs after school. Most of you behave well and get on with your lessons. There are a few pupils whose behaviour

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is not good, and this gets in the way of their learning and worries other pupils and their parents. We have asked your school to look at ways of helping all of you to behave well. You might have some good ideas about this that you can tell your teachers. Some of your parents feel that the people in charge of the school do not listen to them properly if they are worried about how you are getting on. We have asked them to improve this. Finally, we have also asked the teachers to make sure that all your lessons are as good as the best ones. That way, your progress will be even better and you will learn even more. We wish you and your school very well for the future. Yours sincerely Dr Lynn Bappa Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazelwood Infant School, 4 °5 July 2007

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