Hayfield Lane Primary School

Hayfield Lane Primary School Inspection report

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106746 Unique Reference Number Doncaster Local Authority 324455 Inspection number 7–8 October 2008 Inspection dates Andrew Swallow Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 229 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Marie Waterhouse Chair Mrs C Round Headteacher 19 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Hayfield Lane School address Auckley Doncaster South Yorkshire DN9 3NB 01302 770427 Telephone number 01302 772410 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 7–8 October 2008 Inspection dates 324455 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Hayfield Lane Primary School is of average size. Most of the pupils live in the local area and are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The proportion of those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below that found nationally. Since the previous inspection, there have been major changes in staffing and a reorganisation of the senior leadership team, including the appointment of a new deputy headteacher. The school has the Basic Skills Quality Mark, Activemark and the Healthy Schools and Roy Castle 'Clean Air' Awards.

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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: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school that is rapidly improving and provides satisfactory value for money. Since the last inspection the headteacher has successfully tackled the challenges arising from significant changes in staffing, which have slowed pupils' progress. Staffing is now stable and the new senior leadership team has been empowered to address previous underachievement and raise standards quickly. Early indications show that this work is already bearing fruit. Good quality personal and social development of pupils lies at the heart of the school's work. Parents are very supportive: 'My son is always excited when he comes home from school, he can't wait to tell me what has happened,' is a typical response. Pupils get off to a sound start in the Nursery, with many reaching the early learning goals by the time they leave the Reception. Their progress is not as even across Years 1 to 6, because some pupils still have gaps in their learning, as a result of the number of teachers leaving and

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Grade: 3

joining the school in the last two years. Nevertheless, pupils' achievement is now satisfactory due to a much more settled teaching team and specific strategies to develop pupils' writing and calculation skills that are now paying off. Standards in lessons and in pupils' work are rising quickly and by the end of Year 6 are broadly average. However, standards in reading and writing in Years 1 and 2 are still not high enough. Teaching is satisfactory overall, with some good teaching, and a small proportion of inadequate teaching. Teachers are involving pupils more actively in their work, but not all yet use information about how well pupils are doing, with sufficient precision, to plan the next steps in their learning. Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils enjoy school and their attendance is satisfactory. They are well behaved and supportive of each other. Most have a good understanding of how

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Grade: 3

to keep safe and healthy. Their improving literacy and numeracy skills and their developing understanding of the world of work, prepare them adequately for their future lives. The curriculum overall is satisfactory, though there is good provision for music and art and a variety of enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities. The quality of care and guidance is satisfactory. Good emphasis is placed on pupils' pastoral care and well-being, but the school does not yet provide pupils with sufficiently precise and regular information about how to improve their work. Leadership and management overall are satisfactory. Satisfactory self-evaluation by the leadership has identified the right priorities to move the school forward. However, monitoring and evaluation processes are still not strong enough for senior leaders and governors to best measure how well the school is doing. As a result, leadership has an overgenerous view of the

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Grade: 3

effectiveness of the school. The governing body discharges their responsibilities satisfactorily. However, whilst governors are fully involved in and supportive of the work of the school, they have not received sufficient information to hold the school adequately to account for its performance. Nevertheless, the committed leadership by the headteacher and developing strengths of the senior leadership team have led to marked recent progress in moving the school forward. These factors ensure that the school has satisfactory capacity for further improvement. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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Grade: 3

Parents say they are pleased about the way the school welcomes new children. Although there is a spread of attainment, the majority enter the Nursery with skills that are similar to those expected for their age. Overall, they make satisfactory progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), so that by the end of Reception, most children are working comfortably within the early learning goals. Overall, the EYFS provides satisfactorily for children to learn and develop. Relationships with adults are good and by the time they reach Reception, many children have developed an understanding of what they are learning and are beginning to take some responsibility for choosing activities. The indoor and outdoor environments are well resourced, affording a range of learning opportunities. Children are well cared for as seen in the staff's high level of commitment to the children. As a result, children are always busy and enjoy being

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Grade: 3

with each other. The EYFS provision is led satisfactorily; staff work as a team, are clear about their roles and participate enthusiastically in the children's work and play. They know what is required for children to develop but not all are confident about stepping back, allowing the children to learn for themselves, observing, then building skilfully on what they can or cannot do. As a result, some children do not have enough opportunities to think independently.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise achievement and standards in reading and writing across Years 1 and 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure all teachers use information on pupils' progress effectively to plan for their next steps in learning, and communicate clearly to them what they need to do to improve. ■ Strengthen monitoring and evaluation processes so that senior leaders and governors can measure more effectively how well the school is doing. 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: 3

For the past two years standards reached by the end of Key Stage 1, although average in mathematics, have been below average in reading and writing. New staffing in Years 1 and 2 are already making a difference and standards are beginning to pick up quickly. However, pupils' standards and, hence, achievement in reading and writing across Years 1 and 2 are still not high enough. The school's most recent information and work seen in lessons, show that the vast majority of pupils are now making overall satisfactory progress, achieving particularly well in mathematics, and reaching standards in line with expectations. Early indications are that standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 2 rose sharply in 2008. This was largely due to a range of successful strategies to improve pupils' writing and calculation skills. Although progress through Key Stage 2 is still uneven, the school's tracking information shows clearly

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Grade: 3

that the majority make overall satisfactory progress in English and good progress in mathematics. Standards are broadly average, but increase as pupils' progress accelerates towards the end of Year 6. Pupils with individual learning difficulties make satisfactory progress in line with their peers, because work is generally matched according to their needs. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Pupils' moral, social and cultural development is good. Spiritual development is outstanding. They benefit well from a programme of themed weeks, assemblies and enrichment activities which provide opportunities to develop a sense of right and wrong, and respect for each other. Their behaviour in lessons and around school is good. They say that there is no bullying and that they always feel safe and secure. Pupils adopt thoughtful routines when working and playing together. In school, they work increasingly cooperatively and independently. Attendance is broadly average, although not as high as the school would wish. The school has good strategies to promote regular attendance, but this is often affected by families who choose to take holidays during term time. Pupils enjoy school. They contribute well to their community, in particular, through their work on the school council, raising funds for charities, acting as receptionists in

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Grade: 2

the school office at lunchtimes and helping younger children to learn to read. Pupils talk knowledgeably about the importance of exercise and diet, as part of a healthy lifestyle. Their improving literacy and numeracy skills, together with a growing understanding of the world of work and enterprise, means they are adequately prepared for their future lives.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching is improving as a result of greater stability in staffing. In many classes it is now good, but has not yet had time to address all of the historical deficits in pupils' personal learning and thinking skills. However, a small proportion of teaching is inadequate and hinders pupils' progress. Where teaching and learning are at their best, relationships are supportive; teachers provide well resourced opportunities for pupils to share ideas with each other and to find things out for themselves. Tasks encourage a step-by-step approach, so that pupils gain confidence in what they are learning. In the weaker lessons the pace of lessons is not brisk enough. Work is sometimes not matched as well as it might be to pupils' needs. This is because information on pupils' progress is not used consistently by teachers to build on what pupils already know or help them to understand how to improve. Where teaching is ineffective,

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Grade: 3

activities lack sufficient challenge and interest, and do not stimulate pupils to persevere with their work.

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Grade: 3

Much has been done recently to improve the links between subjects that enable pupils to develop key understanding, whilst retaining an emphasis on literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology (ICT). These measures are beginning to impact positively on pupils' calculation skills and their confidence in using computers. The school recognises that more work is needed to enhance pupils' reading and writing competencies in Years 1 and 2. Pupils are rightly proud of their achievements in art and music and good quality collage and painting is in evidence around the school. However, although there has been recent provision for learning French in Key Stage 2, at the time of the inspection there is no provision for pupils to learn a modern foreign language, and the multicultural dimension of their work is not sufficiently developed. Visitors to the school and visits out-of-school, including residentials

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Grade: 3

for older pupils, enhance pupils' self-confidence and help to promote a sense of community 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008 cohesion. A satisfactory range of enrichment and enterprise activities, such as arts weeks, the annual technology challenge, clubs that include aromatherapy, needlework and a number of different sports, all help pupils to broaden their horizons and develop healthy and varied lifestyles.

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Grade: 3

Pastoral care is good. Safeguarding procedures meet requirements. Every care is taken to ensure that the school is a safe and healthy environment and regular checks are made to minimise risks. Individual education plans for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are used appropriately to check pupils' progress and set new targets. Child protection arrangements are robust and there is particularly effective support for vulnerable pupils, with helpful links with external agencies. Procedures to provide pupils with academic guidance tailored to their individual needs are at an early stage of development. Pupils are enthusiastic about their new targets in reading, writing and mathematics, but not all are certain about what they are aiming for. Across the school, the marking of pupils' written work is not yet consistent enough. Consequently, some do not have an accurate picture of how well they are doing and what they

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has led the school well through a recent unsettling period and has now refocused the school on raising pupils' achievement. Refined tracking procedures for reading, writing and mathematics are enabling earlier and more effective intervention, particularly where individual pupils may not be achieving as well as they should. The newly formed senior leadership team is equally committed to quality education and care. Senior leaders are eager to become involved in all aspects of the school's work. They have been given more responsibility for raising standards and are doing this through the satisfactory use of challenging targets and through setting a clear direction for improvement. Processes for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning have improved since the last inspection and overall are satisfactory. However, these processes are still not strong enough for senior leaders and governors to measure as well as

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Grade: 3

they could how the school is doing. Presently there is insufficient analysis of the impact of teaching on pupils' learning. However, the school is increasingly confident in identifying general strengths and areas for development, and in judging what needs to be tackled next. The leadership satisfactorily promotes equality of opportunity in order to eliminate discrimination and makes a satisfactory contribution to the school's community cohesion. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008 .

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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: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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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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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Hayfield Lane Primary School, Doncaster, DN9 3NB Thank you very much for the welcome and help you gave to the inspectors when we inspected your school recently. We liked how you talked to us in such a friendly way and were very impressed by how well you all get on with each other. I would like to share with you what we thought about your school. You are really welcoming to visitors and show good levels of respect for the adults working with you. We were particularly impressed with how you help to serve food at lunchtimes, take on responsibilities in the school office, and work so thoughtfully alongside younger children. We were pleased to hear how much you enjoy your lessons, particularly art and music. Now that you have a regular team of teachers in school, the standards that you reach are improving and you are making satisfactory progress. Overall, we think that your school provides you with a satisfactory standard of education, but

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that this could be even better. We are asking the headteacher, staff and governors to do the following things to make sure that you get the best out of your time at Hayfield Lane.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you reach higher standards in reading and writing, especially in Years 1 and 2.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that teachers keep a much closer check on the progress you make and use that information to plan work that's not too easy or too hard for you. We also want them to tell you exactly what you need to do to improve your work. ■ Ensure that leaders and governors are more rigorous in finding out how well the school is doing. I am sure you will work hard and do your best to help your teachers bring about the improvements we think are necessary. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hayfield Lane Primary School, 7–8 October 2008

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