Hatfeild Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Hatfeild Primary School is a nurturing and joyful school, which is welcoming to everyone. Since the last inspection, the school has fully embedded its vision of 'ready, respectful, safe.' Pupils value the warm relationships they build with staff during their time here.

They enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn in lessons. Pupils feel safe and happy. They know that school staff will help them if they have any worries.

The school has worked hard to raise the expectations for pupils. All staff now share this vision and believe that all pupils can achieve highly, including the most vulnerable and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Man...y pupils reach these high expectations.

Pupils develop a deep breadth of knowledge as they move through the school. Where appropriate, the curriculum is enriched with purposeful trips and activities.

The school has also established high expectations for pupils' conduct.

Behaviour across school is very positive. Pupils consistently show each other and staff courtesy and respect. In lessons, pupils listen carefully and concentrate on their learning.

At break and lunchtimes, pupils enjoy playing with their friends. The school provides pupils with various experiences to develop outside of the classroom and try new things. For example, they take part in a range of clubs, including dance, rugby, drama and singing squad.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the last inspection, the school has placed a strong emphasis on further improving the quality of the curriculum. In most subject areas the school has identified the most important knowledge pupils need to know. For example, in mathematics and science, subject content is broken down into steps of learning.

This starts in the early years. In these subjects, pupils retain their knowledge and build on it over time. That said, in a few subject areas, the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is not as clearly identified.

This means that activities are not always well matched to learning intentions. In these areas, teachers' checks on learning do not ensure that pupils are remembering this key knowledge over time. This restricts the progress pupils make through the curriculum in these subject areas.

Children get off to a secure start in the early years. There is a clear focus on the development of children's early language and communication. The activities, indoors and outside, focus on developing these skills.

Pupils enjoy a variety of songs, rhymes, and stories. Routines are quickly established. Children have opportunities throughout the day to interact with adults and one another.

The school prioritises pupils learning to read. All staff have the expertise needed to teach phonics well. The books pupils read match the sounds they have learned.

The school ensures that they read a wide range of texts. Pupils also enjoy reading independently for pleasure. Teachers check in on pupils' learning effectively in order to monitor pupils' phonics progress.

If pupils fall behind, they receive the support they need to help them catch up quickly.

The specially resourced provision is meeting the needs of its pupils very well. Staff in the provision are expertly trained.

They create a nurturing environment that is enabling pupils to succeed. For pupils with the most complex needs, the school works effectively with external professionals to develop their expertise and identify appropriate next steps. Pupils from the resource provision are now fully included in all aspects of school life.

This helps them to achieve well. However, in mainstream classes, some pupils with SEND still need support to access the learning. The school is not always fully aware of their needs or how to help them to learn.

This means that in some lessons learning is not sufficiently adapted to enable pupils with less complex needs to succeed.

The school's rules are built around 'ready, respectful, safe.' They help pupils to remember the expectations for learning and for play.

Behaviour in school is typically calm and purposeful. The school's work to promote good attendance is highly effective. Pupils want to come to school because they enjoy their learning.

The school's programme for pupils' wider development is well considered. Pupils demonstrate an age-appropriate understanding of different types of families and relationships. They know how to keep themselves safe, including online.

Across the school, pupils understand that not everyone is the same. They learn to respect and celebrate their differences, including their academic differences. Pupils enjoy the enrichment experiences that the school provides.

A new leadership team, including those responsible for governance, has taken swift and effective action to further improve the school. Governors have an accurate understanding of the development of the school's curriculum and the impact on pupils' learning. Decisions are made in the best interests of pupils and staff.

Leaders take staff workload and well-being into account. Despite two years of significant change in the school, staff feel very well supported. They are proud to work here.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's curriculum is not securely and consistently embedded across all of the foundation subjects. As a result, in some lessons, activity choice does not support pupils to secure the knowledge set out in the curriculum.

This means some pupils do not learn as much as they should. The school needs to ensure that in all subjects pupils are provided with clear and ambitious learning activities that help them develop the precisely identified knowledge and skills they need to be successful in these curriculums. ? In the mainstream school, the oversight of the SEND provision is sometimes not sufficiently focused.

This means that at times the processes to identify and plan for the needs of pupils with SEND lack sufficient rigour. This limits some pupils getting the right help and support they need to achieve well. The school should ensure that its processes for identifying the needs of pupils with SEND and the subsequent learning and support they receive closely match to their needs so that all pupils with SEND achieve well.

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