Hawthorn Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

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.

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 lear...ning culture. There has been a reduction in the number of behaviour incidents.

The school quickly identifies pupils who need support with their behaviour.

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.

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.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(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.

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.