Hawthorns Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this small, caring school.

Everyone is welcomed at Hawthorns. This means that pupils feel happy and safe. One boy who spoke with inspectors said: 'Everyone is different, but everyone is treated equally.'



Many pupils are positive about learning, but not all. Children in early years and pupils in key stage 1 behave well. However, some pupils in key stage 2 sometimes lack concentration and are easily distracted.

As a result, behaviour is not yet consistently good and it sometimes gets in the way of learning.

Pupils say that it is quite rare for children to be unkind to each other. When it happens, it is dealt with quick...ly by staff.

A parent who spoke with inspectors during the inspection confirmed this by saying: 'Bullying used to be a problem here, but since the new headteacher came it is nipped in the bud.'

Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs. These include clubs for football, gymnastics, dance, drama and cooking, and the 'green fingers' club where pupils help to improve the school grounds.

One pupil excitedly told the lead inspector that he could not wait to go this club after school.

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

The headteacher and her senior leadership team have made improvements to many aspects of the school since they took up their posts just after the previous inspection. The curriculum is one of the areas that leaders have developed.

Each subject is planned well because leaders have given careful thought to what they want pupils to learn and when. This means that pupils get better at subjects as they move through the school. Children in Nursery and Reception get off to a good start.

As a result, they have the knowledge they will need for future learning. For example, pupils in key stage 1 have a good knowledge of geography because of what they learned in early years.

Subject leadership across the school is not yet consistent.

This is because some subject leaders need further development. Teaching is not always successful in ensuring that the curriculum is taught well enough in every subject. This is because some teachers' understanding of good practice in teaching is still developing.

This means that some lessons are not tailored well enough to meet the needs of all pupils. Consequently, some children become distracted and behaviour deteriorates.

Reading is important at the school.

There are many opportunities for children in Nursery and Reception to listen to stories, poems and nursery rhymes. This helps to instil a love of reading in pupils from an early age. A well-planned phonics programme means that pupils learn to read quickly.

Books are closely matched to the sounds that pupils know. Careful monitoring helps leaders to identify pupils who are not keeping up with the programme. These pupils are supported well through additional phonics sessions.

The school has a range of high-quality books, which means that pupils can read books that are interesting and engaging as they become more fluent. Pupils are given incentives to read daily, and many achieve this goal. One pupil described the benefits of reading by saying that: 'Teachers encourage us to read more, so we have more describing words to use in our written stories.'



Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified well here. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is experienced and knowledgeable and has made significant improvements to the provision for pupils with SEND. This means that pupils receive the help they need.

One parent who spoke with the lead inspector said: 'The SENCo goes above and beyond for children.' Despite this, teaching is not always tailored so that it meets these pupils' needs well enough in lessons.

The personal development of pupils is a strength of the school.

Leaders have begun to change the culture at Hawthorns. They have done this by ensuring that pupils are fully involved in all parts of school life. The ambassadorship programme encourages pupils to get fully involved at the school.

This leads to pupils taking ownership of projects and becoming more responsible. For example, a Year 6 pupil was in the middle of setting up a guitar club for pupils who wanted to play the instrument.

Governance has been strengthened since the previous inspection.

Support from the local authority has had a positive impact on governance. Governors know the school very well and have clear roles and responsibilities. They are committed to improving the school further.

As a result, they provide plenty of challenge to leaders at the school, as well as supporting leaders' well-being and mental health.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a high level of care that permeates the school.

Staff know pupils and their families well. They receive the appropriate safeguarding training. This means that they recognise the signs that could mean a pupil is at risk of harm or is being harmed.

Effective systems and processes mean that staff can quickly alert the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) if they are concerned about a pupil. This leads to swift and appropriate actions being taken by the DSL.

Leaders and those responsible for governance regularly monitor all aspects of safeguarding at the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers' pedagogical knowledge is inconsistent across the school. This means that the planned curriculum is not delivered well enough to meet the needs of all pupils. Leaders should ensure that subject leadership is strengthened, and that the appropriate training is provided to teachers so that their pedagogical knowledge improves.