Hayes School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like this school. They say that teachers and support staff want them to do well and keep them safe. Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school.

They work hard and do not disturb the learning of others.

Pupils enjoy the many opportunities that the school provides beyond their usual lessons. A good example is the opportunity for every pupil to learn to play steel drums and marimbas.

The Year 6 pupils performed a highly-skilled and exciting musical performance for the team of inspectors. Pupils also enjoy the range of educational visits and residential trips where many enjoy staying away from home for the first time.

Parents ...are very positive about the school.

A typical view was, 'My children have grown into capable, independent, confident young people and I can't thank the staff enough for their dedication and hard work.' Parents appreciate the strong support provided by the pastoral team. They also recognise how the headteacher and deputy headteacher make themselves available for anyone with concerns.

Pupils told inspectors that bullying is rare, and that staff deal with any behaviour issues quickly and fairly. They know how to stay safe when they use the internet because they are given excellent guidance in school.

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

Leaders have made sure that the school has improved significantly since the previous inspection.

In particular, they have ensured that stronger teaching has led to rapidly rising standards in reading, writing and mathematics across the school. Leaders have effectively addressed the areas for improvement noted in that inspection.

Leaders have designed an exciting curriculum that aims to link knowledge and skills from different subjects.

They have decided that reading should be at the centre of all learning. A clear example of this is the Year 6 study of a book set in war-torn Beirut. Pupils used good communication skills to give a balanced view of the conflict and skills and knowledge from geography and history to support their arguments.

They also showed real empathy for the children that had been caught up in the war.

There is a strong culture of reading in the school. Staff are trained well to deliver high-quality phonics lessons for younger children.

Children in the Nursery and Reception start to learn the sounds of letters from their first day in school. Inspectors saw how well teachers motivated children to read in all classes. Staff notice when pupils fall behind and they help them to catch up quickly.

As a result, almost all pupils can read the expected phonic sounds before they leave Year 2. In all classes, teachers make sure that pupils learn new words that are used in specific subjects.

Mathematics is taught well throughout the school.

In the early years, pupils are given exciting practical opportunities that enable them to have a good grasp of numbers and shapes by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils in other classes continue to build well on their skills and knowledge in mathematics. Older pupils have a good instant recall of mathematical facts, such as tables.

Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress in the subject because lessons are adapted well to meet their needs.

Leaders have focused on providing good-quality training for staff in order to improve pupils' outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics. This has been successful.

They are now focusing on improving pupils' progress in other subjects. They have designed the new curriculum well and have started to use external support to improve teachers' subject knowledge in all subjects. This is at an early stage of development.

The curriculum plans for each subject give details of the skills and knowledge that pupils will learn. They also show the vocabulary that pupils will need to understand in order to fully grasp what is being studied. Leaders are developing subject plans that build upon what pupils have learned in earlier years.

They are identifying which knowledge from each subject pupils should remember for to support their progress through each subject over time.

A dedicated team look after pupils with SEND extremely well. Inspectors took a close look at how well pupils with SEND make progress in different subjects.

The careful support from teachers and teaching assistants helps these pupils to know and do more.

Leaders and teachers make sure that pupils learn moral and social skills that help them to get along well together. They also provide opportunities for pupils to enjoy their learning and experience excitement and wonder.

This is particularly the case in music and art. Pupils develop a good cultural understanding and they are able to reflect upon the different views and beliefs of people that they might meet in the country and in travels to other parts of the world.

Members of staff say that they are proud to work at the school.

They appreciate leaders' efforts to reduce workload. This gives them more time to plan how to teach exciting lessons.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained and act quickly to deal with any concerns. They work well with external partners to secure the support that pupils need.

Leaders carry out all of the required checks to ensure that all adults are safe to work with children. All of the pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they are safe when in school and they know of an adult they could turn to if they needed help.The designated leader for safeguarding works closely with a number of organisations to help families, including those that are in crisis.

Governors regularly check safeguarding when they visit the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have provided good-quality training for staff that has led to significantly improving outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics since the previous inspection. They now need to focus on improving further the subject knowledge of teachers in order to secure pupils' progress in other subjects.

. Leaders have constructed a curriculum that identifies the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn in all foundation subjects. They need to now consider how to enable pupils to build successfully upon their prior learning in subjects and clearly identify the skills and knowledge that pupils should remember over time.

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