Hazlemere Church of England Combined School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that pupils make good progress by:
  • addressing inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment
  • ensuring that work is sufficiently challenging, particularly for the most able pupils
  • securing good behaviour for learning.
• Improve the leadership and management of the school by:
  • developing leaders’ strategic use of information in order to monitor the impact of their actions
  • developing the role of middle leaders in driving school improvement
  • continuing to develop the ability of governors to provide appropriate challenge for school leaders.
• Improve provision in the early years by:
  • developing the use of assessment to accelerate children’s progress
  • improving communication with parents so that they are better informed about their child’s progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Standards across the school, particularly in key stage 2, have been declining in recent years. In the past, leaders have not taken appropriate, robust action to address this decline quickly enough. As a result, many pupils are not making good progress and are not achieving the standards of which they are capable.
• Since September, the new headteacher has developed and implemented plans for school improvement and has not hesitated to begin making changes. The changes she has made, however, are in their infancy. Too many actions are in their early stages of planning or implementation and are not embedded in practice.
• Leaders have not established robust enough systems to check the impact of their work on pupils’ outcomes. Although changes are being made, leaders are not currently measuring whether they are successful in raising standards and improving outcomes for pupils.
• The headteacher has introduced new, robust assessment procedures to more effectively monitor the progress of pupils. However, these practices are not embedded throughout the school. Middle leaders are too reliant on the headteacher for direction in using this assessment information.
• Middle leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses in their areas of responsibility. Although they have taken some actions to improve teaching and learning in their subjects, they have not measured the impact of their actions on outcomes for pupils.
• The new headteacher has established a clear, aspirational vision for the school and has high expectations of the pupils and children in early years. Staff share her vision and drive to implement change and to improve the school.
• The new headteacher has an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. She is not afraid to take robust action to tackle the legacy of underperformance in teaching and address teachers’ low expectations of pupils.
• The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils enjoy learning a wide range of subjects through exciting topics, such as Ancient Egypt and Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. Leaders and teachers plan a variety of enrichment activities that contribute well towards pupils’ learning. For example, pupils benefit from learning a brass instrument in Year 5.
• Pupils’ SMSC development and understanding of British values are strong. Leaders give pupils regular opportunities to reflect on their own beliefs during collective worship and to celebrate the school’s values. Pupils participate respectfully and thoughtfully during these times, welcoming these opportunities.

Governance of the school

• Historically, governors were not given the information they needed to appropriately challenge school leaders. Consequently, they have not routinely held school leaders to account for pupils’ outcomes and standards across the school. As a result, underperformance across the school was not challenged soon enough and governors failed to address falling standards.
• Until recently, governors have not robustly monitored the impact of pupil premium funding on outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, some disadvantaged pupils have not made the progress of which they are capable.
• Since the appointment of the new headteacher, governors have established an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This is because the headteacher ensures that they have the information that they need in order to evaluate the school’s performance. As a result, governors are now beginning to monitor standards more effectively and to offer greater challenge to school leaders.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The designated safeguarding lead is committed to ensuring that pupils are safe and has ensured that robust policies and procedures are in place for staff to report any safeguarding concerns.
• The designated lead ensures that appropriate training is in place for all staff and adults in school. As a result, staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
• Leaders ensure that referrals to external agencies are made in a timely manner so that all pupils are kept safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across the school. Too often, teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low.
• The new headteacher has implemented a range of new initiatives to improve the quality of teaching and learning, for example new assessment procedures. They are not embedded in practice, however, and are yet to have a sustained impact on pupils’ outcomes.
• Too often, teaching in key stage 2 fails to effectively address pupils’ misconceptions. Pupils continue to make the same, or similar, mistakes over time. Teaching does not routinely explore or correct these errors and as a result, progress slows.
• Some learning is not pitched effectively to meet the needs of pupils. When this happens, pupils are not sufficiently challenged, particularly the most able. As a result, pupils lose interest in their learning and low-level disruption occurs.
• Teaching does not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to use and apply their developing mathematical skills. As a result, pupils are not securing a good enough understanding of how to tackle problem solving and reasoning in mathematics.
• In key stage 2, teaching does not provide pupils with enough opportunities to write at length. Furthermore, teachers do not consistently expect high enough standards in spelling, grammar and punctuation. As a result, pupils do not routinely write at the standard of which they are capable, and they are not developing key skills in editing and correcting their work.
• Pupils do not consistently take pride in the standard of their work. At times, the presentation of pupils’ work is poor.
• Stronger teaching in key stage 1 ensures that pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well. Teachers have high expectations of pupils and plan learning that challenges them. As a result, pupils are focused on their learning, and they work with great enthusiasm and determination. They take pride in their work and their presentation is of a high standard.
• Effective teaching in PE enables pupils to make strong progress in developing key skills. Pupils show high levels of engagement and enthusiasm in this subject.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Leaders and teachers plan a range of opportunities for pupils to learn about potential dangers and how to avoid them. This has included educational visits and visitors to the school. As a result, pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when online.
• Pupils are kind and caring towards one another. On the rare occasions that bullying occurs, staff take swift, appropriate action to deal with it effectively. As a result, pupils feel happy and safe in school.
• Pupils embrace the school’s values as part of their daily lives. These values, such as respect and kindness, are important to them. Pupils receive recognition when they have displayed these values and they welcome the opportunity to celebrate this during assemblies.
• Leaders ensure that appropriate support is put in place for pupils who have social and emotional needs. Pupils know whom to talk to if they have any concerns.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Too many pupils in key stage 2 have not yet developed consistently positive attitudes to learning. Low expectations and lack of challenge result in pupils losing interest in their learning. When this happens, pupils go off task and low-level disruption occurs.
• Overall, current pupils’ attendance is slightly below the national average. Attendance is, however, significantly lower for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. While leaders are taking appropriate action to address poor attendance, they are not routinely measuring the impact of these actions.
• Most of the time, pupils conduct themselves well. Transition times can sometimes become disorderly, however, because routines are less well established.
• Pupils play well together at playtimes and lunchtimes, interacting with one another respectfully.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Standards in key stage 2 have been declining since the last inspection. In 2017, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 was below the national average. Furthermore, pupils’ progress was in the bottom 20% of schools nationally for reading, writing and mathematics.
• As a result of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, and low expectations, the progress that pupils in key stage 2 are currently making in English and mathematics is variable. Teaching does not consistently address pupils’ misconceptions in understanding, particularly in their use of spelling, grammar and punctuation. As a result, pupils are not making sufficient progress in securing these key skills.
• Owing to teachers’ low expectations and insufficient challenge, some of the most able pupils are not making enough progress. As a result, they are not achieving the standards of which they are capable.
• In the past, additional funding has not been spent well enough to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make good progress. Although leaders now carefully plan the spending of this funding, the impact is not measured effectively. As a result, the progress that disadvantaged pupils are currently making across the school is inconsistent.
• As a result of effective support, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are fully included in all aspects of learning, and they learn well. However, leaders do not use assessment information effectively enough to monitor the progress of these pupils.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 has been declining for the past three years. Strong teaching in key stage 1, however, is now securing better outcomes. Pupils currently demonstrate secure knowledge of phonics. They apply their skills well in their reading and writing.
• As a result of high expectations and effective teaching, current pupils in key stage 1 are making strong progress in securing key skills. Pupils in this key stage produce work of a consistently high standard, using and applying the skills that they have learned with confidence.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Leaders have recently introduced new initiatives to bring about improvements to the early years provision. However, the implementation of these actions is very recent, and as a result they are not embedded in practice.
• Leaders do not use new assessment procedures well enough to monitor the progress children are making. As a result, children currently in Reception are not making enough progress from their starting points.
• Some learning is planned well to excite the children’s curiosity and to develop their key skills. Most children engage well in these activities, persevering with a task and collaborating well with their peers. Some children, however, are less focused on completing a purposeful task. When this happens, their learning slows.
• Communication with parents is not as effective as it could be. Some parents would like more information about their child’s learning in school in order to better support their learning at home.
• The school’s Nursery provision is strong, providing children with a very good start to their education. Activities are carefully planned to entice the children into their learning and to develop a wide range of key skills. For example, children were very meticulous in counting out and planting their ‘magic beans’.
• Adults skilfully question children and engage in conversations that promote children’s confidence in counting, number recognition and social skills. They effectively model a wide range of vocabulary that supports children’s language development.
• Children play well with, and alongside, one another. Older, more confident children encourage their peers to join in with activities. They model, for example, how to share, and are kind and supportive of one another.
• Relationships between adults and children are supportive and caring. Children are well looked after and are happy and content.

School details

Unique reference number 110462 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10046402 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Combined School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 242 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Amanda Lewis Mrs Baljit Bhabra 01494 521420 www.hazlemereschool.co.uk enquiries@hazlemere-ce.bucks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3–4 June 2015

Information about this school

• Hazlemere Church of England Combined School is an average-sized primary school.
• The school has undergone a change in leadership since the previous inspection, and a new headteacher was appointed in September 2017.
• The early years setting incorporates Nursery provision for three- to four-year-old children, and a Reception class for four- and five-year-old children.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These standards set the minimum expectations for pupils’ outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school provides a childcare breakfast club and after-school club on its site.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 12 sessions across a range of subjects and year groups. Some sessions were observed jointly with senior leaders in the school. Inspectors looked at the quality of pupils’ work during lessons and through a focused analysis of work in books.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders, designated safeguarding leads, staff, governors, a representative from the local authority and a representative from the diocese.
• A wide range of documentation was reviewed, including information available on the school’s website and records relating to pupils’ attainment, progress, attendance and behaviour. Information on governance, including minutes of governing body meetings, was examined. The school’s self-evaluation summary, school development plan and supporting evidence were scrutinised.
• Inspectors spoke with parents during the inspection and considered the 49 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online parent survey, including 30 free-text comments.
• Inspectors took into account the views of the 14 staff who submitted a survey.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and spoke with pupils in lessons and around the school. They also met formally with groups of pupils.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed during lessons, during collective worship in church, around the school, during breakfast club, and during play-, break- and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records and the central record of recruitment checks on staff.

Inspection team

Leah Goulding, lead inspector Robert Howell

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector