Hayesfield Girls School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Raise further the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to ensure that pupils make strong progress in all year groups and subjects through teaching that:
  • precisely establishes and builds on what pupils already know, understand and can do
  • provides work that challenges pupils to do as well as they can
  • ensures that pupils know how well they are doing and how to improve their work.
• Improve the attendance of the small number of pupils who do not attend school regularly.
• Ensure that the concerns of all pupils and parents are dealt with well.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• School leaders, supported well by governors, have worked effectively to create a highly inclusive culture that enables pupils and staff to excel and to promote equality of opportunity. They set high expectations for teaching and learning and the personal development and welfare of all pupils. In this they have largely been successful, but not to the extent that their own evaluation indicates.
• Senior leaders accurately identify areas of strength and relative weakness in the school, although they judge that the school is outstanding. While there are many strengths, not all aspects of the school are outstanding.
• The school’s ambitions for all pupils to excel are clear in the curriculum, which is broad and balanced and matched well to individual pupils’ and groups of pupils’ needs. The curriculum for Years 9 to 11 is unashamedly academic to prepare pupils well for post-16 courses. However, a range of vocational options enables pupils to try out and follow different routes. The curriculum is firmly based in meeting pupils’ needs rather than to boost external performance measures.
• Leaders work closely with, for example, the local further education college to ensure good progression for pupils who leave the school at the end of Year 11. The curriculum in the sixth form prepares students well for the full range of options available when they leave.
• In Years 7 and 8, the highly effective ‘achievement first’ curriculum ensures that those pupils who join the school with low standards spend more time and receive targeted support to successfully develop their skills in English and mathematics.
• Senior and subject leaders use extensive and comprehensive arrangements for assuring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and for monitoring the impact on pupils’ progress and achievement. There are well-developed and well-understood systems for gathering and analysing assessment information. These provide an optimistic evaluation of the achievement of some pupils, and the quality of teaching, in a small number of subjects.
• There are robust arrangements for managing the performance of teachers, with a clear focus on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress and achievement. These arrangements have been highly effective in supporting and improving the teaching of a small number of teachers who needed individual support.
• The outcomes of quality assurance and monitoring are used well to identify the areas for the professional development of individual teachers, and improvement of subject areas and at the whole-school level. This has also led to highly effective teacher-led training to share best practice. Despite all of this, the arrangements have not yet ironed out the variations in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in a few subjects.
• Highly effective use is made of the pupil premium and the Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and those who join the school with weak reading, writing and/or mathematical skills. The impact of the use of these funds is monitored very carefully so that leaders know exactly what works and what has been tried but is less effective. The teachers and support staff working with these pupils have a very precise understanding of potential barriers to learning for individual pupils. They make sure that other teachers are aware of these and of the most effective strategies to support each pupil.
• There is a comprehensive programme of personal, social and health education, although some key aspects need re-visiting to ensure that pupils have a deeper understanding. Much that the school does, within the curriculum, through other events and activities and through an extensive range of extra-curricular activities supports pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils have a good understanding of fundamental British values.
• The very large majority of pupils and parents are extremely positive about all aspects of the school, including pupils’ academic success and their personal development and welfare. Parents are mostly very positive about how well leaders communicate and work with them. There is a sharp focus on pupils’ physical and mental well-being. However, a small number of pupils and parents are not confident that their concerns about, for example, how well bullying is dealt with are handled effectively.
• While overall attendance is above average, a small group of pupils do not attend regularly. The attendance of some of these pupils has improved as a result of the actions the school has taken, but it has not for others. It is recognised that a significant proportion of these pupils have physical or mental health concerns and school leaders have tried many approaches to support these pupils.

Governance of the school

• Governors share senior leaders’ evaluation of the effectiveness of the school. They have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas that require further improvement, although they also agree with the evaluation that the school is outstanding. This does not detract from the accuracy of governors’ identification of areas of strength and relative weakness.
• Governors are fully aware of the need to evaluate the effectiveness of any actions or the use of additional funding, such as the pupil premium, in terms of the impact on raising pupils’ achievement and/or improving their personal development and welfare. They do this well, although they are dependent on the accuracy of the assessment information provided by senior leaders.
• Governors ensure that the arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All governors are trained. The governing body undertook an independent and rigorous review to ensure that all teachers, support and other staff, and other adults working in the school, had a good understanding of their responsibilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The deputy headteacher responsible for pupils’ pastoral support, who is the designated safeguarding lead, works well with all other pastoral leaders to form an extended safeguarding team to support staff and pupils.
• All requirements for safeguarding are met. Staff training, including in preventing radicalisation and extremism, is frequent, comprehensive and effective. Individuals’ understanding of all aspects of safeguarding is checked regularly and carefully. The school follows good procedures for safer recruitment.
• Records of incidents of bullying, racist incidents and homophobic incidents are maintained and analysed for any lessons to be learned. Senior leaders seemed surprised by the number of bullying incidents reported by pupils. They believe that they work well with parents to provide an ethos and ample opportunities for pupils to report and discuss these concerns; they mostly do.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is mostly consistently strong but some variations in quality affect the progress of pupils in some year groups in some subjects. Teachers mostly set and maintain high expectations of pupils’ learning, attitudes and behaviour. Teaching is consistently strong in the sixth form.
• Teaching is highly effective in English and in other subjects such as economics, French, health and social care, and music. It varies across year groups in mathematics and across different courses in science. Teaching in these subjects does not always build well on what pupils already know, understand and can do.
• All teachers provide pupils with feedback on their work. Some of this is outstanding, for example in art where it is combined exceptionally well with pupils’ own and their peers’ evaluation of their work. The balance of individual, peer and teacher feedback is used effectively so that pupils are clear about how well they are doing and how to improve.
• Pupils are clear about their targets and how well they did against them in specific assessment tests and tasks. However, they are sometimes less clear about the progress they are making through their classwork. In some cases, including in mathematics and science, some pupils are already working at or beyond their target and finding some work too easy.
• Teachers use their deep understanding of, and enthusiasm for, their subject to mostly plan and structure pupils’ learning well. In some classes in mathematics and science, the work lacks the challenge to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they can.
• The very large majority of pupils have at least good writing skills. Teachers mostly use and develop these well through subject work. However, in science for example, they are not used to enable pupils to demonstrate the depth of their understanding in some classes.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Many pupils and sixth form students are confident and self-assured and enjoy coming to school. They take care to present their work well. They are proud of the school, support its values and take a full and active role in all of the opportunities it provides. They are well informed and prepared for their next steps when they leave at the end of Year 11 or at the end of their time in the sixth form.
• The personal, social and health education curriculum, supported well by other events and activities, helps pupils gain a good understanding of risks to their physical and mental well-being and how to keep themselves safe. However, some aspects, such as e-safety, the risks involved in the use of social media and risks of sexual exploitation, are not re-visited often enough to enable pupils to gain deeper understanding at different stages of their development.
• In the pupil questionnaire and through conversations with inspectors, pupils say that some bullying does occur in school. The very large majority feel that this is dealt with well or very well. Some parents also say that bullying occurs but that it is dealt with effectively. However, a small minority of pupils and parents say that their concerns about bullying or pupils feeling isolated and/or depressed are not dealt with effectively.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well, and often exceptionally well, in lessons and around the school’s two sites. There is a very positive atmosphere in the school.
• Both of the school’s sites become crowded at lesson changeovers and at break and lunchtimes, but pupils’ behaviour is safe and sensible. Pupils move promptly to lessons and between sites and arrive ready to learn. When necessary, they respond well and good-heartedly to teachers’ prompting and encouraging.
• When they are given clear feedback from the teacher, pupils respond well to improve their work and make progress. They also respond well to feedback from their peers, often creating a dialogue about the work that all benefit from.
• Overall attendance is above average, but not for some disadvantaged pupils and some of those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. While there have been improvements, a small number of pupils do not attend school regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils mostly make strong progress across a wide range of subjects. The very large majority of pupils do very well in GCSE examinations. These high levels of achievement have been sustained over several years. Attainment is high in the sixth form.
• Achievement for all groups of pupils in English and overall in humanities subjects is well above average. It is in line with the average in mathematics, science and languages.
• Pupils across the ability range make outstanding progress in English. They also make strong progress in a wide range of other subjects, such as art, drama, economics, health and social care, history and physical education. However, there is some variation in the progress made in different year groups.
• Pupils in younger year groups make strong progress in mathematics. In Years 10 and 11, while all make progress, the extent of this is variable. The work for some pupils lacks challenge to enable them to show what they are capable of.
• Pupils following courses in biology, chemistry and physics do well. They can discuss complex ideas in science and show good levels of understanding, although their written work does not always show this. The understanding of pupils on other science courses is more superficial. They can quote facts, but find it difficult to explain what these mean or link ideas together.
• The overall achievement of disadvantaged pupils, including those among the most able, has improved significantly over several years to be very close to that of other pupils nationally. The work and progress of current pupils in all year groups shows clearly that this has been sustained in the large majority of subjects. Additional funding for these pupils is used well. Pupils particularly value the daily breakfast club and the homework club the school has established in the local community.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well and mostly make good progress across a range of subjects, including in English and mathematics. Funding is used well to ensure that pupils have the individual and group support they need in and out of classes.
• School leaders have given a lot of attention to raising the achievement of pupils who join the school with low prior attainment. Highly effective use is made of the additional Year 7 catch-up funding. The work with Year 7 pupils, which continues into Year 8 and beyond, shows marked improvements in pupils’ reading ages and in their writing skills. This enables them to achieve better across the curriculum.
• The most able pupils are challenged to do as well as they can across the curriculum. They respond well, make strong progress and achieve at high levels. They are prepared well for post-16 advanced level courses.
• The very large majority of pupils have the reading and writing skills they need to make progress across the curriculum. However, in science for example, these writing skills are not used well to enable pupils to demonstrate their depth of understanding.

16 to 19 study programmes Outstanding

• Students achieve well across the full range of subjects as a result of outstanding teaching and the strong leadership of the sixth form.
• Effective pre-16 careers guidance ensures that students are well advised and informed about the range of options open to them. Those that stay on or join the sixth form from another school embark on suitable study programmes, as shown by high rates of retention and success and by the destinations they progress to. As far as it is possible to tell, those that choose to take 16 to 19 courses elsewhere also do well.
• The 16 to 19 curriculum is constantly reviewed to ensure that it meets the needs of students well. Recently a range of short vocational subjects was introduced to complement the substantial vocational courses available at the local further education college. This allows students to explore different options before making decisions at the end of the sixth form.
• Students make very strong progress and achieve well across the full range of subjects and courses. Some subjects, such as biology, English literature and history, have strong outcomes over a sustained period. Achievement in others, such as mathematics, business studies and applied health and social care dipped last year but have improved significantly so that current pupils are on track to do well.
• Previously in some subjects, such as mathematics, students with similar starting points achieved at very different levels in the A-level examination. This has been addressed so that current pupils are making the progress expected of them to achieve well.
• Very few students join the sixth form without at least a grade C in English and mathematics. Those who have a grade D in either subject successfully achieve a higher grade as quickly as possible.
• Students show excellent attitudes to their learning. They attend lessons well, and undertake preparation and complete follow-up work diligently. Their enthusiastic involvement in their learning means that time is used well. Many students report that lessons often feel more like ‘high-powered seminars’ than the lessons they have been used to. They respond to these significantly raised expectations with maturity.
• Excellent attention is given to developing students’ wider personal, social and employability skills. Discussions early in Year 12 establish the possible routes and options that students are exploring. This leads to a range of additional activities to enable them to develop these wider skills as well as those specific to their needs. All have work-based experiences as well as becoming involved in, for example, charitable and community work. Those on vocational courses have work placements linked to the vocational area.

School details

Unique reference number 136966 Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Inspection number 10033305 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 11 to 18 Gender of pupils Girls Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1168 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 243 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Annette Hayton Headteacher Emma Yates Telephone number 01225 426151 Website http://www.hayesfield.com/ Email address information@hayesfield.com Date of previous inspection 11–12 April 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school is part of the Bath Education Trust.
• The school is larger than the average secondary school. The school has girls only in Years 7 to 11. Most of the students in the sixth form are girls but about one in ten are boys who joined from other schools. A significant proportion of girls travel from outside of Bath. Some of them transfer to sixth form provision nearer to their home.
• The proportion of pupils in the school eligible for free school meals is well below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with average. The proportion who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below average.
• A small proportion of pupils are from other than White British backgrounds and the proportion who speak English as an additional language is well below average.
• The school meets the current government floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• Two inspectors were in the school for both days of the inspection and an additional four inspectors on the second day.
• Inspectors held meetings with the school’s senior leaders, other leaders and staff, the chair and vice-chair of the governing body and two other governors, and held a separate meeting with the governor with oversight of disadvantaged pupils and the governor who leads on safeguarding.
• Several meetings were held with groups of pupils over the two days. In addition, informal conversations were held with a large number of pupils of all ages around the school’s two sites at break and lunchtime, and during lesson changeovers. Inspectors also talked to sixth form students in their study areas and common room.
• In lessons, inspectors looked at pupils’ work and discussed it with them and took opportunities to listen to them read. These activities covered pupils in all year groups, across the full ability range, disadvantaged pupils and some who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Inspectors also looked at a wider sample of pupils’ work. Inspectors were accompanied by senior leaders for some of the visits to lessons.
• Inspectors met the school’s designated safeguarding lead and other teachers and staff responsible for pupils’ welfare. They looked at a wide range of documents and records about safeguarding, as well as checking that arrangements such as those for the maintenance of the single central record met all statutory requirements.
• Inspectors took account of the school leaders’ and governors’ self-evaluation and used this with senior leaders to establish inspection lines of enquiry on the first day of the inspection. They also looked at a wide range of other documents and information supplied by the school about the analysis of current pupils’ attendance, progress and achievement.
• Inspectors also took account of the 209 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including 201 with additional comments. They also took account of the 75 responses to the online pupil survey and 68 responses to the online staff survey.

Inspection team

James Sage, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Dee Russell-Thomas Ofsted Inspector Colin Logan Ofsted Inspector Ray Hennessy Ofsted Inspector Stuart Wilson Ofsted Inspector Paul Nicholson Ofsted Inspector