Sheffield primary school is improving according to Ofsted

Staff and pupils at a Sheffield primary school are marking a major milestone in their journey of improvement, with Ofsted inspectors recognising the impact that the new leadership team has had.
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Hatfield Primary Academy, in Sheffield Lane Top, still has a way to go and ‘requires improvement’ according to inspectors, who recognised that some improvement had taken place since the school was taken over by Astrea Academy Trust in 2016.

But, they said that despite recent improvements to the quality of teaching it is ‘not consistently good’ meaning pupils’ progress can vary across year groups and subjects.

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(L-R) Rhiana, Headteacher Katy Beech, Ellie, Freddie, Abdurahman, Leyton, Lida, Millie-Rae and Nicole(L-R) Rhiana, Headteacher Katy Beech, Ellie, Freddie, Abdurahman, Leyton, Lida, Millie-Rae and Nicole
(L-R) Rhiana, Headteacher Katy Beech, Ellie, Freddie, Abdurahman, Leyton, Lida, Millie-Rae and Nicole
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They also found that, in a range of subjects, teaching staff do not always have the subject knowledge they need and that teachers do not assess pupils accurately in subjects.

However, they added that many of the senior and middle leaders are new to role and are at an ‘early stage’ of leading improvements in their areas of responsibility.

‘Too many’ pupils were also found to be regularly absent, and the quality of teaching in the early years was said to be ‘inconsistent’.

Despite this, inspectors praised the new leadership team for securing ‘vital improvements’ to the quality of teaching, and said leaders have established a ‘caring, harmonious school community’.

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Pupils’ were said to be ‘polite, respectful and friendly’ and their social, moral and emotional development was said to be ‘well catered for’.

The arrangements for safeguarding were also said to be 'effective’.

Before converting to an academy, the school had been graded ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.

Libby Nicholas, Chief Executive of Astrea said:“Prior to joining Astrea, Hatfield had had a challenging past. Whilst there is more work to be done, we are very pleased with the progress that Ofsted recognise in their report.

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“Today’s report demonstrates that Hatfield’s journey of transformation is well under way.

“Katy and her senior team have done a great job and we have every confidence that they will build on this very encouraging report to deliver on our promise that every Astrea academy will provide an education that “inspires beyond measure”.

Headteacher Katy Beech said: “It’s clear that Hatfield is on a journey, and I am excited to be leading the way with staff, pupils and parents and I want to thank everyone for all the support they have shown the school in moving forward.”

The school must now improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so it is consistently good, and ensure pupil’s outcomes increase.

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They must also improve pupil's personal development, behaviour and welfare and ensure the effectiveness of the early years provisions.

Senior and middle leaders need to receive further professional development to enable them to take responsibility of improvements.