Haydon Abbey School and Pre-School in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was inspected on 20 and 21 February 2024. The overall effectiveness of the school is rated as requiring improvement, with specific areas such as the quality of education and leadership and management also marked as requiring improvement. However, the school demonstrates good performance in behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. The previous inspection in July 2018 had rated the school as good.
The school is described as welcoming, where new pupils quickly integrate and feel a sense of belonging, often referring to the school as a family. Pupils express pride in the diverse opportunities available to them, including clubs, competitions, and trips. Across various year groups, students exhibit happiness and a sense of safety, embodying the school’s values of cooperation, kindness, honesty, resilience, respect, and well-being. They actively seek responsibilities and leadership roles, contributing positively to the school community.
Despite the school’s ambition for all pupils to achieve well, recent curriculum improvements have not yet translated into consistent academic success across subjects. Many pupils have not benefited from these changes long enough to achieve their full potential. The school is working on developing a more ambitious wider curriculum, focusing on the sequence of knowledge acquisition to enhance understanding. However, gaps in knowledge remain, hindering pupils' ability to connect learning and apply it effectively.
Teachers provide clear explanations and utilize appropriate resources, but there is inconsistency in how assessment informs teaching across subjects. While assessments are conducted, they are not systematically used to address knowledge gaps, leading to incomplete understanding as pupils progress to new learning. The identification of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is prompt, and new support strategies are being implemented effectively. However, the curriculum adjustments are still in the early stages and have not yet fully addressed the specific needs of these pupils.
The school has made significant strides in promoting reading, increasing lesson time and implementing rewards to encourage reading at home. Phonics instruction is well-structured from the start of Reception, with additional support for struggling pupils. Changes to the reading curriculum aim to equip pupils with the skills to understand various text types confidently.
Pupils display positive attitudes towards learning, arriving on time and engaging with lessons. Clear expectations and routines foster a calm and orderly environment, starting from early years education. Pupils are considerate towards one another and feel comfortable sharing concerns with staff, who provide attentive pastoral support.
The school offers a broad range of opportunities that enhance pupils' understanding of diverse cultures and backgrounds, promoting equality and curiosity about global issues. Outdoor learning experiences teach the value of the local environment and the importance of personal and communal well-being.
Leadership is focused on making effective changes to improve pupil achievement. Staff support these changes and appreciate efforts to manage their workload. While governors possess a range of expertise and understand the school’s improvement priorities, they lack a clear grasp of the progress and impact of these changes.
The safeguarding arrangements in place are effective, ensuring the safety and well-being of all pupils. To improve, the school must embed recent curriculum changes to enhance knowledge retention and understanding, utilize assessments more effectively to inform teaching, and ensure governors have a clearer understanding of the impact of development plans on educational quality.
