94% of parents, 88% of students and 97% of staff rated Hayes School good or very good in our recent and first ever Kirkland Rowell survey which measures the perceptions of staff, students and parents and compares Hayes to schools nationally and to similar schools. This percentage is ‘outstanding’ according to Kirkland Rowell especially when compared to other schools. We are delighted with this recognition of our work as a school. It shows the commitment of students, staff, parents, governors and allassociated with the school. We all have much to be proud of and to celebrate as we continue to strive for excellence in all areas of the school from providing high quality education in the classroom to providing first-class opportunities for students to develop skills, talents and interests in sport, music and drama to name but a few. I have shared below the key findings from our staff, student and parent surveys. We are especially pleased with the response rate from all groups, which was particularly high in relation to other schools and indicates the shared commitment to Hayes being an outstanding school. 922 parents completed and returned the parent survey and over 1400 students responded to the student survey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the surveys. Both parents and school staff identified teaching quality and school discipline to be most important to them whilst also recognising thatthese are areas of strength for the school. 80% of parents judged the quality of teaching to be good or very good and this continues to be atop priority for teachers at the school. It was also encouraging to learn that 97% of parents felt the school met or exceeded their expectations of it. Over a third of parents feel that the school is better than they had expected it to be when their children first joined the school. Our arrangements for transfer from primary school were also praised by parents and the school’s reputation and academic standards at the school are key factors determining the decision of parents and students to join Hayes, rated above location. Our work to promote healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise was perceived by the overwhelming majority of parents and students to be good and in comparison with other similar schools is well developed. We do, however, wish to continue to look at ways to engage more students in healthy eating and physical activity through our healthy school provision and extensive range of extra-curricular activities. 35% of parents and 69% of staff recognised the progress the school has made in the past year identifying that the school has improved in the last year. Less than 3% felt the school had become worse in the last year. The quality of school management, range of extra-curricular activities and school communication were recognised as strengths of the school by parents and staff praised the respect students show each other and staff, student attitudes to learning (on the whole!) and the extent of support and knowledge of governors. The overwhelming response clearly demonstrates that in nearly every area Hayes School is meeting the needs and expectations of students, parents and staff, all of whom are proud of the school and the direction in which it is going. However, to improve all agree:
1. We need to maintain and continue to improve on our strengths e.g. school discipline, quality of teaching and learning, examination results
2. We need to address identified areas for development (perceived or actual) including careers guidance, the performance of some subjects and punctuality and attendance.
3. We need to continue to involve parents, students and staff in monitoring the school’s performance. We will therefore invite all to contribute to future surveys on an annual basis to allow us to measure improvements. More detailed information from the surveys can be found on the home page of the school website (www.hayes.bromley.sch.uk).
Thank you to all parents, students and staff for completing the surveys and for providing us with such valuable insights and information.
Mr Osborne, Headteacher