Hamp Nursery and Infants' School

Hamp Nursery and Infants’ School Rhode Lane, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6JB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Hamp Nursery and Infants’ School provides a good education for all its pupils.  Teaching across the school is typically good and some is outstanding.  Both the indoor and outdoor environments are bright and stimulating and support pupils’ personal, creative and physical development well. Outdoor play equipment offers pupils opportunities to develop their imagination.  The high ratio of adults to pupils means that pupils have the individual help they need to make good rates of progress, both in class and in outdoor activities.  The headteacher, senior leaders and governors are all fully committed to driving continuous improvement throughout the school.  Behaviour is good across the school. Pupils are polite and courteous at all times. They value the rewards system that the school uses to help them achieve well in this aspect of their learning.  Parents and carers speak positively about the different ways in which the school helps their

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This is a good school

children to learn well.  The school has a calm, welcoming atmosphere that supports all pupils’ engagement and learning.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching in mathematics, especially in Key Stage 1, does not consistently ensure that enough pupils attain and achieve in line with pupils of the same age nationally.  Teachers do not always give all pupils enough opportunities to act upon their work once it has been marked.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons or parts of lessons. Three of these were joint observations with the headteacher and members of her senior team.  Inspectors talked to pupils about their work and listened to groups of pupils read.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, members of the senior team and governors to discuss how they are leading and driving improvement across the school.  Inspectors talked to an officer from the local authority about the ways in which he supports the school.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and examined safeguarding arrangements and other documents, including school development plans and self-evaluation records, behaviour and safety records, school policies, and a range of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Marion Hobbs, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Vic Chaffey Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This average-sized nursery and infants’ school serves a relatively deprived area of the town.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families, is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is well above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  A separate children’s centre nursery, managed by the school, is attached to the school site and currently has 82 children on roll, all below the age of three. Since the last inspection, the numbers of pupils transferring into the Early Years Foundation Stage from the children’s centre

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Information about this school

have increased. This did not form part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics by:  enabling pupils to work independently and at a pace appropriate to their needs  ensuring that all pupils can use mathematical language with confidence and accuracy as part of their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the opportunities for pupils to reflect and act upon their work once it has been marked.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop ways of broadening pupils’ wider cultural understanding through the curriculum and extra-curricular activities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A significant proportion of pupils join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills well below those expected for their age. They make good progress from these very low starting points, making considerable gains in speech, language and literacy. Pupils’ numeracy skills on entry are especially weakened owing to their poor levels of language acquisition.  Children make the same good rates of progress in reading and writing as they continue through Reception although many still lag behind their peers nationally in terms of age-related expectations when they start in Year 1.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has improved and is broadly average in reading and writing, although for some it remains slightly below average in mathematics. This is a teaching issue that the school is taking robust and effective steps to address. In both English and mathematics pupils achieve well given their very low starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment in the national screening check in reading was below the national average. This is accounted for by their much lower than average starting points on entry to the school. The school works hard to help all pupils develop their skills in reading and writing and evidence in work books shows the good progress they make.  Pupils receiving pupil premium support, including looked after children and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, do as well as other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupil premium funding is well used by the school to provide the extra support they need in order to make good progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action make better progress than all pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Currently, there are no pupils supported with a statement of special educational needs and 15 pupils supported

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The achievement of pupils is good

at school action plus.  Progress across the school is good and is linked to good teaching. Teaching assistants, who work in all classes as well as provide appropriate intervention activities, are used effectively to support the good progress the different groups of pupils make.  The school promotes reading for all at all times. Inspectors saw evidence of this on World Book Day when all pupils and staff came dressed for the day as fictional characters. Inspectors listened to pupils read and heard them talk enthusiastically about being able to ‘hear the words and see the pictures in my head’.  All pupils are keen to learn new skills and discover fresh understanding in a wide range of subjects. However, in some lessons they do not have enough opportunity to work independently and at their own pace, for example in research, and this limits their learning. Pupils are encouraged to use their literacy, numeracy and communication skills as part of this. ‘Talk for

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The achievement of pupils is good

writing’ is used effectively across the school as a developmental aid to support good rates of progress for all.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The good teaching throughout the school ensures that pupils make good progress and achieve well. Although some of the teaching is outstanding, there is not enough of it, for example in allowing pupils to work more independently, to ensure that pupils make more rapid progress.  Teachers have strong subject knowledge and plan lessons that provide suitable work to meet the needs of all groups of pupils. High expectations, brisk pace and effective questioning are all characteristics typically seen in the teaching.  Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together, both in the planning and in the delivery of lessons, to the real benefit of all pupils. No time is wasted and no child is left behind.  Positive relationships are evident in every classroom and in the variety of learning experiences that pupils undertake, and these help to build pupils’ confidence to tackle new and challenging work. Providing opportunities for pupils to talk as part of learning is important to the needs of

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The quality of teaching is good

many pupils and it is modelled to a high standard by adults at all times.  Reading and writing are taught effectively and consistently across the school. Mathematics has yet to benefit from this same approach because there has not been enough emphasis on using and explaining mathematical terms and language to pupils. The school recognises this imbalance and is actively addressing it through effective support to teachers, led by senior leaders.  Teaching assistants provide high-quality interventions to support pupils who are at risk of falling behind, particularly in the learning of letters and sounds (phonics).  The school has a consistent approach to marking and teachers provide regular feedback to pupils on their work. Opportunities for pupils to respond to the marking and show that they have taken their learning forward through further independent activity are not established securely across the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is consistently good and allows all children to make at least good progress in all aspects of their learning and development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All pupils have positive attitudes to learning and engage happily in the stimulating environment that the school provides. The ‘Hobbit house’ is a highly popular feature of the outdoor provision.  Good relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults create a positive climate for all aspects of learning. Overall, behaviour and safety are not yet outstanding because the school has yet to find ways of allowing all pupils to take full responsibility for their actions.  Pupils understand the importance of staying safe and value the help that all adults provide to ensure this is so. They play amicably at breaks and lunchtimes, taking responsibility for the playground equipment they use. Adult support is on hand to help pupils should they need it.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. The school’s reward system is used effectively by all staff to enhance good behaviour and attitudes to learning. No racist incidents or

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

occurrences of any form of bullying have been reported in the last four years.  Parents and carers speak well about the school and are pleased with the ways in which it supports their children’s learning. They feel that the school is effective in helping their children stay safe and that the school encourages good behaviour from all its pupils.  The school continuously strives to improve pupils’ attendance, which is broadly average. The below average attendance so far this year was heavily affected by a norovirus outbreak in the school in December. The school has strong systems in place to encourage good rates of attendance.  Some pupil premium money is well used to fund a Home School Liaison Officer who is able to establish trust and work closely with several vulnerable families to ensure that their children have full access to the education that the school provides.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, her senior team and the governing body consistently communicate high ambition to drive improvement throughout the school. The reshaping of the senior leadership team and the appointment of high-calibre staff as part of this since the last inspection is contributing to the school’s increasing success. Leadership and management are not yet outstanding because this key developmental work, although proving effective, has still to become fully embedded.  The school monitors teaching and learning closely and accurately. Performance management is successfully linked to pupils’ outcomes and also to teachers’ professional development needs in order to help them to fulfil their role more effectively.  The school knows itself well and has action plans that are robust and focused on improving outcomes for all pupils and ensuring they have equality of opportunity and there is no discrimination. Key to this work is the extensive support that the school provides through

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The leadership and management are good

appointing teaching assistants to work with the many pupils who need help with speech, language and communication.  The local authority provides regular and effective support that the school takes full advantage of. External reviews have been used well by governors to help them in their monitoring of the work of the school and holding it to account.  The curriculum provides well-organised, engaging activities that enable all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, to make good progress. Topic-led learning means that the work constantly reinforces pupils’ use of literacy, numeracy and communication skills. Opportunities for promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are also woven into the activities provided.  The school works closely with its external partners to engage the number of parents and carers who may find the notion of school a threat. Along with highly effective family support, social

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The leadership and management are good

events, such as the annual Easter egg decorating competition and the school raffle, are well supported and appreciated by all.  The governance of the school:  The governing body works tirelessly to help the school look at all aspects of its work. Governors take advantage of training run by the local authority to ensure that they are able to support and challenge the school accurately and effectively. They work with the local authority to set and monitor the headteacher’s performance management targets and are involved in the recruiting of new staff. They understand and ask questions about teachers’ performance management including how good teaching is linked to progression through the pay spine. This support and challenge form part of the way in which the school has seen increasing rates of good progress for all groups of pupils. Whenever possible, they visit the school during its working day and often accompany visits by pupils into the community as part of learning, as

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The leadership and management are good

for example, when pupils in Year 2 walked to the local indoor and outdoor markets in the town as part of their study of food and transport. Governors know well how funds are allocated, in particular those for the pupil premium, and how effective their use is in raising the achievement of these pupils. Governors ensure that safeguarding requirements are met, and that school policies are reviewed regularly.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 123681 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 402191

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Nursery and Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 222 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Suzanne Smith Headteacher Pat Jordain Date of previous school inspection 10–11 March 2010 Telephone number 01278 422012 Fax number 01278 431264 Email address pjordain@educ.somerset.gov.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

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School details

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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