John Hampden Primary School

John Hampden Primary School Park Street, Thame, Oxfordshire, OX9 3HU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well. All groups of pupils make good progress from their starting points and by the end of Year 6 some pupils have made exceptional progress.  Teaching is good overall as teachers know the pupils well and understand their next steps for learning. This means that pupils are able to learn well.  Pupils show excellent attitudes towards their learning and are fully engaged in lessons. Their behaviour in and around the school is outstanding. They feel safe and enjoy coming to school.  Governors have a clear understanding of what the school needs to do next in order to improve further. Much improved leadership through the federation has enabled new staff appointments and necessary changes in management.  Attendance is above the national average and the pupils arrive at school on time.  Parents and carers are unreservedly positive about the school. They praise the leadership

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and the quality of teaching, the approachability of staff and the level of care that the school provides.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A small amount of teaching is not as effective as it could be in moving learning on at a faster pace. Also, teachers’ marking does not always show the next steps for improvement.  There has not yet been sufficient time for the improvements in writing introduced recently by the newly appointed senior leaders to impact fully on standards across the whole school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 23 lessons, three of which were joint observations with the headteacher. The inspectors listened to pupils read, observed them during break time and conducted an observation of a whole-school assembly.  They looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, the improvement plan, the school’s own assessment data, records of lesson observations, reports from the local authority and the school’s private consultant, and the school’s safeguarding documentation. They also looked at a wide range of pupils’ books and display work.  The inspectors also held meetings with the Chair of the Governing Body and five other governors, staff, including four senior leaders, a group of pupils, a representative from the local authority and the school’s private consultant.  The inspectors took account of the 55 responses to the on-line Parent View survey, staff questionnaires and met with some parents and carers informally at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Graeme Burgess, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Andy George Additional Inspector Catherine Beeks Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 John Hampden School is an average-sized primary school, but is growing each year.  The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special eductional needs supported through school action, school action plus, and those supported with a statement of special educational needs is in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children or children of service families, is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  John Hampden Primary School is part of a federation of schools, which includes Tetsworth Primary School. Tetsworth was inspected by a different team, on the same days, and some

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Information about this school

inspection activities, such as meetings with personnel involved in both schools, were combined.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding by ensuring that:  work is always set at the right level to move learning on and that there is a better balance between the time pupils spend listening to the teacher and the time they have to complete their tasks  the marking of pupils’ work supports their next steps in learning.  Improve the way in which pupils who are at risk of falling behind in writing are supported at an earlier stage by:  increasing the impact of the improvements recently introduced in writing on standards.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are making good progress from their starting points in all years.  Some pupils are making exceptional progress and the standards that these pupils are reaching, particularly in reading, are above average when they leave the school. This is because the school has introduced well planned changes to the way in which teachers assess the stage that the pupils are at in their learning and what they need to do next to improve.  Pupils’ progress is increasing at a fast rate because of the improvements in teaching. The headteacher has worked closely with the school’s consultant and local authority adviser to focus on the quality of lessons. The good progress now being made by all groups reflects the school’s strong commitment to ensuring that all pupils succeed.  Pupils in the Reception classes are making good progress from their starting points, some of which are lower than those expected for their age. As a result, the outcomes of the phonics

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The achievement of pupils is good

screening check for pupils in Year 1 in 2012 were in line with those found nationally.  Pupils in Years 5 and 6 thrive as a result of being given work that is at the right level and which challenges and supports their learning. Strong teacher knowledge means that work is presented in a stimulating and exciting way which captures their attention and which contributes to the good, and sometimes exceptional, progress that they are making.  In some lessons in other classes, pupils do not make this same rate of progress, particularly in writing, and do not reach the higher levels of attainment. This is because sometimes the teachers do not set work which is at the right level or move the pupils onto their task early enough to give them enough time to practise their learning.  The curriculum successfully focuses on ensuring that pupils’ learning is exciting and pupils make good progress as a result. For example, in history, pupils in Years 3 and 4 make costumes and

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The achievement of pupils is good

Roman shields to portray a ‘Testudo’ formation.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are successfully meeting the challenging targets set for them and are making good progress. The school has high expectations of pupils, regardless of any barriers they have to overcome. For example, the contribution made to pupils’ achievement by the school’s determination to involve additional agencies when a pupil is experiencing challenging circumstances is exceptional, and has a particularly positive impact on this good progress.  Pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium funding are also making good progress. The school has used its funding to provide these pupils with extra support in lessons by appointing additional members of staff to work with them individually and in groups. Based on their average point scores, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals are mostly

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The achievement of pupils is good

performing in English and mathematics at the same level as other pupils in the school and pupils nationally by the time they leave the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The majority of teaching is good and some is outstanding. This is because teachers and teaching assistants ask pupils questions which develop their understanding and extend their learning. For example, questions asked by staff during a guided reading lesson, such as ‘What is a pack of hounds?’ and ‘Would the hounds be friendly?’ encourage the pupils to think carefully about the characteristics of the animals within the context of the text. The response of ‘They would be like rampaging dogs’ demonstrates the impact on pupils’ learning of this precise questioning.  The newly appointed manager for English has introduced programmes aimed at accelerating pupils’ progress in writing. Teachers’ assessments show that this is beginning to impact positively on progress in writing. However, there has not yet been sufficient time for these changes to impact fully on standards in writing.  Teachers’ management of behaviour is extremely effective and this creates a very positive

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The quality of teaching is good

climate for learning in lessons. It is a real strength of the school. As a result, pupils enjoy their lessons, focus carefully on the teacher and make good progress.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ abilities to reach the highest levels of attainment possible and set challenging tasks linked to ambitious targets. They provide pupils with opportunities to assess their own work and the work of their classmates.  Occasionally, however, in some lessons, teachers do not set work which is challenging enough, or move the pupils on to the next stage of their learning quickly enough, to enable them to make more rapid progress.  In addition, the quality of teachers’ marking varies across the school. The best examples give clear feedback and tell the pupils what they need to do next to improve further. However, not all marking provides this feedback and, as a result, some pupils do not have the opportunity to

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in this school is outstanding. This is because pupils’ attitudes towards learning contribute exceptionally well to the good progress that they are making.  Parents’ views of the school are overwhelmingly positive. Parents feel that their children are happy and safe in school and that any issues raised are dealt with quickly and highly effectively.  Pupils feel particularly well supported and staff are unreservedly positive about both behaviour and safety.  Incidents of bullying or poor behaviour are very rare. Pupils are aware of the different types of bullying and they feel that any issues are dealt with very quickly by staff.  Improvements in the behaviour of individual pupils and groups of pupils are excellent.  A particular feature of the school is the fully inclusive and supportive environment. For example, pupils are known as individuals and their needs are identified and addressed quickly and highly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

effectively.  The emotional and social development of some pupils requires support, and yet pupils’ attitudes towards learning are almost always impeccable. This is because all staff manage behaviour effectively through a whole-school approach which celebrates their achievements weekly in the school’s assemblies.  Attendance is higher than the national average and punctuality is excellent. This reflects the pupils’ commitment to their own learning.  Pupils move around the school sensibly, holding doors open for adults and each other. During playtimes, they involve each other in team games and show kindness and concern for the well- being of their peers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leaders provide strong leadership.  Following the federation in September 2009 of John Hampden Primary School, with John Hampden Nursery School and Testworth Primary School, there was a reorganisation of staffing. The executive headteacher and the governing body worked closely together to ensure that newly appointed staff were effective in raising standards within these schools and, as a result, there has been a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Staff judge that the headteacher and senior team provide clear leadership.  The headteacher has worked closely with the school’s consultant and local authority adviser to carry out paired lesson observations aimed at raising the standard of teaching. Also, the headteacher has fully involved the senior leaders by conducting paired lesson observations with them of all staff. The headteacher acts promptly if they identify practice that requires

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The leadership and management are good

improvement. Any weaknesses, particularly if they relate to achievement or teaching, are followed up with close monitoring and are quickly resolved.  Paired observation with inspectors concluded that the headteacher’s lesson observations are accurate and that the impact of this work on improvements to the quality of teaching and learning has been significant.  Assessment practices have been refined and all teachers meet with the headteacher and senior managers termly to check the progress that the pupils are making.  The arrangements to ensure the effectiveness of teaching staff, including teaching assistants, are robust. Teachers have performance targets linked to the progress of pupils they teach. Ambitious targets for pupil progress have been set and teachers have risen to the challenge. Decisions about pay are closely linked to how successfully teachers meet their targets.  Pupil premium funding is helping pupils at risk of underachieving to succeed. Pupils who need

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The leadership and management are good

additional support have benefited from the appointment of additional staff. Small-group work and individual tuition are carefully planned and targeted to improve pupils’ progress in specific areas of need. These actions are helping pupils who were behind in their learning to catch up rapidly.  The school promotes the pupils’ personal development exceptionally well through their good curriculum. All pupils are known as individuals, and emotional and social support, as well as support for their progress, is tailored to match their needs. This contributes to their outstanding behaviour and allows them to make good progress. In addition, a range of before- and after- school clubs and activities meets the interests of the pupils well.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good level of expertise and an awareness of the school’s information on pupils’ performance. They work closely with the senior leaders to analyse data regularly and

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The leadership and management are good

prioritise the allocation of school funds effectively to improve pupils’ outcomes. Governors visit the school regularly. They know about the quality of teaching and what is being done to tackle any areas of underperformance and are fully aware of their responsibilities regarding teachers’ pay and the systems for setting targets for teachers. Governors ensure that all the school’s funds, including the pupil premium, are spent wisely to help all pupils to achieve well. They ensure that the procedures for keeping pupils safe meet requirements.

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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 123076 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 402813

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 285 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mary Stiles Headteacher Alan Haigh Date of previous school inspection 8–9 July 2008 Telephone number 01844 212291 Fax number 01844 217651 Email address head.2591@john-hampden.ocnmail.net 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

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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