Hatton Park Primary School

Hatton Park Primary School Hatton Park, Longstanton, Cambridge, CB24 3DL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well and reach above average attainment by the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics.  The good teaching helps pupils to learn quickly, without fear of failure, so that they constantly strive to improve.  Pupils behave well and feel safe. They are friendly and polite and have good attitudes towards learning. They thoroughly enjoy school, especially the good number of clubs and visits that enrich learning.  The school has made a strong start as an academy due to effective leadership and management. The executive headteacher and head of school have worked together well to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment and progress.  Governors and academy trustees support the school well and have provided good challenge to help it improve.  School improvement has been strongly supported by a very robust partnership between the schools in the academy trust.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are a few occasions when the work given to more-able pupils is too easy.  Although pupils write enthusiastically, they do not always spell accurately. The lack of consistency in the way spelling is taught is not helping pupils to improve skills quickly enough.  Teachers do not always ensure that pupils understand the importance of accurate spelling, for instance through their marking, and this leads to repeated errors.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 15 lessons, of which around half were joint observations with the executive headteacher or head of school. In addition, the inspectors made some short visits to lessons.  Discussions were held with pupils, members of the local governing body and the academy trust, members of staff and representatives from the local authority who have been supporting the school.  The inspectors took account of the views of 51 parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspectors also read letters from parents and talked to some at the start of the school day.  The inspectors observed the school’s work, heard some pupils read, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding information.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors analysed 14 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jacqueline Bell-Cook Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school. It became a sponsor-led academy in December 2012 as part of the Cambridge Primary Education Trust.  Nearly all pupils are White-British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. This is additional government funding given to the schoolfor specific groups of pupils including those known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are in the care of the local authority. In this school, most pupils in this group are in the first of these categories.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 The school has an executive headteacher (who works across the academy trust) and a head of school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that work for more-able pupils is not too easy for them.  Improve pupils’ spelling skills by  reviewing and improving how spelling is taught and introducing a more structured approach to developing spelling skills through the school  ensuring that pupils understand why spelling is important and are given more guidance as to how they can improve its accuracy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well and make good progress across the school. Pupils’ attainment has been rising and it is now above average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, especially in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. When children start school around half are working at typical levels for their age. They make good progress in the Reception year, especially in personal, social and emotional development. Children’s knowledge of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) also improves quickly. This is reflected in the slightly above average percentage of pupils that reached or exceeded the expected level in the national phonics screening checks at the end of Year 1 in 2013.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stages 1 and 2. By Year 6 pupils solve complex mathematical problems confidently and are able to explain the strategies they are using to arrive at the correct answer.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Across the school, pupils read widely for a range of purposes. They use their good spoken vocabulary to make their writing interesting. Grammar and punctuation is used correctly in written work, but their spelling is less accurate. Although pupils have a secure knowledge of phonics and do well in spelling ‘tests’, they sometimes make careless spelling errors in their writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school ensures that all pupils do equally well, although just occasionally work is too easy for more-able pupils, slowing their progress. Nonetheless, around half of the current Year 6 are already working at the higher Levels 5 and 6 in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the same good progress as others. They are given good quality support which helps them to learn quickly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are not enough pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding to comment on their attainment without identifying them. Support for the very low number of eligible pupils in each year group includes good quality additional help both in and out of lessons. Eligible pupils make consistently good or better progress, ensuring that the gap between their attainment and that of their classmates closes over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers manage pupils their behaviour consistently and effectively, ensuring that time is not wasted in lessons. Nearly all parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire are pleased with the teaching of their children.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Across the school, teachers have good relationships with their pupils and this ensures that pupils have good attitudes towards learning. As one pupil said, ‘We know that the teachers are interested in us and want us to do well.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children learn rapidly. Children’s personal, social and emotional development is supported well because adults give them sensitive support and plan opportunities for them to work together, share ideas and become confident. Adults make learning interesting by linking subjects together. For example, through a dinosaur theme, children practise writing the names of dinosaurs, count models and paint pictures helping to improve different skills quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is good. Pupils improve skills quickly most of the time because teachers have high expectations of what they should achieve. Teachers use questioning effectively to see what pupils already understand and are becoming increasingly adept at changing work in response to this, maintaining pupils’ interest. . Phonics are taught in small steps and skills improve rapidly. Pupils’ reading skills improve because they read frequently to adults. Progress is regularly checked and problems are quickly rectified.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning, especially when working with small groups in lessons. They ensure that the less-able, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are given good quality help so that they learn quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is not outstanding because there are a few occasions when work is too easy for more- able pupils. In addition, not enough is done, for instance, in marking, to help all pupils understand the importance of accurate spelling. Consequently, pupils sometimes repeat spelling errors and do not learn to be more careful about spelling accurately.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils and staff all say that behaviour has much improved since the academy began. Pupils, in particular, feel that this is because rules are clear and are consistently applied by all staff. As one pupil said, ‘We know what is expected of us.’ School logs show that misbehaviour is rare and inspectors found that pupils behave well in lessons and around school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and courteous and enjoy school. Their positive attitudes towards their work contribute well to the good progress that they make in lessons. They are keen to learn and work hard most of the time, although just occasionally they chatter or continue working when the teacher is talking to the class. They sometimes give too little attention to ensuring that their spelling is accurate.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school promotes good relationships and tackles discrimination robustly. Pupils from different backgrounds get on together well. At playtimes older and younger pupils happily play with each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils keenly take responsibility. School councillors are pleased that their views are valued and are listened to. As one said, ‘We have helped the school to improve.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that very occasional bullying is tackled well, although a small number of parents do not agree. Inspectors found that the school has thorough systems for dealing with bullying or any other types of poor behaviour but their records do not always show in sufficient detail how a problem has been resolved and how parents have been involved in the process.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Work in lessons and at other times ensures that pupils have a good awareness of the different forms that bullying can take. For example, pupils are knowledgeable about the dangers they may face when using the internet. They sensibly avoid risks when playing outside and are very aware of how to stay safe, very quickly reporting any worries they may have.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders are ensuring that the school is improving rapidly. They do not accept second best. There is relentless focus on school improvement based on an accurate understanding of the main priorities. For example, leaders have already recognised that pupils’ spelling is a comparative weakness and have identified how they will tackle this.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has accumulated a wealth of data on how well pupils are doing. This is used sharply to identify any pupils who are in danger of falling behind. Once identified, pupils are given high quality support both in and out of lessons to help them catch up.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has a good track record for improving teaching. Leaders are doing the right things to iron out the few remaining inconsistencies. They are being supported well in this process by high quality support from partner schools in the academy trust which means that good practice and expertise can be shared. The trust makes good use of external support such as that from the local authority to check that the school is making enough progress and is focusing on the right things.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders (such as those in charge of subjects) are playing an important part in securing improvement. Their passion for ensuring that all pupils achieve well shines through. Their role in supporting teachers is developing well, although they have too little time to visit lessons for longer periods so that they can play an even bigger part in driving improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum (topics and subjects taught) promotes good progress in literacy and numeracy. It is enriched well by a good number of clubs and visits which help to bring subjects alive. Pupils are able to use their writing skills in different subjects, helping to increase progress. However, spelling is not taught systematically enough so that skills can improve more quickly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They leave school as well-adjusted, happy and confident individuals who have been prepared well for the next stage of their education.

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The leadership and management are good

 Sport and music are promoted well. There is a good focus on encouraging healthy lifestyles and promoting pupils’ well-being. Pupils participate keenly in physical activity. The new primary school sports funding is used to employ specialist teachers who work alongside class teachers. The impact of this is monitored carefully, and it is already increasing participation rates and improving the skills of teachers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors and academy trustees have been instrumental in ensuring school improvement. They challenge and support other school leaders well and have a clear understanding of their differing roles and responsibilities. They are kept well informed by the executive headteacher and head of school but also have thorough systems for checking things for themselves. For example, governors are linked to classes and follow them as they move through the school. This means that they have an accurate understanding of how well the school is performing in comparison to others. They know how the school is improving teaching and have supported the executive headteacher well in tackling any underperformance. They ensure that only good teaching is rewarded financially. Governors check the use of the pupil premium to ensure that the gap between the attainment of eligible pupils and others is closing. Governors ensure that

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The leadership and management are good

procedures for safeguarding pupils 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 138993 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 440085

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 187 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Frost Headteacher Lesley Birch (executive headteacher) Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01954 273315 Fax number 01954 273316 Email address office@hattonpark.cambs.sch.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

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 and 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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