Hambledon Primary School

Church Lane, Hambledon, Waterlooville, PO7 4RT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is extremely well led by a highly effective headteacher and a strong leadership team.  Governors know the school very well. They have an especially accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They ask challenging questions and hold the headteacher to account.  The standards pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics are above those of most schools nationally, and have been for several years.  Pupils typically make exceptional progress due to outstanding teaching.  Teachers are dedicated and aspirational. They have high expectations of what the pupils are capable of achieving.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. They are extremely polite and courteous; they listen carefully and work particularly well together.  Attendance is above average because pupils want to come to school and do their best. They are inspired by the adults around the school, have positive attitudes and are enthusiastic about their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

education.  Pupils feel completely safe and secure in school and there are outstanding arrangements to keep them safe.  Parents are very pleased with the work of the school. They find staff approachable and responsive to their concerns.  There is excellent provision for children in the early years. Arrangements for children to start in the Reception class are very good. This helps children to settle quickly; they soon acquire the same purposeful attitude to school as the rest of the pupils.  There are strong links with the local community which supports and values the work of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons or parts of lessons, three of which were jointly observed with the headteacher. The inspector listened to pupils read and looked at work in their books.  The inspector met with pupils and talked to them about their work, and behaviour and safety around the school. She observed playtimes and lunchtimes and pupils’ movement around the school and between lessons.  Meetings were held with subject and other leaders, governors, and a representative from the local authority.  Documents relating to safeguarding, the performance of staff, records of behaviour and safety, and checks on pupils’ attainment and progress were examined.  The inspector took account of 33 responses from parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and eight questionnaires from staff. She also talked to parents informally during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Janet Maul, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Hambledon was an infant school until September 2013 when it expanded to become a primary school. The school is still growing, and at the time of the inspection the classes ranged from Reception to Year 4. Hambledon is still much smaller than the average-sized primary school with 84 pupils on roll.  A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection, and an assistant headteacher joined the school this year.  The vast majority of pupils are from a White British heritage, and all pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding provided by the government for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked-after children) is very low.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide more opportunities to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths and cultures so that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is very well led by a strong and determined headteacher who has set a clear direction and is firm and decisive when tackling problems. She works well with the new assistant headteacher.  All school leaders have an excellent understanding of the school’s data, which they share with colleagues. They check the quality of work in pupils’ books, and support each other with planning. They monitor the quality of teaching with the headteacher and carry out staff training. All school leaders have wide opportunities for professional development.  The management of teachers’ performance is conducted rigorously and used to set targets and inform teachers’ training. Teachers’ pay and performance are closely aligned so that pay rises are only awarded if justified by pupils’ progress and attainment. All staff are committed to the success of the school and share the leadership’s drive for high standards.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher and the governing body have worked together very effectively to expand from an infant to a primary school. This has included employing staff who are experienced and knowledgeable about the Key Stage 2 curriculum and the expectations of the level of work appropriate for older pupils. It has also included ensuring the physical environment is of a high standard through extensive building work.  The school’s view of its own effectiveness is accurate, and the leadership team and governing body are committed to improving the school still further.  The local authority only undertakes one official monitoring visit each year for this outstanding school. However, expert advice is bought in when required and in the recent past when the school was moving from infant to primary status the school received extremely helpful advice from its local authority Learning and Leadership Partner.  The range of subjects and topics is wide and varied, and designed to engage pupils’ interest. It is

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The leadership and management are outstanding

supported by a wide variety of visits and visitors to the school.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development extremely effectively across different subjects. The inspector saw evidence for this in, for example, opportunities for reflection, fascination with the natural world and pupils’ knowledge of the difference between right and wrong. However, discussion with pupils indicated less understanding of the diversity of cultures and faiths found in modern Britain and throughout the wider world.  The primary sports funding is used effectively by the school to pay for sports coaching for pupils, to train staff in the areas of physical education where their teaching is less strong, and to increase opportunities for competitive sports with other schools. The school reports a big increase in sports participation partly due to the sports funding, but also because of the excellent support received from the local tennis and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

cricket clubs, and the Parish Council.  The school has the confidence of the parents who are overwhelmingly positive about the education and care given to their children. This relationship begins with very good arrangements for children to join the school in the Reception class, and is maintained by highly effective communication with families. Parents are appreciative that class teachers and the headteacher are readily available if they have any questions or concerns.  The governance of the school:  The school’s governors are enthusiastic and committed to the school’s success. They are analytical, and know how well the school is performing compared to other schools. They are aware of its relative strengths and weaknesses, including the impact of their own work. Governors are generous with their time and expertise. For example, during the recent change to primary status with the accompanying physical expansion of the premises, the professional knowledge of some of the governors was very

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The leadership and management are outstanding

helpful in seeing the job through. Governors know about the quality of teaching and are fully aware of their responsibilities regarding staff pay and the school’s system for setting targets for teachers. They manage the headteacher’s performance very effectively and offer both support and challenge. Finances are well managed. All governors attend training regularly and designated governors have had additional training for special educational needs, safeguarding and safer recruitment.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are polite and well-mannered in lessons, at playtimes and when moving around the building. Children in the Reception class are able to ‘take turns’ and share equipment, and this continues throughout the school.  Pupils are eager to learn. Very high levels of engagement were seen during lessons and assembly.  Teachers and teaching assistants encourage pupils to ‘have a go’ and do their best, and pupils are praised for effort as well as achievement.  Pupils enjoy taking responsibility for doing jobs around the classroom and the school, and this helps them to become independent.  At playtimes and lunchtimes pupils are happy and safe. They told the inspector that they ‘look out for people who are sad – and play with them’. Lunchtime staff set a good example by being polite and friendly, and pupils follow their lead. Pupils enjoy playing a variety of games, but they also have

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Behaviour

opportunities for quiet imaginative play.  Pupils are encouraged to run for election for the school council, and the candidates have to give a short speech about why they should be chosen. The school takes this opportunity to teach about the democratic process and making good choices.  The school has effective systems for recording and dealing with behavioural, racist or bullying incidents. These are monitored and reported to the governing body. This contributes well to the school’s promotion of equality of opportunity.  Attendance is higher than the national average. Parents and pupils understand the importance of regular attendance and this is reinforced through letters to parents and certificates for attendance. There have been no exclusions.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. The school has highly effective systems in place to check that people who work with pupils are suitable to do so. All staff and governors are well trained in safeguarding procedures, and this training is updated regularly.  Pupils are aware of what constitutes bullying and the different forms it can take, but they think that such incidents are extremely rare, and if they do take place the school handles them well. They feel safe and secure in school, and trust that grown-ups will sort out problems.  The administrative staff ensure that the record keeping for the administration of medicines is exemplary, and fire drills are held regularly and recorded.  The school tenaciously follows-up on any unexplained absences and parents know the school’s expectations for attendance.  Parents, staff and pupils consider behaviour and safety to be of an extremely high standard.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The school has a strong team of enthusiastic teachers and teaching assistants. Their positive attitude encourages pupils to do their best.  Teachers have high expectations, and share with pupils what they expect them to learn during each session. Pupils also have individual targets set by their teachers which they discuss regularly.  Teachers have extremely good subject knowledge. They use the correct mathematical and grammatical language and so contribute to the outstanding progress made in lessons. Through the good use of questioning they challenge pupils’ thinking.  Pupils receive precise advice from adults on how to improve their work and what their next steps should be. Pupils' work is well marked and they look forward to reading their teacher’s comments which include both praise and advice on how it could be even better.  Reading, writing and mathematics are taught highly effectively and pupils make excellent progress. This is

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

evident in the high quality work in pupils’ books. Neat handwriting is taught from an early age, resulting in pupils’ work being presented well.  Pupils enjoy learning about computing, including the programming of toys and making their own animations.  Pupils in the new Key Stage 2 classes are suitably challenged in their work, and their teachers have an excellent understanding of the standards expected for this age group of pupils. The inspector saw pupils being taught to use imaginative and adventurous language when writing stories about the sea.  Phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is exceptionally well taught in the Reception class. The inspector saw the whole class totally engaged in their phonic work, making excellent progress in writing letters linked to sounds, thus laying good foundations for early reading skills. This outstanding early phonics teaching is successfully built upon, making the teaching of reading one of the strengths of the

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

school. When the inspector listened to pupils read, they used a wide variety of approaches, including segmenting and blending sounds to read words.  Staff meet regularly to assess pupils’ progress and quickly intervene if progress slows or if pupils are not making progress fast enough. They do this by identifying what pupils have already learnt and what they could learn next.  The small number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is quickly identified and well supported by experienced teaching assistants. The school works effectively with outside agencies such as speech and language support and educational psychology to support pupils.  The very small number of disadvantaged pupils is supported through various programmes to improve their achievement and ensure that they are making accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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is outstanding

 Children join the Reception class with typical skills for their age, but by the time they enter Year 1, standards are above average showing that they make at least good and sometimes outstanding progress. Pupils continue to make good or better progress in all years throughout the school.  Attainment by the end of Key Stage 1 has been significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics for several years. The school’s own data and observations by the inspector indicate that the present Year 2 is continuing this trend of outstanding attainment.  Pupils in the newly formed Key Stage 2 continue to make progress at a fast rate and their work is of a high standard.  Pupils produce work of a high standard, both in content and also in the presentation of work.  The small number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their peers from their different starting points. Pupils’ additional needs are quickly identified and

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is outstanding

support is put in place at an early stage.  The most able pupils are given challenging work which develops their skills and enables a large proportion to achieve the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics.  The standard of reading is high throughout the school and pupils read widely and often. They are supported by parents at home and have individual reading records which are monitored by the school. Pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to the inspector using their good knowledge of letters and sounds. They were very keen to discuss their books, identifying book conventions and characters and plots.  Results of the phonic screening check for pupils in Year 1 were similar to that found nationally; however, the inspector found the standard of reading for these pupils to be at a high level.  The very small number of disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress from their starting points.

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is outstanding

They too have their progress closely tracked and if it slows, additional help is given. There were too few disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 in 2013 to comment on their attainment so as not to identify them.

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is outstanding

 The Reception class is bright and welcoming. The inside and outside areas have excellent activities to develop children’s skills and knowledge.  Arrangements for children to join the Reception class are very good. There is a great deal of contact between families and the school before the children start, including visits to the school, and opportunities to share school lunch, resulting in children settling quickly.  Parents of Reception children reported that the school is very approachable, and that staff are happy to discuss, and if necessary address, any concerns they may have.  Behaviour in the Reception class is outstanding. The atmosphere is calm and purposeful, and the attitude of adults is consistently positive. Children really enjoy learning and the inspector saw an outstanding level of engagement. One group of children was making a ‘Peepo’ book, skilfully using scissors, tape and pens without adult support. They were cooperating exceptionally well on this task.

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is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding. The adults use questioning extremely well to develop children’s language and to get them to think and talk about what they are doing.  The leadership of the early years is outstanding. High quality planning ensures that children get off to an excellent start. The Reception teacher works closely with the headteacher to ensure that assessments are accurate, and if children are not making sufficient progress, they receive extra help.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 115902 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 447758

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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 4–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 84 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Belinda Medhurst Headteacher Eileen Ball Date of previous school inspection 15 May 2007 Telephone number 02392 632440 Fax number 02392 632013 Email address adminoffice@hambledon.hants.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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