Hamp Academy

Hamp Academy Rhode Lane, Bridgwater, TA6 6JB

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has raised the expectations of staff and has set higher standards across the school in all areas. His determined efforts to improve the quality of teaching have been successful and, as a result, pupils’ progress is speeding up.  Pupils make good progress and achieve well as a result of good teaching. They make particularly fast progress in writing.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is excellent.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good and contribute to the progress they make.  Senior leaders provide good support to the headteacher in driving improvement.  Governors monitor the work of the school rigorously and hold the senior leaders to account for pupils’ performance.  The school prepares pupils well for their next steps in their education and for life in modern democratic Britain. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is good.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teachers do not always provide enough time for pupils to correct their work promptly and, as a result, mistakes are repeated.  Activities in lessons do not always challenge the most able pupils. As a result, not enough pupils attain the highest levels at the end of Year 6.  Middle leaders are still developing their skills to check the quality of teaching in their subjects.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning in 12 lessons, three of which were jointly observed with the headteacher. An inspector also observed an assembly.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and senior leaders. The lead inspector met with the Chair of the Governing Body, the Vice-Chair and the governor responsible for safeguarding. He also met with a national leader in education who has been supporting the school.  The inspection team listened to pupils from Year 3 and Year 6 read, and scrutinised a sample of their workbooks.  The inspectors examined a wide range of documents, including the school’s information on pupils’ recent progress. They also looked at planning and documentation about checks on teaching, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  There were two responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). This number is too small to be analysed. Inspectors took into account a recent parental survey the school recently carried out. The views

p.2

Information about this inspection

of staff were considered through the 32 staff questionnaires.

p.2

Inspection team

David Hogg, Lead inspector Additional inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Hamp Academy became an academy school on 1 September 2013. The school is part of the Bridgwater College Trust and has accessed support and services from the Trust.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school has two classes in each year from Year 3 to Year 6.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is much higher than the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is twice the national average. This additional government funding is used to support those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after.  Most pupils are from a White British background. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of those who do not speak English as their first language are below the national average.  The school met the government’s current floor standards in 2014, which set the minimum expectations for

p.3

Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The deputy headteacher and Key Stage 2 leaders took on their roles from September 2014.  The school has received support since it opened from a national leader of education (NLE) who is the headteacher at Preston Church of England Primary School in Yeovil.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching by ensuring teachers consistently provide pupils:  with more challenging activities, so that all groups of pupils, especially the most able, make the progress they should  with more opportunities to make improvements to their work promptly and in response to the clear marking and feedback they receive from teachers.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by further extending the skills of the middle leaders in checking the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has brought about a culture change within the school. As a result of his efforts, both teachers and pupils now have raised expectations of what they can achieve. Through focused staff training and support, teaching and good behaviour have ensured that pupils’ achievement is rapidly improving.  The senior staff work closely with the headteacher and form an effective team. Together, they have developed a rigorous system to review the progress pupils make. This has allowed the school to deploy additional support very effectively to enable different groups of pupils to make good progress from their starting points. The progress of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium funding, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, is in line with or better than that of others. The governing body scrutinises this information carefully and effectively monitors the impact of the school’s work. School

p.4

The leadership and management are good

leaders are determined to ensure all pupils have an equal opportunity to achieve as well as they can.  The school has accessed good support from the national leader of education from a local school. This has enabled the headteacher to develop his skills and has provided an external view of the school’s performance and strategies to improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement. The scrutiny has been rigorous and has helped the school to improve rapidly. The school has been able to draw on the expertise and good support from the academy trust when it has been needed.  The school recent appointments to the middle leadership team have drawn from the expertise already in school. Middle leaders have made a good start in training staff to improve teaching and, in particular, the teaching of reading across the school. Their work has enabled pupils to share their ideas, for example to redevelop the library. As a result of their work, pupils’ enjoyment of reading has improved and the school’s

p.4

The leadership and management are good

own information indicates more are pupils developing better reading skills.  The monitoring of the quality of teaching is robust. Teachers have clear annual targets linked to the progress pupils make over the year. Senior and middle leaders review the impact teachers have on the progress that pupils make by thoroughly scrutinising pupils’ workbooks. Middle leaders are less involved in directly reviewing the work that takes place in class and so are less able to be proactive in helping the senior staff improve teaching further. The success teachers have in achieving their targets is key in deciding their opportunities for promotion and salary increases. The governing body reviews this process carefully.  The programme of lessons provides a broad range of interesting activities that engage pupils’ interests. These effectively develop pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding across all subjects. The school has a

p.4

The leadership and management are good

wide range of additional activities at lunchtime and after school to develop the interests and skills of the pupils. These range from samba drumming and choir to archery and tag rugby.  The school makes good use of the primary school sports premium funding to buy in sports coaches to improve the quality of physical education teaching in the school. The pupils have also benefitted from high quality coaching for after-school sports clubs. As a result, the school now enters more teams into local tournaments and matches and provides pupils with opportunities to take part in competitive sport.  The spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness of pupils is good. The school works to challenge discrimination and fosters good relationships. The school provides opportunities for pupils to reflect on key issues and events in the world around them. The school runs an active Christian Club and has regular

p.4

The leadership and management are good

visits by the local vicar to deliver assemblies in school. Pupils enjoy responsibilities within school in roles such as sports leaders, librarians and members of the school council. The school’s work prepares pupils for life in modern democratic Britain and for the next stage in their education.  Only a very small number of parents shared their views about the school through Parent View. A recent survey carried out by the school showed the overwhelming proportion of parents to be very pleased with the work of the school. The school provides good information to parents on the progress the pupils are making and the life of the school. The school website and regular newsletters are informative and give parent a good picture of the work of the school. The school is now part-way through a programme of ‘family learning’ workshops for parents that show parents how they themselves can help their child learn.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

The numbers of parents attending these sessions is increasing steadily.  The school’s work to ensure pupils are safe and well cared for is diligent. The school works extremely closely with other agencies to make sure pupils are well cared for at all times. The relevant policies and procedures meet current statutory requirements. The designated safeguarding leader and the governor with responsibility in this area review the work of the school carefully.  The governance of the school:  The governing body are very active and check the work of the school carefully through meetings with key members of staff. They also carefully analyse the information the school holds on the progress of different groups of pupils, especially those receiving additional support. The governors are able to compare the school’s performance against that of other schools nationally.  Members of the governing body visit lessons to watch the pupils in action and they are able to link what

p.4

The leadership and management are good

they see with the school’s own judgements and those of outside experts. The governors understand the link between pupils’ achievement and the opportunities for improvements in teachers’ salaries. They check if teachers have met their annual targets and if the school is rewarding good performance. The school’s action plans are reviewed and governors are aware of how the school is working to improve teaching by tackling any underperformance.  They check how carefully the school uses resources to ensure good value for money, although they are only beginning to review how the school uses the primary sports premium funding. Through this work, they are able to hold the headteacher and senior leaders to account for the pupils’ achievement in the school.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and this contributes to the progress they make in lessons. They focus well in class and try hard. They say they enjoy their lessons, which are fun and interesting.  Their conduct in classes and around the school is generally calm and very courteous. Pupils show good manners to each other and the adults that they work with. Their work in all year groups is neat and well presented, and they take pride in their work.  Pupils have a good understanding of the reward and sanction systems in the school. They say, though, that sometimes a few pupils can be a little chatty in lessons.  The school’s own records indicate that incidents of poor behaviour have fallen substantially. The school still has had to exclude a very small number of pupils for unacceptable behaviour.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils say that staff look after them very well after in school and that they feel safe. They have an excellent understanding of what constitutes bullying and are adamant that such incidents are very rare indeed. They do say that they sometimes fall out with each other but they normally resolve things quickly themselves. If they are worried, they can go to adults in school, especially the midday supervisors, for additional help and support.  Pupils are very aware of the need to be cautious when using social media or when playing online games. Activities led by outside speakers and teachers have given pupils a clear understanding of e-safety.  Staff link closely with outside agencies to ensure pupils are safe out of school as well as when they are in school. These links are excellent. The school’s work to keep pupils safe makes a significant contribution to

p.5

Safety

the well-being of some of the more vulnerable pupils.  The school works closely with parents to ensure that pupils miss only a minimum of school days. This work in the first year of the school being open as an academy has increased the attendance of pupils. Currently attendance is in line with national averages.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Through effective support and well-planned staff training, the quality of teaching in the school has improved and is now good. As a result, most pupils make good progress.  Pupils know what particular level they are currently working at and are very clear about their longer-term targets. Pupils understand what they need to do to improve their work. In lessons, teachers provide clear guidance to the pupils on what they are expected to learn. Teachers provide good examples of the tasks that they explain carefully to give the pupils a clear picture of what skill they are working on.  Pupils’ work is marked well, with teachers providing clear guidance on what pupils have to do improve their work. While in some classes, pupils make the necessary corrections and improve their work, this is not consistently the case in all classes. Consequently, some pupils repeat errors.  Teachers ensure pupils enjoy reading and are confident readers. Pupils who may not read regularly at

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

home read to an adult in school, and are given more opportunities in school to encourage them. Some pupils join without a solid knowledge of the sounds linked to groups of letters (phonics). The school has identified this and has well-considered plans to provide additional support to help those pupils catch up quickly.  In lessons, learning support assistants help pupils with additional needs to make good progress. Well- targeted questions from support assistants and class teachers help pupils build and assemble their ideas, which helps to deepen their knowledge and understanding. In one Year 5 mathematics lesson the learning support assistant was confident to lead activities with one group of pupils. Once they were engaged in the task, the assistant was free to assist others who needed a little additional help. As a result, all of the pupils involved made good progress in the activity.  Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to develop particular skills in a range of subject areas. This

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

reflects the effective teaching or mathematics and writing. For example, in a literacy lesson in Year 4, pupils drew on their knowledge and understanding of the Saxons from history to develop their literacy skills. They were able to develop exciting opening sentences and to write at length using a variety of punctuation to create more complex sentences.  Although teachers plan interesting activities for all groups of pupils, sometimes the most able are not challenged sufficiently to achieve as well as they should. As a result, they do not move quickly enough on to tasks that are more complex that would accelerate their learning.

p.6

is good

 In the past, pupils have joined the school with levels of skill that are significantly below what is typical for their age. In the 2014 national tests, the attainment of Year 6 pupils in mathematics and writing was just below the national average. The progress pupils made from their individual starting points at the end of Key Stage 1 was good, and that made in writing was significantly above that seen nationally.  The school’s own information indicates that the attainment of current Year 6 pupils in reading, writing and mathematics is higher this year. The proportion of pupils making expected or better-than-expected progress has improved compared with last year across the school.  Scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks indicates that pupils in different year groups are making good progress and standards are rising rapidly.  The results in reading at the end of Year 6 in 2014 were below those seen nationally. The school quickly

p.6

is good

analysed the reasons behind this variation and identified a specific set of circumstances for a small group of pupils that had an impact on their results. The school now has a programme of daily focused teaching of reading and comprehension skills in all classes. Younger pupils catch up any phonics skills they lack. Older pupils read fluently and can discuss at length an author’s choice of language in a piece of writing.  Senior and middle leaders track very carefully the progress made by pupils and regularly meet with teachers to review and discuss this. These meetings are crucial in identifying if pupils need additional support or challenge to accelerate their progress. These discussions have led to greater accountability of staff but have given teachers an opportunity to identify how they can improve the support they provide.  The school makes good use of the additional funding it receives to support disadvantaged pupils. The

p.6

is good

school’s information indicates that disadvantaged pupils make good progress and sometimes better, in line with that of other pupils. The gaps in the skills of disadvantaged pupils in writing and their understanding in mathematics compared with that of other pupils in school are closing. In the 2014 national assessments, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils matched that of other pupils in school in reading, was roughly half a term ahead in writing but was a term behind in mathematics. When compared with other pupils nationally they were three terms behind in reading, one term behind in writing and two terms behind in mathematics.  Through well-targeted support, the progress made by disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is good and is broadly similar to or better than that of other pupils. Learning support assistants provide most of the support they receive in mainstream lessons. Some small group and on-to-one work

p.6

is good

takes place and the effectiveness of this is monitored carefully by senior and middle leaders. The school is committed to ensuring all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed.  The school provides good support to pupils who do not speak English as their first language. As their skills and confidence in English grow, they make generally good progress from their starting points. In 2014 this group of pupils in Year 6 attained more highly than their peers nationally and other pupils in the school.  In 2014, only one pupil attained the highest possible standards in writing, and none of the pupils achieved this in reading or mathematics. The school’s own information indicates that the proportions of pupils in Year 6 currently achieving Level 5 in these subject areas are below national averages. That said, by raising teachers’ expectations and by improving the quality of teaching the progress of the most able is

p.6

is good

beginning to speed up across the school.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 139717 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 450288

p.8

School details

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

p.8

School details

Type of school Junior School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 7−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 231 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Thatcher Headteacher Luke Talmage Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01278 424600 Fax number 01278 446073 Email address office@hampacademy.somerset.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

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

p.9