Hampton Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Ms Yvonne Nunn Headteacher Hampton Primary School Fitzgerald Avenue Herne Bay Kent CT6 8NB

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 24 April 2018 with Linda Taylor, Ofsted inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2012.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

You work with staff, governors and pupils to create a welcoming school where pupils enjoy learning and feel very well supported. It is clear that pupils enjoy coming to school. Almost all pupils responding to Ofsted’s pupil survey said that they enjoy school and find lessons interesting. Staff are enthusiastic and committed to delivering the school’s values, which ensure that pupils develop resilience, independence, aspiration and creativity. All staff who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire said that they are proud to work at the school. Parents appreciate the work you do. One parent, speaking for many, said: ‘The school is one of a kind, it cares for and wants the best for every single pupil.’ Parents are in praise of your strong leadership and recognise the inspirational leadership you provide. One of the comments from Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, was ‘the management of the school is exceptional’.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

Governors are ambitious for the school and its pupils. They are knowledgeable about the school’s current effectiveness. They have supported you to identify the key areas for improvement and use rigorous systems to evaluate the impact of change. Governors regularly visit the school and review information to ensure that staff are safe to work with children. The electronic system to collate this information is detailed, comprehensive and diligently maintained.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

Areas for improvement from the previous inspection have been effectively tackled. You and other senior leaders have evaluated the school accurately and you have made significant improvements to pupils’ outcomes. The proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics met, and sometimes exceeded, national expectations in key stage 1. At key stage 2, the progress scores in reading, writing and mathematics place the school in the top 2% of schools nationally. Standards continue to improve because you have ensured that teaching and the curriculum are delivered to a consistently high standard. However, there is more work to do to ensure that the most able pupils make faster progress. You act quickly to support staff to improve their teaching. Early years provision gives children a very good start to their education. Children learn well because they are provided with stimulating activities that are carefully matched to their needs.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

Parents are fully involved in their children’s learning. By the end of Reception, the proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development matches national expectations.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

Pupils have very positive attitudes towards learning. They have an eagerness to learn, work well together and support each other in their tasks. Pupils are polite and courteous. They are proud of their work and eager to talk about their achievements. Pupils’ conduct and behaviour around the school help maintain a calm and purposeful learning environment.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

There is a strong culture of safeguarding because you, your staff and your governors give the safety of pupils a high priority. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. All staff and governors are appropriately trained in identifying possible signs of risk and harm. School records show that staff are up to date with training that helps them recognise the dangers of extremism and radicalisation. Systems for referring concerns about pupils are effective and you monitor high-priority cases frequently. This ensures that pupils and their families receive the best possible support from the school and other agencies.

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Short inspection of Hampton Primary School

Pupils’ attendance has improved and meets national expectations. Pupils confirm that they feel safe in school because of the vigilance of staff and because there is ‘always someone you can talk to’. Events such as road and beach safety training, as well as cycling proficiency, are appreciated by pupils and parents. You put an emphasis on e-safety training because you have identified this risk as significant in your community. As a result, pupils are well prepared to face risk in your local context. Pupils said that bullying is rare and if it happens it is quickly resolved by adults.

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Inspection findings

 Our first line of enquiry was to review how well the most able pupils in early years and key stage 2 are progressing in reading and mathematics. The percentage of pupils achieving the highest expectation had been lower recently than seen nationally. You and your teaching staff were fully aware of this and have taken robust action. As a result of changes to the curriculum, the reorganisation of teaching groups and helpful staff training, the most able pupils are making accelerated progress in reading and mathematics to achieve the higher standard. Teachers are beginning to challenge pupils to read more complex texts and use problem-solving to extend thinking in mathematics. There is still work to be done to embed this practice across the school. In early years, staff are using additional directed learning and more challenging independent activity to ensure that children learn well.  The next line of enquiry came from a recommendation in the last Ofsted report.

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Inspection findings

We looked at whether teachers have the same high expectations of pupils’ basic skills when they apply them to subjects other than English and mathematics. We found that the high-quality learning environment supports a broad and exciting curriculum devised by the school. As a result, we saw some excellent examples of pupils deepening their subject knowledge and using high-quality basic skills in topic work. For example, in Year 1, pupils were studying the characteristics of the rain forest and were relating their knowledge to previous learning about animal habitats. Pupils use their literacy and numeracy skills well across a range of subjects. Work in books contained strong examples of pupils accurately drawing graphs in science and geography and writing for a variety of purposes in other subjects. Your humanities curriculum is well constructed and provides pupils with a chance to deepen their learning. You have developed a learning culture where

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Inspection findings

pupils feel safe to take risks.  The last priority for review was to determine the impact of actions taken to rapidly improve outcomes in phonics in key stage 1. Two years ago, the school realised that outcomes in phonics were below the national average. They took determined action, which included the re-training of staff and a more rigorous approach to assessment. The impact was significant. The percentage of children in this cohort who met the national standard in phonics rose from 69% in 2016 to 92% in 2017. Consequently, most pupils in Year 1 are working at the standard expected for their age.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  the progress of the most able pupils is further accelerated.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Kent. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, we met with you and discussed the school’s self-evaluation together with information about pupils’ progress and improvements since the last inspection. Together, we visited classes in all year groups and looked at a range of pupils’ work in books. I met with pupils to listen to them read and talk to them about their experience of school life and how safe they feel. We held meetings with the senior leadership team, the chair of governors and the school improvement adviser. I analysed a range of written evidence, including the school’s self- evaluation form, the school improvement plan, the current progress data, the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and the school curriculum. I took account of the views of 106 parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, their written comments and the views of parents who spoke to us before the start of the school day. I also took account of the views

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Information about the inspection

of 42 members of staff and 67 pupils, who responded to Ofsted’s online surveys, as well as the views of pupils we met during the day .

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