Camps Hill Primary School

Inspection of Camps Hill Primary School Chells Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG2 0LT

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 25–26 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a broad range of subjects. They are enthusiastic about their learning and shared with us how much they enjoyed specific subjects, such as religious education. Pupils can attend a large range of extra-curricular clubs. These include cheerleading, ‘forest club’ and ballet. These clubs help pupils to broaden their horizons. The school seeks to prepare every pupil for life in modern Britain. Parents and carers recognise and appreciate this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show care and respect for each other. They feel safe. Pupils say that bullying is rare. Parents agree with this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Learning is not interrupted by poor behaviour. The school is orderly and pupils work well with each other during lessons. Playtimes and lunchtimes are well supervised, with a range of stimulating and interesting activities available to pupils. The breakfast club provides pupils with a good start to the day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While pupils enjoy their lessons, some adults’ low expectations mean that some pupils do not achieve their best. When pupils fall behind, they are not given the support they need to catch up quickly.

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better?

Leaders have reviewed their curriculum. Some aspects are better developed than others.

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better?

The teaching of reading is too varied across the school. Leaders are not clear about what pupils need to know in order to read more fluently once they have progressed into Year 1.

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better?

Pupils who have not understood their phonics by the end of Years 1 and 2 do not catch up quickly. Pupils do not get enough opportunities to practise their reading with adults. The books that pupils read are too difficult for them. Very few pupils have developed a knowledge of a wide range of stories, books and authors. This means that pupils are not always excited by, and interested in, reading.

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better?

The support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is too variable. Some pupils who need extra support for their SEND do not always receive it. Teachers’ expectations of what these pupils can achieve are too low. This is especially true for pupils with social and emotional needs. However, pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans are better supported. They grow in confidence. The curriculum for these pupils is well designed and precise for their needs.

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better?

Children get off to a good start in the early years. Adults have high expectations of them. Adults plan for children to develop key skills as soon as possible. 25–26 February 2020

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Children listen attentively to their teachers. Children are taught mathematics and phonics well. They learn to count and form letters correctly. By the time they leave the early years, children are ready to start Year 1.

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Some areas of the curriculum are planned and taught well and this ensures that pupils build on the knowledge they have learned before. For example, teachers have received effective training to develop their subject knowledge in science. Teachers use this knowledge to plan activities that excite and interest pupils. Pupils remember what they have been taught. They enjoy their lessons and achieve well.

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In other subjects, leaders have not been urgent enough in developing important aspects of the curriculum. For example, there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematics learning. Pupils do not have enough chances to practise problem-solving. Therefore, they do not achieve as well as they should.

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Leaders provide a good range of activities and opportunities for pupils’ personal development. There are opportunities for pupils to practise their leadership skills, from being house captains to eco councillors. There is also the chance for pupils to take part in annual elections to the ‘Children’s Leadership Team’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work together to ensure that the required employment checks are made on each employee.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained and report their concerns about any pupil to the correct person. Staff know the local area and what the key risks for pupils are.

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Safeguarding

Adults know pupils and their families well. Staff work effectively with other agencies when there are concerns. Records show that leaders act quickly when issues arise.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not planned the curriculum so that it builds on what pupils know and can do. Teachers are not quick to spot, and help, pupils who struggle in their learning. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is planned and delivered well so that, if pupils start to struggle, they receive the right support in a timely way.  Leaders have not prioritised reading across the curriculum. Teachers do not ensure that pupils make the progress of which they are capable in reading. 25–26 February 2020

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Leaders must plan the curriculum so that teachers can prioritise reading across all year groups and teach it well.  Leaders have not planned the curriculum well enough so that pupils can apply their knowledge to solve real-life problems in mathematics. This means that pupils miss out on important aspects of their learning. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum includes regular opportunities for pupils to apply their learning so that pupils achieve well.

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How can I feed back my views?

school, or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 25–26 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10133414 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school converted to academy status on 1 April 2017. It is part of the Claxton Trust.  The school has provision for pre-school and nursery pupils.  The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of free school meals is in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils who receive support for SEND is slightly below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have an EHC plan is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is lower than the national average.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 25–26 February 2020

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 During this inspection, we met with the headteacher, the senior leadership team, the special educational needs coordinator, the pupil premium lead, teachers, governors and pupils.  We spoke to trustees and the chief executive officer of the Claxton Trust.  We did deep dives into reading, writing, mathematics, science, art and history as part of the inspection.  We spoke with subject leaders. We visited lessons, spoke with pupils and teachers, listened to pupils read and analysed pupils’ work and documentation to understand the quality of education in the subjects chosen.  We considered the 108 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, as well as the 49 free-text responses.  We spoke with staff and pupils to gain their views of the school.  We spoke with parents on the playground.  We examined the single central record and spoke with leaders, pupils and staff about behaviour and safeguarding.

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 We observed pupils in breakfast club, at playtime and lunchtime, and in assembly.

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Inspection team

Debbie Rogan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sahreen Siddiqui Ofsted Inspector 25–26 February 2020

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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