West Hampstead Primary School

Inspection of a good school: West Hampstead Primary School Dornfell Street, West Hampstead, London NW6 1QL

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Outcome

West Hampstead Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this friendly and welcoming school. They are greeted at the gates every morning by familiar adults who look after their welfare. Pupils are kept safe. They know what bullying is and recognise that it is rare at this school. They feel confident about finding an adult to talk to if they have any concerns. Parents and carers think highly of the school. They value the support and care they and their children receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and at all other times of the school day is of a high standard. Pupils are polite and well-mannered. Pupils of all ages play happily together and help each other to enjoy playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has developed a curriculum which sets high expectations for all pupils. Leaders’ vision for the school is demonstrated in the way pupils behave in lessons and support each other. Staff help pupils to follow the school’s motto, ‘Together, we achieve’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school visits and are particularly excited about their Year 5 residential trip to Kench Hill. Rich opportunities are provided for pupils to perform in dance workshops and with orchestras, such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. The curriculum has been adapted to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities also learn the key knowledge and skills they need. In most subjects, leaders have organised the curriculum to ensure that new learning builds on what pupils, including children in the early years, know already. Pupils are engaged in their learning, are attentive in lessons and behave to a high standard so that learning is not interrupted. As a result, pupils achieve well. Curriculum planning is less well developed in a small number of subjects.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders make sure that early reading is a high priority across the school. Leaders ensure that staff are trained to teach and promote reading well. For example, children love their 22 and 23 March 2022

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daily story times in every class. Pupils learn letters and sounds as soon as they enter the Nursery. The daily phonics sessions in the Reception Year are highly structured. Pupils learn to read in a systematic way. They use their decoding skills well to sound out unfamiliar words. Books are well matched to the letters and sounds pupils are learning. If pupils fall behind, staff provide effective support to ensure they quickly catch up. Most pupils become fluent readers quickly. Older pupils enjoy reading for pleasure and discussing a wide range of genres and texts.

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Children in the early years and in the transition to Year 1 are provided with an exciting range of opportunities to learn and develop their understanding of the world around them. In early years, pupils learn key vocabulary in mathematics, such as odds and evens, and doubling. By Year 2, they can discuss what fractions are. In Year 6, pupils can apply their calculation and reasoning skills in complex problem-solving. Pupils achieve highly in mathematics. In science, leaders make sure that pupils revisit their previous learning and consolidate what they already know. For example, Year 6 pupils practise their classification of organisms and living creatures by revising prior learning and key vocabulary.

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Other subjects, such as art, music, and personal, social and health education (PSHE), are also well organised, including in the early years. Pupils learn new ideas, key vocabulary and concepts in a careful sequence. In other subjects, such as history and geography, plans are less effective. Aspects of the curriculum, such as the sequencing of lessons and key vocabulary pupils need to know, are not yet fully developed. Leaders are aware of this and are reviewing their planning.

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Pupils enjoy the clubs that the school organises. These include those for sports and for a wide range of musical activities. Leaders organise outings and visits for pupils, linked to the curriculum. Recent visits that pupils talked about were to the London Museum of Water and Steam, and to various dance and music workshops. Pupils are taught about the school’s core values of aspiration, consideration, resilience, community and responsibility in assemblies and through the school’s PSHE programme.

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Leaders and governors know the key issues in the work of the school. They are well informed and act to continually improve the quality of education. Leaders support the well-being of staff effectively and ensure that staff have a reasonable workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders give safeguarding the highest priority. They carry out all statutory recruitment checks before adults begin to work in the school. They keep detailed and well-maintained safeguarding records. Senior leaders ensure that timely and appropriate actions are taken to reduce risks to pupils’ welfare.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure all staff are well trained and know how to report any safeguarding concerns. Governors work closely with leaders to ensure pupils’ safety. Leaders understand the local community and the risks that pupils face. Pupils receive many 22 and 23 March 2022

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opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe. These include lessons on stranger danger and online safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in all subjects. In a few subjects, including history and geography, pupils do not acquire sufficient knowledge and learn the key vocabulary to help them remember what they have learned. However, it is clear from leaders’ actions that they are in the process of bringing this about and are making any necessary amendments in response to the pandemic. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 . 22 and 23 March 2022

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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. 22 and 23 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.westhampstead.camden.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 West Hampstead Primary School is a two-form entry school in the London Borough of Camden. The school, after a local consultation and vote, formally changed its name in September 2021.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2019.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders. The inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body, and a representative from the local education authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at 22 and 23 March 2022

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samples of pupils’ work. He heard pupils read and observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects, such as art, science and music.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at playtimes and listened to what pupils had to say about their school.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. The inspector scrutinised the records the school keeps in relation to safeguarding and welfare. The inspector looked at the single central record of pre-employment checks and at records of staff training. He spoke with staff and pupils to understand the school’s culture of safeguarding.  The inspector reviewed the responses submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspector also reviewed the results of the responses to the staff survey and spoke with parents at the

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 March 2022

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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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