Hambridge Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hambridge Community Primary School Hambridge, Langport, Somerset TA10 0AZ

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Outcome

Hambridge Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school and describe it as kind and welcoming. They are polite and friendly to visitors. Pupil’s behaviour reflects the school’s aims of ‘being the best we can be’. Pupils enjoy learning. They say they ‘have fun but still have to work hard.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm, and pupils move through the school with a sense of purpose. Pupils appreciate and enjoy playing together in the peaceful outdoor spaces. They feel safe in the school and know they can talk to any adult if they have a concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders set high expectations for pupils. They provide experiences for pupils to become well-prepared citizens. Pupils know how to keep healthy, both physically and mentally. Relationships between staff and pupils, parents and carers are strong. Teachers know pupils’ individual needs well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents appreciate the work of the leaders and teachers. Leaders make new parents feel part of the community.

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

Leaders are ambitious for what they want pupils to achieve. Pupils learn a broad curriculum. Most teachers have sequenced the curriculum well so that pupils’ knowledge builds on prior learning. However, due to the recent staff changes, some staff do not yet have subject expertise to deliver the curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not build knowledge securely.

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

Leaders prioritise reading and see it as a key feature of the school’s curriculum. Reading starts straight away in the early years. Across the school, teachers match books to the ability of pupils. As a result, pupils are confident readers. When pupils fall behind, teachers are quick to identify them. Pupils receive the extra support they need to catch 26 April 2023

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up. Most pupils read to adults daily. All teachers read to pupils from a wide range of books. This means pupils gain a deeper understanding of the topics they are learning.

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Pupils in the early years learn well. Children follow instructions and have clear routines. They are enthusiastic learners and are confident to respond to questions from teachers.

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Pupils are confident learners in mathematics. They are quick to recall mathematical facts and multiplication tables. Teachers provide pupils with appropriate next steps to extend their learning further. Pupils enjoy learning mathematics, and they like the end-of-lesson challenges.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are well supported, and teaching is adapted when necessary. Leaders work in partnership with parents of pupils with SEND. This means that pupils with SEND complete work to a high quality and achieve well.

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Leaders provide pupils with opportunities to develop their character and broaden their experiences. Pupils become sports leaders, house captains or join the school council. They are proud of these roles and know they help drive positive changes in the school. For example, the school council worked with leaders to develop an anti-bullying charter. Leaders arrange visits from the police to teach pupils how to stay safe. In specialised workshops, pupils learn about diversity. This helps pupils to become active citizens in modern Britain.

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Leaders enrich the curriculum by providing educational visits for all pupils. Younger pupils have ‘wellie walks’ to explore the local area. Older pupils visit Lyme Regis as part of their geology topic. Pupils enjoy singing in assemblies and when preparing for end-of-year productions. Leaders respond to pupils’ interests and organise a wide range of after- school clubs. As result, pupils take part in a range of clubs, such as art, cookery and construction club.

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Pupils’ behaviour is of a high standard throughout the school. Pupils and staff treat each other with mutual respect. Pupils are happy to follow the instructions of adults. When there is low-level disruption, teachers are quick to address this. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They take pride in the presentation of their work.

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Governors and trustees share the same ambitious educational vision for the school. They are supportive of staff. However, governors do not always have detailed knowledge of some aspects of the school that could help them to support leaders to improve further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained in safeguarding. Staff take pupils’ safety and well-being seriously. They know what to do if they think a child is at risk. 26 April 2023

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Pupils learn to stay safe online. They understand the importance of not sharing personal information. Pupils know to speak to a trusted adult should they see something suspicious online. Pupils know not to use online apps that have age restrictions. Staff teach pupils how to stay safe in the community.

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Leaders conduct background checks on adults before they work with pupils at school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff do not have the subject expertise to implement some areas of the curriculum effectively. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that staff have the requisite curriculum knowledge to deliver an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum for all pupils.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2013.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 26 April 2023

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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. 26 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10287377 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Preston Primary Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The headteacher was appointed in 2021.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the chief executive officer of the trust and the special educational needs coordinator.  Deep dives were carried out in three subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 26 April 2023

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 Inspectors looked at curriculum documents and spoke to leaders and pupils about several subjects.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

James Gentile, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Simon Bissett Ofsted Inspector 26 April 2023

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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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