Haberdashers' Hatcham Primary

Inspection of Haberdashers’ Hatcham Primary Hunsdon Road, London SE14 5RD

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive principal of this school is Emily Gyimah. This school is part of Haberdashers Academies Trust South, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jan Shadick, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nick Scarles. 29 and 30 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are exceedingly proud to attend this school. They enjoy learning and try their best in lessons. The school’s curriculum teaches pupils about key values including kindness, integrity and equality. Throughout the year, pupils study a book linked to each of these core values. They discuss how they can demonstrate each value in their own lives. Pupils put this learning into practice through taking part in a variety of community projects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The behaviour of pupils is exemplary. Pupils encourage each other to behave well and be respectful. Some pupils take roles as ‘Fight Against Bullying’ ambassadors. They help pupils to make friends and play together nicely. As a result, bullying is rare and never tolerated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum is broad and highly ambitious. In the classroom, teachers expertly introduce new learning and topics for discussion. Over time, pupils build a rich tapestry of knowledge. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive excellent support to access the curriculum alongside their classmates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The trust uses its business networks to provide further opportunities for the personal development of pupils. For example, pupils in Year 5 take part in a trust-wide ‘Dragon’s Den’ enterprise project. These opportunities contribute greatly to pupils’ confidence and character development.

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better?

School leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils. The school’s curriculum is very well thought out. Subject leaders have meticulously mapped out the key knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary and skills they want pupils to learn and when they should learn it. They have identified common misconceptions that pupils may have. Teachers routinely address these through the curriculum. As a result, pupils experience a very well-organised sequence of learning.

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better?

Teachers are experts in the subjects they deliver. They use skilful questioning to check what pupils know and can remember from previous lessons. New vocabulary is introduced with care. Teachers ensure that pupils have fully learned each new concept before moving on. This means that pupils are able to remember accurately what they have learned in the long term. Teachers at the school benefit from subject networks within the trust. This further develops their teaching skills and subject knowledge.

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better?

The school has introduced a systematic synthetic phonics programme. This programme is taught from the start of Reception. In whole-class phonics sessions, adults model sounds with accuracy. Typically, in phonics lessons, pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds they have learned. The school identifies quickly pupils who fall behind the phonics programme. However, additional reading sessions 29 and 30 November 2023

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for these pupils are not sharply focused on the decoding and blending strategies that would best support them. Some books given to weaker readers contain words that they are not able to decode. This limits their opportunity to use their phonics knowledge when reading new words.

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In the early years, adults help pupils to develop their language and communication skills. Children explore and build their understanding of the world and develop their creativity with increasing independence through well-planned learning opportunities. Outdoor spaces are well-resourced and have a clear learning purpose. At times, conversations between children and adults do not develop children’s speaking and listening skills as routinely.

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School staff take the time to get to know pupils and their families well when they join the school. This helps the school to identify pupils with SEND quickly. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is high. The school offers effective support to the families of pupils who struggle to attend school regularly.

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The behaviour of pupils is excellent. The school helps pupils to establish healthy habits and routines that encourage positive behaviour from the early years. Pupils listen well to their teachers. All pupils, including pupils with SEND, are taught to understand and manage their own behaviour and emotions. This helps to foster pupils’ self-control and develop their compassion for the feelings of others.

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Pupils are encouraged to develop a keen sense of responsible citizenship. Some pupils take on roles as school eco-warriors. They help to keep the school environment litter-free and encourage recycling. During science week, pupils across the school learn about sustainability. Last year, pupils in Year 3 and 4 learned about sustainable transport with a professional engineer. Children in the Nursery and Reception learned about the environmental importance of bees and other pollinators. Pupils of all ages take part in trust-wide leadership and careers-centred workshops and trips.

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Staff at all levels of the school are happy here. Leaders recognise the demands placed on staff and work hard to promote their well-being. The school’s governing body and trust advisers take staff workload and welfare into account when making whole-school decisions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The support for the weakest readers does not ensure they get ample practice in using phonics to develop decoding and blending skills. Too often, questions from adults distract pupils from their practice of decoding skills. Pupils who struggle to 29 and 30 November 2023

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decode and blend read some books that are not fully decodable. Leaders should ensure that support for the weakest readers is focused on building pupils’ phonics knowledge to decode and blend securely so that all pupils gain reading fluency and confidence quickly.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 29 and 30 November 2023

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School details

Principal Emily Gyimah (executive principal)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school opened in September 2019.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive principal and other senior leaders. They also met with the chair of the trust, the CEO and other trust advisory staff. Inspectors also met with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. 29 and 30 November 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, science, history and art. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers. They also spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in computing and religious education.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the school gate and considered the views of parents who responded to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also considered the views of staff and pupils who responded to the online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Annabel Davies, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters His Majesty’s Inspector 29 and 30 November 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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