Hatton Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hatton Park Primary School Hatton’s Park, Longstanton, Cambridge CB24 3DL

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2024

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection. The headteacher of this school is John Canavan. This school is part of Meridian Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mark Woods, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Shirley Jamieson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a school grounded in the importance of positive, thoughtful relationships. Pupils know there is always someone there to encourage them to achieve or support them when they need help. They flourish in a caring, safe environment. Pupils develop strong friendships. They value how the differences they share enrich their lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in a climate where expectations are extremely high. They know adults expect them to work hard. Pupils respond to these expectations consistently well. They listen attentively to their teachers. They resiliently tackle activities to produce work of the highest quality. Pupils achieve well and make exceptional, rapid and sustained progress. They are proud of everyone’s achievements and celebrate each other’s successes as if they were their own.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave impeccably. They are polite and respectful. The school is a calm and ordered environment. Learning is rarely disrupted. Children in the Reception Year quickly learn how to cooperate, share and respect each other. As pupils get older, they continue to play considerately. They take turns, make sure everyone is involved and watch out for each other’s welfare. Pupils are very happy at school and are extremely well prepared for the next stage in their lives. 25 and 26 January 2024

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

The school has worked collaboratively with trust specialists to develop the curriculum. As a result, it has developed a curriculum that is highly ambitious for all pupils, including those with special needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and carefully determined the most logical order for pupils to learn this information. Leaders have developed a continuous programme of learning from Reception Year to Year 6.

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

Teachers know exactly what to teach and when. They know what pupils have previously learned. They use this information, alongside high-quality training, to design well-crafted learning experiences. Teachers explain concepts with a high degree of precision. They check how well pupils have understood what they have learned. If there are gaps, teachers address them immediately. This means that pupils are able to complete learning tasks to a high standard. They are able to articulate what they know with a high degree of accuracy.

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

Pupils’ written work shows the depth of their knowledge and understanding. Pupils remember what they have been taught extremely well. They make connections between different subjects and acquire a broad and rich knowledge base. They are then able to use this knowledge to solve problems. Pupils enjoy learning. This means they want to be in school and, therefore, attend regularly. In school, they become engrossed in their lessons. Consequently, disruption is exceptionally rare.

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

There is a love of reading throughout the school that begins in the early years. Pupils across the school read regularly. They read a wide range of books and stories, which develop their understanding of different cultures. As soon as they start school, children begin to develop their understanding of the sounds different letters represent. Highly trained staff spot when children begin to fall behind and successfully intervene. These interventions target specific gaps and help pupils develop into competent, confident and fluent readers.

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

Staff are excellent at supporting pupils with SEND. Using the information provided by the SEND team, they make successful adaptations to their teaching. This enables pupils with SEND to both access the curriculum and produce work of equal standard to their peers. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve very well.

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

The personal, social, health and economic curriculum is of extremely high quality. Carefully entwined with the school values, it is a thread that runs through the entire curriculum. It teaches pupils how to understand themselves and each other. They learn how to keep themselves healthy, physically and emotionally. The curriculum is crafted to give pupils the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

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

The school provides a wide range of opportunities to broaden pupils’ wider development. Pupils have opportunities to take part in a variety of activities. These activities are well attended and enable pupils to develop existing interests and foster new ones. The school has recently developed its provision of an outdoor learning experience. This has already 25 and 26 January 2024

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increased pupils’ awareness of their local environment and the richness it can bring to their lives.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported. Staff know that school and trust leaders place high importance on managing their workload. Teachers value the investment in high-quality continuing professional development. They appreciate how this helps them improve their practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 May 2014.

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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.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with 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). 25 and 26 January 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Meridian Trust.  The headteacher took up his post in April 2023, having previously been the assistant headteacher.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.  There is childcare provision available on the school site. This is run by a separately registered and inspected childcare provider.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with leaders, including the headteacher, assistant headteacher, early years leader and special educational needs coordinator. The 25 and 26 January 2024

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inspector also met with a member of the board of trustees, representatives of the local academy council and the chief executive officer.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  To further inspect the curriculum, the inspector looked at examples of pupils’ writing, reviewed curriculum documentation for geography, and English, and reviewed the provision for pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the 109 responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, the 71 free-text comments submitted, and an email received from a parent. He considered the 25 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils. The inspector spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons, to understand what it is like to be a pupil in their school.

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Inspection team

Dave Gibson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 January 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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