Hempstead Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Hempstead Junior School Birch Grove, Hempstead, Gillingham, Kent ME7 3HJ

p.1

Outcome

Hempstead Junior School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Hempstead Junior School are full of enthusiasm. They are proud of their school and work hard to live by the ‘Hempstead Five’ golden expectations. The school helps all pupils to develop a strong understanding of their rights, but also the rights of others. This can be seen in action in the school’s open-plan classrooms, where pupils ensure that they learn in a way that does not disrupt the learning of others.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils consistently meet the school’s high academic expectations of them. They participate actively in their lessons. They understand that success requires perseverance even when learning is challenging. The school recognises that some pupils have been harder to engage with, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. The curriculum has been adapted carefully to take account of the needs of these pupils and to re-engage them.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a broad range of enriching activities to bring learning to life. For instance, pupils showcase their artwork in a local exhibition for parents and carers. Pupils eagerly contribute to the school community in various ways. For example, peer mediators help to resolve friendship issues during breaktimes.

p.1

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

The school has a clear vision for the education it wants to provide. Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed its curriculum carefully to ensure that pupils are learning an enriching curriculum that enables them to take on increasingly challenging learning over time. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum needs further refinement to ensure that it is clear what pupils need to learn at each stage in order to make strong progress through the curriculum.

p.1

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

Teachers are supported well to develop their expertise across the subjects that they teach. As a result, in most subjects teachers explain learning clearly to pupils and are quick to identify any pupils who have not fully understood. These pupils are provided with 6 and 7 March 2024

p.1

2

additional support. This helps pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, to achieve well. In subjects that are less fully developed, there is not as much clarity about what pupils need to learn and remember. This makes it harder for teachers to identify which pupils need more support.

p.2

2

Most pupils who join the school in Year 3 are on track with their reading. These pupils are supported well to develop their love of and engagement with reading. Over time, they learn to read increasingly complex texts. A small number join the school at an earlier stage of reading and with gaps in their phonics knowledge. Most of these pupils are supported to catch up effectively. However, a small number of pupils, including some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive less effective support. For these pupils, teachers’ checks on their learning are not precise enough to identify gaps in knowledge so that these can be addressed. Additionally, these pupils sometimes do not have enough opportunities to read books that match the sounds they are learning.

p.2

2

The school has developed a strong programme to support pupils’ personal development. Pupils have regular opportunities to perform and speak in front of an audience. For example, pupils regularly create class assemblies to share their learning with others in the school. Pupils are supported to engage with and contribute to the local community in a range of ways, including litter picking in the local area. Pupils have ongoing opportunities to participate in inter-school sporting events and to develop a range of talents and interests, including learning to play a musical instrument. An annual musical performance provides an opportunity for pupils to celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

p.2

2

Pupils behave extremely well. They are polite and respectful to all. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and try their best. Pupils have full confidence in school staff to resolve any worries they might have. Most pupils attend school regularly. The school takes careful account of reasons for some pupils having lower attendance and does everything possible to support these pupils to attend more regularly.

p.2

2

Staff feel very well supported in their roles. The school carefully engages with all teachers to understand any areas teachers feel less confident in teaching so that they can provide additional training. Governors have a clear vision for the school and work effectively to ensure that pupils receive a strong educational offer from the school.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment information is not always used carefully enough to identify what the lowest attaining readers need to work on. Additionally, at times the books these pupils use to apply their phonics knowledge do not match fully the sounds they have learned. As a result, they are not making as much progress as they could. The school should ensure 6 and 7 March 2024

p.2

3

that it supports all weaker readers fully effectively to become fluent and accurate readers.  In a small number of subjects, curriculum thinking is at an earlier stage and there is a lack of specificity about some curriculum content. As a result, pupils do not always deepen their knowledge over time as much as they could. The school should continue its work to refine the curriculum in these less well-developed subjects so that pupils develop a cohesive body of knowledge.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

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

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.3

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). 6 and 7 March 2024

p.3

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.4

School details

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

p.4

Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2018.  The chair of governors was appointed in September 2021.  The school is not using any alternative provision.  The school leads and manages before- and after-school care for pupils.

p.4

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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The inspector met with representatives of the school’s governing board, including the chair of governors, and spoke to a representative of the local authority. 6 and 7 March 2024

p.4

5

 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. For the reading deep dive, the inspector also listened to pupils reading.  The inspector considered pupils’ behaviour and attitudes throughout the inspection and discussed the school’s analysis of pupils’ behaviour and attendance with leaders.  The inspector considered personal development through all deep dives. They met with leaders to discuss the school’s personal development programme, including the curriculum for personal, social and health education and relationships education. The inspector talked to pupils about the school’s personal development programme.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single

p.5

5

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.

p.5

Inspection team

Alice Roberts, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 March 2024

p.5

6

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.

p.6

6

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

6

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

6

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

6

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6