Hemingford Grey Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hemingford Grey Primary School St Ives Road, Hemingford Grey, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 9DU

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Outcome

Hemingford Grey Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Hemingford Grey Primary School. They enjoy their lessons. They feel safe and well cared for by the staff. The school places a high value on everyone’s well-being. The school’s strong ethos of respect and togetherness for all is visible in every aspect of school life. Everyone is welcomed warmly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy studying a broad and interesting curriculum. It helps them to achieve well. The school embraces the use of technology to support pupils in becoming independent learners. Pupils use this technology to view additional reminders from their teacher.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations. They behave well. They treat everyone kindly and with respect. Pupils always try to do their best. Teachers quickly deal with any occasional acts of unkindness. This creates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for pupils to learn and play together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Playtime and lunchtimes are fun and enjoyable for pupils. There is a range of interesting activities available for pupils to experience. These include activities that encourage pupils to be active and healthy, such as a running club for pupils and parents before school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides parents and carers with plenty of useful news and information about school life.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders have identified the important knowledge and vocabulary they want all pupils to learn. The curriculum begins in the early years. The school ensures that the youngest children are prepared well for their future lessons in key stage 1. 14 and 15 May 2024

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Teachers explain each step of learning clearly. This helps pupils to successfully build on what they have learned before. The school routinely checks how well pupils are achieving at the end of a unit of work or topic. Staff use this information to adapt the curriculum and address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, in lessons, teachers sometimes do not check pupils’ understanding thoroughly enough. This means teachers sometimes do not spot any misconceptions pupils have. As a result, some pupils are not always ready to move on to new learning.

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The school accurately identifies pupils who need additional support. Staff have high aspirations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers adapt their teaching and provide pupils with effective personalised support. This helps pupils to overcome their barriers to learning . The school provides pupils with digital technology to revisit lesson explanations when they are unsure of what to do. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their classmates.

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Pupils behave well. Leaders have trained staff in how to understand the causes of different kinds of behaviours. As a result, staff help pupils to make the right choices when things go wrong. In lessons, pupils listen to their teachers and follow instructions. They do not disrupt others. Leaders prioritise pupils’ attendance. They use strategies such as inviting pupils to have breakfast before school starts. This helps pupils and families overcome barriers to attendance and punctuality. As a result, pupils’ attendance has improved.

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The school believes that reading is at the heart of all learning. Reading lessons start as soon as children join the Reception Year. Staff are experts in teaching reading. They aptly notice when pupils need more teaching and practice to catch up. Reading books are matched to the sounds that pupils know. Teachers provide parents with useful information about reading. This enables younger pupils to practise reading at home. As a result, pupils learn quickly and remember the sounds they are expected to. Older pupils read a range of diverse texts. These help them to develop a love of reading and deepen their curiosity about the world.

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The school’s strong ethos and values help pupils to become good citizens. Pupils believe in fairness and treating everyone equally. They know how to keep themselves safe and how to be healthy. The experiences and opportunities provided by the school help pupils to widen their interests and enjoy their schooldays. The school helps pupils to develop personal qualities that will help them in later life such as teamwork.

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Staff work well together as a team. They feel well supported by leaders. The school provides all staff with training opportunities. Leaders have made appropriate decisions to support pupils’ education such as the decision to use personalised technology solutions. Governors hold leaders fully to account for their actions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers sometimes do not check pupils’ understanding thoroughly enough. As a result, a small number of pupils have misconceptions that are not immediately addressed. These misconceptions lead to gaps in their knowledge being carried forward longer than they need to be. Leaders need to ensure that teachers’ questioning techniques enable them to spot pupils’ misunderstandings. This will stop misconceptions from being carried forward by some 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 November 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 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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Kirsten Marriott and Danielle Gaynor (Co- Headteachers) Website www.hemingfordgrey.cambs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the leader with responsibility for the provision for pupils with SEND and teaching and support staff. The inspector also met with the governing body and a representative 14 and 15 May 2024

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from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and design technology. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders; visited a sample of lessons; spoke to teachers; spoke to some pupils about their learning; and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subject areas.  The inspector considered the views of pupils, staff and parents. This included reviewing submissions and free-text responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Rod Warsap, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 May 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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