Hampstead Norreys C.E. Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Hampstead Norreys C.E. Primary School Newbury Hill, Hampstead Norreys, Thatcham, Berkshire RG18 0TR

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Outcome

Hampstead Norreys C.E. Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This small school is a supportive, caring and happy place where everyone is valued. Pupils take pride in attending and appreciate the genuine care from staff. They feel secure and well looked after. They know there is always someone to talk to if they have any concerns. From Reception, children learn to work independently and treat others with kindness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is highly ambitious for pupils to achieve well. Pupils rise to these aspirations and are keen to do their best. The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, and they behave well. Pupils are engaged, settle quickly and work collaboratively in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is engaging and extends beyond the classroom, promoting valuable life skills. A diverse range of activities, including beach trips, sports competitions, museum trips and visits to a chocolate factory, enrich pupils’ experiences. Pupils participate and learn with other pupils in the federation as part of a programme of well-considered planned events, including curriculum ‘challenge days’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take pride in leadership roles, for example becoming anti-bullying ambassadors. These opportunities enable pupils to make a positive contribution to the school. The school helps pupils to develop into well-rounded individuals and respectful citizens.

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

The school provides an engaging and ambitious curriculum. Reception children get off to a flying start when they join Hampstead Norreys, and this continues throughout the 3 June 2025

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school. Pupils thrive due to the dedicated support, well-defined boundaries and nurturing environment that the school provides. The school supports and develops pupils’ communication and language skills effectively. Staff develop and support these skills by engaging pupils in discussions about activities, showcasing their learning in assemblies and introducing new vocabulary. Younger pupils have opportunities to develop their language skills in the role play area, for example when learning about castles and using words such as battle and helmets appropriately.

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They present new information clearly to help pupils learn well. Teachers use subject-specific language that develops pupils’ vocabulary. Teachers skilfully check pupils’ understanding to clarify misconceptions. They select learning activities carefully to help pupils in building their knowledge. This also supports pupils to make connections across different areas of their learning. The school has carefully crafted the key knowledge pupils should learn over time. However, in a few subjects in the wider curriculum, this knowledge is less well defined. This makes it challenging for teachers to emphasise the important knowledge and check what pupils have learned. As a result, pupils are not acquiring deep levels of understanding across all subjects as effectively as they could.

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The school is highly ambitious for every pupil to be successful and achieve well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school acts swiftly to identify pupils with SEND and promptly and accurately identifies pupils’ needs. Teachers provide appropriately tailored work and use carefully chosen resources to personalise pupils’ learning. This enables pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Reading is prioritised across the curriculum so that pupils become confident and fluent readers. They benefit from effective phonics teaching. Staff check regularly to ensure that the books pupils read match their phonics understanding. Pupils have access to carefully selected texts to help them develop a love of reading. Pupils who fall behind are identified quickly and receive additional support straight away. The curriculum helps pupils to sequence their writing effectively and to develop their use of vocabulary.

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The school is calm and purposeful. Pupils behave well and are keen to find out new things. Classrooms are purposeful spaces where pupils concentrate and learn. They listen carefully, respond to questions and participate in discussions. During breaktimes, pupils play sensibly and enjoy chatting with friends.

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The school promotes pupils’ wider development effectively to prepare them for life beyond school. Pupils learn about diversity, equality and respect, linked to their understanding of the fundamental British values. Clubs, such as creative writing and sports, help to nurture pupils’ talents and interests. Younger pupils learn about the importance of the emergency services. Pupils understand their responsibility to help others, such as supporting a local food bank. They participate in a wide range of visits and benefit from talks by visitors, including an MP. They are prepared well for their transition to secondary school. 3 June 2025

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the opportunities to collaborate with colleagues from the other school in the federation to share expertise. Governors are well informed about the school’s work, understanding the strengths and areas for improvement. Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, the important knowledge that the school wants pupils to learn is not identified precisely enough. As a result, pupils do not always acquire the depth of knowledge that they need securely and consistently. The school needs to ensure it identifies the important content that pupils should know. The school should check that these changes have the desired impact on deepening pupils’ understanding across all subjects.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019. 3 June 2025

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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). 3 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Kate House (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with The Ilsleys Primary School, with one governing body and an executive headteacher.  This is a small school, with 55 pupils currently on roll.  The school is part of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford. The school’s last section 48 inspection was carried out in March 2025.  The school offers a breakfast club run by the school and an off-site after-school club led by an outside provider.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 3 June 2025

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority and the diocese. He also met representatives from the governing body.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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Inspection team

Darren Aisthorpe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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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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