Hampton Infant School and Nursery

Hampton Infant School and Nursery Inspection report

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102888 Unique Reference Number Richmond Upon Thames Local Authority 308149 Inspection number 9 May 2008 Inspection date Raminder Arora Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Infant Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 308 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Hornsey Chair Mr D Burke Headteacher 20 September 2004 Date of previous school inspection Ripley Road School address Hampton TW12 2JH 020 8979 1815 Telephone number 020 8941 8416 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 9 May 2008 Inspection date 308149 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and focused on the three main themes. First, the extent to which the outcomes within the 'every child matters' agenda supports pupils' progress and contributes to the good standards. Second, the effectiveness of the school in providing the right academic guidance to pupils; and third, ascertaining the monitoring role of the subject managers in driving up the standards. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, samples of pupils' work and scrutiny of main planning and monitoring documents. Parents' questionnaires and discussions with pupils, governors and staff also contributed to the judgements. Some observations and discussions were made about the quality of the other aspects of the school's work, but not in detail. The inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments as given in its evaluation were not justified, and these have

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Introduction

been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average, popular and over subscribed three-form entry school. The proportion of pupils taking a free school meal is below the national average. The number of pupils with learning difficulties, most of whom have social and emotional problems is below average, although the proportion with the statements of special educational needs is slightly above. The proportion of pupils from ethnic minorities is average, and a small number speak a language other than English. The school has the Active Mark and ICT quality Mark. Attendance is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Hampton Infant School and Nursery, 9 May 2008

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Grade: 2

Hampton Infant is a good school. One of several outstanding features is the way senior leaders and governors give a clear direction to the school. They have an excellent capacity to make further improvements. The headteacher inspires by his enthusiasm, and his ability to listen and establish professional and caring relationships holds the confidence of pupils, staff and parents. As one parent commented, 'The school seems to keep ahead of the game with exciting ideas, the staff's passion about the school really shows'. Parents overwhelmingly support the school and their involvement, recently praised, and graded as outstanding at the time of the last inspection, is a strong factor contributing to pupils' good standards. Pupils are extremely pleased to be in school. They are excited by the work that they do in lessons and make good progress from their individual starting points. Children enter the Foundation Stage with a range of skills, mostly above those expected for

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Grade: 2

their age. They are relatively less confident in the language and literacy area, particularly the writing and linking of sounds and letters. Very skilful teaching enables them to make good progress, and by the time they enter Year 1, the majority have exceeded the expected learning goals in most areas. Pupils continue to make good progress and by the age of seven, reach standards that are well above average. Mathematics is consistently a stronger performing subject while writing is the area that does relatively less well. Much of the teaching in mathematics is enhanced with very effective use of information, communication and technology (ICT). Raising standards in writing at all age levels is maintained as a priority, particularly the need to increase the number of pupils attaining higher levels by the end of Year 2. Pupils' achievement is good and this together with their strong personal skills means that they are

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Grade: 2

well prepared for their next school and continue learning. An excellent level of care, guidance and support supports pupils' outstanding personal development. Pupils feel safe in school and are confident that adults listen and act quickly when there are problems. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptionally strong. Pupils from all different backgrounds work and play together in harmony. They behave extremely well. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Pupils' have an excellent understanding of how to keep fit and healthy. They play an active role through the school council, as one member commented, 'we listen and make everyone happy'. Teaching and learning are consistently good. The senior leaders and the subject managers drive up standards through carefully monitoring pupils' performance in their subjects and taking effective actions on areas identified for improvement, for example greater emphasis on role-play

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Grade: 2

areas to strengthen pupils' literacy skills. Teachers take responsibility for not only maintaining and improving their own teaching, but also for enhancing the teaching and learning of others. This happens through joint planning and teaching as a team in the open plan set up. Teaching assistants are very experienced and make a good contribution to pupils' learning. The systems for monitoring pupils' performance are used effectively to plan work more precisely and set individual targets with pupils' involvement. The need to extend this facility and involve pupils more fully in reviewing and assessing their own learning has been recognised by the school. A very useful assessment portfolio highlights each pupil's progress over time covering all subject areas. The outstanding curriculum ensures very good opportunities to develop pupils' literacy, numeracy and computing skills with strong links across other subjects. A variety of popular and

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Grade: 2

interesting extra-curricular activities, including gardening and computer club, contribute well to pupils' positive attitudes. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Hampton Infant School and Nursery, 9 May 2008 The school maintains good standards through the headteacher, staff and governors working well together to identify how well the school is performing, securely basing their actions on evaluations. As a result pupils' above average standards are maintained successfully. The supportive governing body, led by a very able chair of governors contribute to this effectiveness through questioning and encouragement.

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Grade: 1

The stimulating environment both indoor and outdoor is outstanding and builds firm foundations for children's learning. The open plan teaching areas are well defined and resources thoughtfully organised to aid independence and promote children's confidence and self-esteem. Children are busily and purposefully engaged in the wide range of imaginative activities, well chosen to match their needs and interests. Teaching is consistently good with outstanding features. The staff have secure understanding of how young children learn. Children settle well and make good progress as a result. Teachers' planning includes focused activities where speaking and listening are actively encouraged, especially through role-play. Additionally, a skilfully taught language programme is successfully improving children's knowledge of the letter sounds. There is a good balance of teacher directed activities and those that children choose for themselves.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise the percentage of pupils attaining higher levels in writing.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all lessons engage pupils more fully in assessing their own learning and know what to do next to improve their work. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Hampton Infant School and Nursery, 9 May 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Hampton Infant School and Nursery, 9 May 2008

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Hampton Infant School and Nursery, 9 May 2008

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Hampton Infant School and Nursery, 9 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 May 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hampton Infant School and Nursery,Hampton,TW12 2JH Thank you for welcoming me to your school. You were all very helpful and polite. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at your work and speaking to you. It was good to find so many children who said that they like their school and think it is a great place to be. I agree with you. Your school is good with some excellent features. Most of you make good progress. I found children showing exemplary behaviour in and around the school. My working lunch with the school councillors was very helpful. They told me all about the enjoyable things that the teachers plan to make your lessons 'fun', and how well they look after you. I agree with them. Here are some more things I like about your school:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you enjoy the excellent range of clubs and activities

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ everyone, including you and your parents, works well together as a great big team and that means your school has tremendous opportunities to get even better ■ your headteacher, the governors and the senior staff lead the school well. They are very keen for all of you always to do your best. Here is what I have asked your headteacher, the staff and the school's governors to do to make your work even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help even more of you to achieve higher grades in writing

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ give you lots of opportunities to check your own work in lessons and see how well you are doing and what you need to do next. I hope that you will always enjoy your education as much as you do at Hampton. Yours sincerely Raminder Arora Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Hampton Infant School and Nursery, 9 May 2008

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