Hamp Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers provide a clear progression of skills in their teaching of reading so that pupils’ achievement is good
  • teachers make effective use of assessment information to set challenging tasks that enable the most able pupils to reach the higher standards, particularly in mathematics and reading.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management to raise pupils’ achievement by:
  • making sure that the curriculum provides pupils with clear opportunities to build on the skills they learn in English and mathematics
  • ensuring that middle leaders are equipped to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes in their subject areas
  • increasing pupils’ attendance further, particularly for those pupils who attend least well
  • carefully monitoring the impact of the new behaviour policy, making adjustments where necessary, so that pupils’ behaviour is good.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• In the past two years, there have been changes to the leadership of the school and also within the teaching staff. This resulted in a decline in pupils’ progress. The new headteacher is providing increased direction for staff, there is a renewed vision for the school and pupils’ engagement in learning is showing improvement.
• The Bridgwater College Trust recognised that teaching was not strong enough in early 2017. The trust provided extra support for the school, including the appointment of an executive headteacher, in the last academic year. During this time, developments in writing and mathematics have led to an increase in the progress pupils make by the end of Year 6. However, pupils’ progress in reading is yet to follow suit.
• The new headteacher has quickly gained an accurate view of the quality of teaching. She provides feedback to teachers that is helping them improve their practice quickly. Staff told inspectors that the feedback they receive tells them how to improve their practice, but also the reasons behind the changes. Although the quality of teaching is not yet consistently good, improvements which began during the past year have accelerated briskly since the headteacher’s arrival.
• In the past, middle leaders have had too little support and direction to help them develop their roles and improve the quality of teaching in their subject areas or phases. The support middle leaders have received from the headteacher and the trust recently is helping them to develop their leadership practice quickly. For example, the English leader’s actions are bringing about notable improvements in current pupils’ comprehension abilities, particularly in Year 6. However, middle leaders do not yet use the school’s assessment information to measure the success of their own work.
• The curriculum is wide ranging. However, too little attention has been given to ensuring that there is a sequence of skills that pupils can build on over their time at school. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to extend their essential learning in English and mathematics across other subjects. Leaders are developing and implementing new curriculum plans, but it is too soon to see the impact on pupils’ progress.
• The school’s provision for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is strong. Leaders are committed to providing a curriculum that extends pupils’ experience of life in modern Britain and raises their aspirations. Pupils take part in enterprise weeks, and benefit from a range of visitors and links with the local community.
• The sport premium is spent well. The leader in this area is knowledgeable and passionate about the role of sport and physical activity in promoting pupils’ health and well-being. The school has a commitment to making sure pupils are active during the day. The school runs a range of after-school sports clubs. Increasingly, the school is taking part in competitive events with other schools.
• Leaders know the barriers to learning for disadvantaged pupils at the school well. The spending of the pupil premium has ensured that disadvantaged pupils make progress that is similar or better than that of their peers in school by the end of Year 6. However, their progress is still below that of other pupils nationally, particularly in reading. The impact of learning and pastoral support for the disadvantaged pupils currently in the school is increasingly well monitored and evaluated. As a result, there is a sharper focus on meeting these pupils’ needs.
• Most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their different starting points. The leader for this area of the school’s work has a clear understanding of pupils’ needs and checks the impact of provision on their progress carefully.
• Increasingly, leaders are ensuring that teachers are held to account well for the progress pupils make in their classes. Staff training is closely focused on the school’s development needs. Teachers and other staff are very appreciative of the enhanced professional development opportunities now offered to them.

Governance of the school

• The strategic oversight and direction for the school is provided by the board of trustees and officers of the Bridgwater College Trust. Recently, the scheme of delegation of the trust has been revised. This has resulted in a clarification of lines of accountability within the trust. It is now clear that the board of trustees is responsible for the standards that pupils reach in the school.
• Officers of the trust have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They play a key role in holding school leaders to account for the standards pupils reach. Leaders’ effectiveness is monitored rigorously, and leaders are resolutely challenged about pupils’ progress by trust officers. As a result, the standards pupils reach, and the progress they make, are improving.
• The board of the academy trust delegates some functions to the school’s local governing body. In the past 18 months, there have been considerable changes within the local governing body. A new experienced chair of governors and many new governors have been appointed. Changes to the governing body have bolstered leadership capacity. Consequently, governors’ challenge to school leaders about the standards that pupils reach has increased.
• Governors have made sure that the additional funding for primary sport and disadvantaged pupils is spent appropriately.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding is at the heart of the school’s work. There is a strong and very knowledgeable safeguarding team. Their training is up to date. The safeguarding team meet regularly to consider the needs of pupils who may be at risk. The safeguarding team is rigorous in following up the actions of their own team and those of external agencies.
• The work of the safeguarding team is monitored closely by officers of the trust. The trust board and the school’s local governing body receive regular safeguarding reports. Any follow-up actions are put in place very briskly.
• The safeguarding team makes sure all staff training is up to date. Safeguarding leaders check that staff understand the training they receive. Weekly updates ensure that all staff have all the information they need. As a result, adults, including, for example, placement students from the local college, know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil.
• Safer recruitment practices are up to date and in line with current legislation.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and enjoy school. Their parents and carers agree. Parents of pupils who have joined the school from other settings comment very positively on the school’s ethos and approach to safeguarding.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistently good. However, it is improving rapidly because teachers now receive accurate feedback that helps to develop their practice. Teachers value this feedback and they appreciate the professional development opportunities that are improving their teaching.
• Over time, teaching has not enabled pupils to make good progress by the end of Year 6. Improvements in teaching have led to stronger progress in writing and mathematics. However, this has not yet been replicated in reading. The teaching of reading has not, until recently, enabled pupils to develop their skills effectively so that they can achieve well at the end of Year 6. For example, pupils have learned little beyond basic retrieval skills when analysing a text. However, recent changes in the teaching of reading are making a marked difference to pupils’ understanding and progress, particularly in Year 6.
• Pupils who have weaker reading skills have not caught up quickly. Although pupils read to an adult in school, there has been too much reliance on pupils selecting appropriate texts themselves. This has resulted in some pupils reading books that do not challenge them or extend their understanding.
• The teaching of mathematics is improving. Developments last year in the teaching of reasoning and understanding in mathematics mean that pupils’ problem-solving and reasoning skills are now better developed. Pupils’ understanding is improving because they are encouraged to think about how to explain their reasoning. However, these changes are not consistent yet in all classes. Scrutiny of the most able pupils’ work indicates that the level of challenge for some of these pupils is not well matched to their needs in mathematics.
• Many teachers use questioning to draw out and extend pupils’ learning well. Where practice is strong, teachers helpfully model their thought processes aloud to pupils. This helps pupils think about and articulate their learning in more depth and is improving current pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Over time, teachers have not made use of checks on pupils’ prior learning to inform planning well enough. Previous assessment systems did not help teachers and leaders focus clearly enough on the progress pupils need to make across the school. The school’s current assessment system provides teachers and leaders with information that helps them plan learning that is closely matched to pupils’ needs. Early evidence of its impact can be seen in the improvements in reading for current pupils, particularly in upper key stage 2.
• Pupils with SEND receive teaching that is matched closely to their needs. Teachers make use of pupils’ individual education plans to make sure the strategies, resources and support that pupils receive in class are appropriate. As a result, many of these pupils make good progress from their starting points. Learning support assistants in the classrooms provide good support to pupils with SEND, including those pupils with social and emotional needs.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Most pupils are keen to learn and want to improve their work. School leaders have a good understanding of the barriers to learning that some pupils face. The school’s support for pupils and their families is helping to improve vulnerable pupils’ attendance and attitudes to learning. In particular, the support provided by pastoral staff is appreciated by both pupils and their parents.
• The school works closely with external agencies to support pupils’ well-being. Leaders and governors have prioritised funding for a range of interventions to meet pupils’ emotional needs.
• Pupils say they feel safe at school. Parents agree.
• Pupils told inspectors clearly that they know who to speak to if they have a worry or concern. Pupils understand the different types of bullying and they say that it doesn’t happen often. Pupils say that adults deal with issues when they arise. Pupils know what cyber bullying is and what to do to keep themselves safe online.
• Although leaders record incidents of poor behaviour, including the few incidents of bullying, these are not yet linked to the school’s system for raising concerns about a pupil. Therefore, it is more difficult for leaders to identify quickly any trends or patterns in pupils’ behaviour.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Although most pupils behave well, occasionally, a few pupils can distract others from their learning.
• In lessons and around the school, the vast majority of pupils listen carefully and respond quickly to adults’ requests. Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors. For example, they greet visitors politely and hold doors open.
• Pupils are very clear that the new headteacher listens to them. They say that she is making her high expectations of behaviour well known. Pupils say she is firm but fair.
• The new behaviour policy is understood by pupils. There is early evidence of its impact in the reduction of fixed-term exclusions in this academic year. However, leaders have not yet been able to monitor its effectiveness and look for changes in any patterns or trends in pupil behaviour.
• School leaders follow up incidents of poor behaviour effectively. As a result of the school’s work, including that of pastoral staff, pupils at risk of exclusion are being successfully reintegrated into school life.
• Pupils’ attendance is below the national average. However, the school’s work with families is reducing pupils’ absence. For example, a termly attendance letter shows all parents how well their child is attending. The letter celebrates high attendance, as well as pointing out the educational risks of poor attendance. It has been well received by parents. The attendance of those pupils who are absent most often, including those who are also disadvantaged, is improving, but it is still too low.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is below average. This has been the case for the past two years.
• In 2018, standards have risen in writing and mathematics. However, the numbers of pupils reaching the expected standard for their age in reading has not increased.
• Pupils’ progress in 2018 in writing and mathematics has improved so that it is now in line with the national average at the end of Year 6. However, pupils’ progress in reading has continued to be significantly below that of pupils nationally.
• The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is below that of other pupils nationally. However, the progress of disadvantaged pupils currently in the school is improving steadily.
• The proportion of pupils working at a higher standard for their age at the end of Year 6 has risen in reading, writing and mathematics. In writing, more pupils are able to write at a higher standard for their age than Year 6 pupils nationally.
• The work in pupils’ books shows that the progress of current pupils in all year groups has improved and is continuing to rise. Pupils in Year 3 and Year 4, in particular, are making stronger progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because teachers are planning work that better matches pupils’ needs.
• Leaders and teachers have been quick to identify that younger pupils’ knowledge of phonics was not strong enough to help them to read accurately and fluently. As a result of a new approach to phonics teaching, pupils’ progress in reading has accelerated and pupils who were falling behind in the past are now catching up.
• Current pupils with SEND are making good progress from their different starting points. This is because their needs are identified and addressed well. Learning support assistants are skilled in supporting these pupils.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139717 Somerset 10058325 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 341 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Andy Berry Sarah Hitchings 01278 424600 www.hampacademy.co.uk office@hampacademy.somerset.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21–22 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school is a sponsored academy in a multi-academy trust, the Bridgwater College Trust.
• There are three classes in each year group. The school is slightly larger than most primary schools.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for support from the additional pupil premium funding is double the national average.
• The number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is higher than the national average.
• Under the scheme of delegation of the Bridgwater College Trust, the board of trustees is responsible for the standards pupils reach at the school. The board delegates some functions to the school’s local governing body. The headteacher is responsible for the management of the school. Trust officers provide support to the school, including from the trust’s school improvement team.
• The headteacher took up her post in July 2018.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classes across the school to observe pupils’ learning.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about their learning and looked at their work with them. Together, inspectors and school leaders looked at pupils’ work in a range of subjects. Inspectors observed and spoke with pupils at breaktimes and lunchtimes and as they moved around the school. They met formally with groups of pupils to hear their views on school life. They also listened to some pupils read.
• Inspectors met with school leaders, including middle leaders. They also spoke with representatives of the trust board, including the chair of the board. Inspectors met with the trust’s chief executive officer, director of education, and head of training and staff development.
• Inspectors met with a group of staff to gather their views and considered 28 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including pupils’ progress information, and records of the monitoring of teaching and learning and staff development.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s policies and procedures relating to safeguarding. They met with those responsible for the upkeep of the school’s single central record and for the safer recruitment of staff. They met with the school’s safeguarding team and spoke with pupils and staff about this aspect of the school’s work.
• Inspectors sought the views of parents by meeting them at the school gate, and by considering the 12 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey, Parent View, and the free-text comments received. Inspectors considered 219 responses to the school’s own survey to parents in November 2018.

Inspection team

Sarah O’Donnell, lead inspector Emma Jelley Patricia Dodds Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector