Haberdashers’ Hatcham Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are exceedingly proud to attend this school.

They enjoy learning and try their best in lessons. The school's curriculum teaches pupils about key values including kindness, integrity and equality. Throughout the year, pupils study a book linked to each of these core values.

They discuss how they can demonstrate each value in their own lives. Pupils put this learning into practice through taking part in a variety of community projects.

The behaviour of pupils is exemplary.

Pupils encourage each other to behave well and be respectful. Some pupils take roles as 'Fight Against Bullying' ambassadors. They help pupils to make friends and play togethe...r nicely.

As a result, bullying is rare and never tolerated.

The school's curriculum is broad and highly ambitious. In the classroom, teachers expertly introduce new learning and topics for discussion.

Over time, pupils build a rich tapestry of knowledge. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive excellent support to access the curriculum alongside their classmates.

The trust uses its business networks to provide further opportunities for the personal development of pupils.

For example, pupils in Year 5 take part in a trust-wide 'Dragon's Den' enterprise project. These opportunities contribute greatly to pupils' confidence and character development.

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

School leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils.

The school's curriculum is very well thought out. Subject leaders have meticulously mapped out the key knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary and skills they want pupils to learn and when they should learn it. They have identified common misconceptions that pupils may have.

Teachers routinely address these through the curriculum. As a result, pupils experience a very well-organised sequence of learning.

Teachers are experts in the subjects they deliver.

They use skilful questioning to check what pupils know and can remember from previous lessons. New vocabulary is introduced with care. Teachers ensure that pupils have fully learned each new concept before moving on.

This means that pupils are able to remember accurately what they have learned in the long term. Teachers at the school benefit from subject networks within the trust. This further develops their teaching skills and subject knowledge.

The school has introduced a systematic synthetic phonics programme. This programme is taught from the start of Reception. In whole-class phonics sessions, adults model sounds with accuracy.

Typically, in phonics lessons, pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds they have learned. The school identifies quickly pupils who fall behind the phonics programme. However, additional reading sessions for these pupils are not sharply focused on the decoding and blending strategies that would best support them.

Some books given to weaker readers contain words that they are not able to decode. This limits their opportunity to use their phonics knowledge when reading new words.

In the early years, adults help pupils to develop their language and communication skills.

Children explore and build their understanding of the world and develop their creativity with increasing independence through well-planned learning opportunities. Outdoor spaces are well-resourced and have a clear learning purpose. At times, conversations between children and adults do not develop children's speaking and listening skills as routinely.

School staff take the time to get to know pupils and their families well when they join the school. This helps the school to identify pupils with SEND quickly. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is high.

The school offers effective support to the families of pupils who struggle to attend school regularly.

The behaviour of pupils is excellent. The school helps pupils to establish healthy habits and routines that encourage positive behaviour from the early years.

Pupils listen well to their teachers. All pupils, including pupils with SEND, are taught to understand and manage their own behaviour and emotions. This helps to foster pupils' self-control and develop their compassion for the feelings of others.

Pupils are encouraged to develop a keen sense of responsible citizenship. Some pupils take on roles as school eco-warriors. They help to keep the school environment litter-free and encourage recycling.

During science week, pupils across the school learn about sustainability. Last year, pupils in Year 3 and 4 learned about sustainable transport with a professional engineer. Children in the Nursery and Reception learned about the environmental importance of bees and other pollinators.

Pupils of all ages take part in trust-wide leadership and careers-centred workshops and trips.

Staff at all levels of the school are happy here. Leaders recognise the demands placed on staff and work hard to promote their well-being.

The school's governing body and trust advisers take staff workload and welfare into account when making whole-school decisions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The support for the weakest readers does not ensure they get ample practice in using phonics to develop decoding and blending skills.

Too often, questions from adults distract pupils from their practice of decoding skills. Pupils who struggle to decode and blend read some books that are not fully decodable. Leaders should ensure that support for the weakest readers is focused on building pupils' phonics knowledge to decode and blend securely so that all pupils gain reading fluency and confidence quickly.