Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at Hambleton. A pupil said, 'Teachers make learning fun.' Pupils are proud to attend this school.

They are caring, welcoming and respectful to everyone. Parents who responded to Ofsted's Parent View questionnaire were overwhelmingly positive that pupils were safe and happy at the school.

Pupils can describe how the school's zoned behaviour system works.

They think it is fair that there is a warning before pupils move down a zone. Pupils play cooperatively at lunchtime, sharing equipment and making up games. Pup...ils across the school can clearly define bullying.

They know if it happens to tell an adult and they will sort it out for them.

There are many opportunities for pupils to be leaders in school and to contribute to their community. Pupils in key stage 2 become buddies to early years children to help and support them when they first start school.

Pupils have grown their own tomatoes, sold them and then donated the money to improve the schools Rainbow Reflection Garden. The school has strong links with a local care home and made gifts for them at Christmas. Pupils get many opportunities to reflect on their own beliefs through their daily collective worship.

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

Leaders have created a curriculum structure that is bespoke to Hambleton. They have considered how each subject builds year on year so that pupils are always making links in their learning. For example, in computing Year 1, pupils learn to create simple programmes, in Year 3, pupils design and debug programs that simulate virtual events, and, in Year 5 ,they design, input and test a complex set of instructions to programme a device.

Assessment in the foundation subjects is currently being developed. Leaders want to develop a system that is manageable and does not create extra work for teachers.

Leaders have made very recent changes to the way in which phonics is being taught.

They have bought a new scheme and know it will take time to embed. All staff have had some training to use the new scheme. However, teachers do not currently have all the resources required to deliver the scheme as effectively as it should be.

Children start learning phonics from their first day in the Little Owls class. Teachers are adapting the length of the phonics sessions as they build pupils confidence in the new routines of the scheme. Teachers read to pupils every day.

Older pupils spoke with confidence about their class novels and how these books helped them improve their own reading and writing skills.

The mathematics curriculum at Hambleton has been significantly developed over the last three years. Leaders have ensured that staff have good subject knowledge in order to improve the delivery of the subject.

The mathematics scheme is well established within the school and is implemented from early years to Year 6. This ensures that there is consistency in the mental strategies and written procedures pupils use. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported with resources or adjusted tasks.

Pupils know that if they are finding a particular aspect of mathematics tricky, the teacher will explain the concept again. Pupils who need more practice in basic mathematic skills are identified by the teachers. Interventions are then mapped out in every year group to ensure that these pupils catch up quickly.

Leaders ensure there are many opportunities for pupils to foster their personal development. For example, singing with Opera North, understanding trade and economics, visiting universities, being a member of the school Eco group, Fairtrade Banana Bunch or a Worship Warrior. Year 6 pupils become Hambleton Young Leaders.

They have collected food for the local food bank and raised money for several charities. Leaders are using a scheme to teach personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationship and sex education. This scheme includes units on preventing sexual harassment and consent.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the school offered a wide range of extra-curricular clubs like drama, art, chess, Spanish and sport.

The members of the governing body are rigorous in holding leaders to account. They established a pupil progress monitoring group to challenge the headteacher about pupils' assessment results.

They do this to ensure they have a secure understanding of the progress pupils are making. Governors have allocated a governor to be responsible for staff well-being. This ensures that workload and well-being remain a high priority among the leadership team.

Alongside the governors, the local authority and diocese have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. They know that leaders take effective action to address any actions they recommend.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders will ask for advice from external partners when they identify a safeguarding concern. However, leaders often find the concern does not meet the threshold for external agency involvement. To address this, leaders have employed an emotional literacy support assistant, trained staff in social and emotional well-being approaches, invested in a new PSHE scheme and used resources from a children's mental health charity.

Pupils know to share any worries with adults in school. Pupils were confident in explaining how to stay safe online. They know not to share personal information or to answer telephone calls from unknown numbers.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff are getting to know the structure of a new phonics scheme, recently introduced by leaders. This means there are some small inconsistencies in phonics teaching. All staff have received some training.

Leaders have identified further support for individuals. Leaders should ensure consistency of practise as staff embed the new system. ? Leaders do not have a fully developed assessment system across all the foundation subjects.

Leaders are mindful of reducing staff workload and want to ensure that the procedure is manageable. Leaders should decide what information is recorded and then ensure that it is being used to inform future planning.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2012.

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