Hammond School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Hammond is a good school where outcomes for pupils are outstanding. This is because their academic achievement is good and many aspects of their personal development are excellent, including the extent to which pupils feel safe, their understanding of a healthy lifestyle, their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and also their behaviour.

Many of these aspects are outstanding because of the school's excellent safeguarding and the outstanding care, guidance and support the school provides for its pupils. Pupils, staff, parents and carers are very positive about all aspects of the school. The following comments sum up well the views of parents and carers: 'The school provides a wonderful e...nvironment for my child to not just learn academics but social skills to launch her into the adult world' and 'Well done to the whole team, including all the children!' Since the previous inspection, there have been many improvements, including behaviour, which is outstanding, and attendance, which is high.

Attainment in English has remained high and that in mathematics is above average, having recovered from a dip in 2010. Progress has improved in all years in both English and mathematics and is good, with no significant difference in progress between girls and boys. Teaching has also improved and is good, with some that is outstanding, but also some that is satisfactory.

Currently, the best practice in teaching is not being shared well enough. In addition, in some lessons, teachers do not check often enough with pupils how well they are learning and how well they can improve their work. The curriculum is good and literacy is embedded particularly well within other subject areas.

However, the embedding of numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) is not quite as good. Because of these aspects, attainment overall is not as high as it could be, nor progress rising as fast as it could. Although the headteacher has been in post for a relatively short time, he is already instrumental in beginning to accelerate improvements.

Staff are very positive and it is clear that they want the best for the pupils. They are firmly behind the drive to raise attainment and improve the quality of learning and teaching. The school's monitoring and evaluation are becoming more rigorous and the school knows its strengths and areas for development well.

Monitoring of teaching and learning has brought about clear improvements. However, the role of subject leaders is not developed enough; some are not sufficiently effective in the monitoring of learning and progress in their areas. As a result, the rise in progress is not as fast as it might be.

Despite this, the fact that the school has made good improvements in so many areas indicates that the capacity to improve even further is good. Because of the outstanding outcomes for its pupils, the school's value for money is excellent.

Information about the school

Hammond Community Junior School is larger than average.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is much lower than average. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and of pupils who speak English as an additional language are lower than average. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have a statement of special educational needs, is also lower than average.

The school has many awards including Healthy School status for the promotion of healthy lifestyles. There is a breakfast club. Since the previous inspection, there have been changes in staffing, including the headteacher who has been in post since September 2010.

Also at this postcode