Hamp Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Hamp Academy has a calm and orderly atmosphere. Pupils are respectful and polite to one another. They enjoy learning in a caring environment and listen well to their teachers.

Staff encourage pupils to think about others and the difference they can make through their actions. Pupils of all ages know and understand what it means to stay safe at school and in the community.

Leaders and staff create an environment where pupils feel listened to and valued.

They promote pupils' health and well-being effectively, including for those with additional needs.

Leaders have designed a curriculum that enables pupils to aim high and learn well. They focus strongly... on pupils' personal development.

Pupils talk knowledgeably about important issues, such as diversity and equality. They challenge any form of discrimination and judge no one.

Staff have high expectations for how pupils behave.

Pupils know how to behave and understand right from wrong. Lessons flow smoothly with little disruption to learning. Bullying is rare.

Pupils say staff deal with it quickly when they report a problem. Parents and carers support the school's work. They praise the dedication and commitment of staff.

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

Leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils to succeed and to thrive emotionally and socially. Leaders are redesigning the curriculum. They have prioritised English and mathematics.

In mathematics, pupils have many opportunities to develop their understanding of number and reasoning. Older pupils recall previous knowledge to learn new concepts. This helps them solve complex mathematical problems.

In most subjects, pupils progress through the curriculum well because they build knowledge in an order that makes sense. For example, in science and computing, leaders have put together well-designed and sequenced curriculums. This ensures that pupils know and remember more over time.

However, this does not happen as well in some curriculum areas.

Where subjects are less well developed, leaders have not identified precisely enough what pupils need to know and by when. In geography and history, for example, pupils do not always remember and use the technical skills and knowledge they have been taught before.

Consequently, pupils have a less secure foundation on which to build and deepen the next steps in their learning.

The school's reading programme is effective. The youngest pupils decode words and develop fluency in reading successfully.

The books they read are well matched to the sounds they are learning. Leaders use assessment effectively to check the progress that pupils make. As a result, pupils who are at risk of falling behind have the necessary support to help them to keep up.

Teachers choose class texts that are varied and broaden pupils' knowledge and interests. They encourage pupils to read widely. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the way teachers, 'take you to another place and bring the characters alive' in their daily reading sessions.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Leaders include pupils fully in the school curriculum. Staff provide tailored support to enable pupils to learn confidently and successfully.

Leaders regularly check the support pupils receive to make sure it is effective.

Pupils learn to be thoughtful, inclusive citizens of modern Britain. They learn about world religions and how to appreciate differences.

Through the curriculum, pupils understand what makes a positive relationship. They talk confidently about diversity, equality and the importance of consent. Pupils told us, 'it is okay to be different at Hamp.'

Pupils know how to look after their physical and mental health. They have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships.

Staff are proud to work at Hamp Academy.

They appreciate how leaders consider staff's workload. Staff, including school leaders, feel well supported. They benefit from the shared training that being part of the trust provides.

Governors know the school well and understand their responsibilities. They provide effective support and challenge for improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff understand it is everyone's responsibility to keep pupils safe. Training enables them to identify pupils who may be at risk. Staff are vigilant of safeguarding risks, including those specific to the local area.

They use the school's procedures to report concerns.

Leaders identify when pupils and families need additional help. They act quickly to provide the support that pupils and families need.

The computing curriculum ensures that pupils know what to do if they experience any harassment or abuse online. Pupils talk confidently about how to stay safe outside of school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, leaders' curriculum design is not as effective as others.

Teachers do not always build on what pupils know and can do in a systematic way. This means that pupils' do not know and remember as much as they could. Leaders need to ensure that there is a well-sequenced curriculum in all subjects so that pupils build on prior learning and deepen their understanding.

• In some subjects, leaders' use of assessment is not well developed. As a result, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that assessments systems check what pupils know and remember of the intended curriculum.

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