Hampton Lakes Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They know they are well cared for and valued. In return, pupils are kind and respectful.

Everyone is made to feel welcome and included. Pupils benefit from the strong sense of community embedded in the school's ethos. Pupils quickly forge strong bonds of friendship.

School is therefore a safe and harmonious place in which to learn.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are all supported by staff who want them to do well. Pupils access a broad and engaging curriculum.

Some subjects are taught by specialist teachers, such as art and modern foreign languages, which deepens ...pupils' knowledge. Even though the school has grown rapidly in terms of pupil and staff numbers, it has managed quickly and effectively to establish clear learning routines and expectations. Pupils follow these well from the outset.

The school offers a range of clubs and trips to broaden pupils' experiences. Pupils can try cheerleading, football, dance, musical theatre and basketball. There are train trips to London to visit landmarks and museums.

Older pupils look forward to a residential visit. Good use is made of links with the feeder secondary school for curriculum enrichment, for example in science.

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

The school opened four years ago and has quickly established a well-crafted curriculum from early years upwards.

As a growing school, many new staff have joined the team at various stages. Staff value the training and support they receive to do their job well. Knowledgeable subject leaders continuously ensure all staff understand the curriculum content and how to deliver it.

Staff check to see how well pupils can recall prior learning. This means that pupils are being taught the key knowledge they need to know, at the right time, and can remember it.

However, some staff across the school are not always using checks on learning to adapt activities precisely enough to what pupils need to learn next.

This means some pupils are not having their learning extended to maximise what they are capable of to achieve more highly.

In Nursery and Reception, children are taught how to listen, take turns and share. Many develop their use of language and mathematics as planned.

Staff in early years are clear as to what children need to learn to be sufficiently prepared for Year 1. They use this to ensure gaps in children's knowledge are addressed in the learning activities on offer. This is starting to have a positive impact.

The school provides staff with specialist advice to support pupils with SEND. Successful adjustments to activities and provision are made so that pupils with SEND engage well in their learning. Staff ensure that specialist advice for these pupils is acted upon.

Additional support and interventions are put in place to help all pupils who have gaps in their knowledge catch up. As a result, most pupils with SEND achieve well at this school. However, while pupils with SEND are set specific targets to fill gaps, there is not always sufficient precision as to how these targets are to be met in the short term.

This results in a few pupils not achieving as well as they could quickly enough.

Children start learning to read in Nursery, and this reading knowledge builds well through to Reception. Children in early years are currently reading sounds they should know for their age.

The school has very recently introduced a new phonics programme. This is already improving how well these pupils can read. Most pupils have a secure grasp of reading by the end of Year 2.

This is because they are practising their reading daily with books matched to their ability. Older pupils also rehearse reading skills regularly, so most are fluent and confident readers.

Pupils behave well at this school.

Lessons are not disrupted. A small number of pupils with SEND have provision appropriately adapted so they are usually well regulated. Staff have benefited from training to support behaviour for pupils with specific needs.

Leaders are aware that staff need the most up-to-date behaviour management knowledge.

There is a well-designed personal development curriculum in place. Pupils are taught how to stay safe online and around water in the locality.

They know about the risks of drugs and unhealthy eating. They are provided with moral guidance through assembly topics on respect, empathy and telling the truth. Elections to the school council, 'Lake Leaders', gives pupils an awareness of democracy.

They understand different religions. Older pupils are prepared for adolescence through relationships education. Strong links with the feeder secondary school also prepare them well for their next steps in education.

Trustees and governors know the school well. The trust ably supports the governing board members to hold leaders to account and to be effective in carrying out their statutory duties.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On some occasions, staff do not adapt lessons precisely enough. This means that for some pupils, there are missed opportunities to extend and develop their learning further or to fill gaps as quickly as possible. The school needs to ensure that staff know how to adapt learning to precisely meet the specific learning needs in their class so pupils fully meet the ambitious curriculum aims and achieve as highly as they can.

A few pupils with SEND do not have precise enough learning targets set for them to achieve their short-term goals. This hinders how well these pupils can maximise the learning opportunities offered to them. Leaders need to ensure staff have additional training on how to best deliver the bespoke targets for these specific pupils so they make as much progress as possible.

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