Hamstreet Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils look forward to coming to school each day. They enjoy their busy days, which are filled with opportunities to learn, be creative and get active. They recognise the ambitions that staff have for them and work hard to achieve them in lessons and around the school.

Pupils appreciate the wide and varied opportunities they have through an enriched curriculum offer and a well-thought-out learning environment. Pupils are keen to share their learning from 'enterprise week', when they design and make items to sell to raise money. They are looking forward to helping to decide which new books to buy for their school library.

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Parents and carers are compliment...ary about the wide range of activities, trips and sports on offer. They like the community feel that the school has.

Year 6 pupils talk enthusiastically about their residential trip to Paris, where they were able to speak the French they had learned in lessons.

Pupils behave well and are proud of their inclusive school. They explain what it means to be a good friend.

They are able to define bullying, know where to go for support and trust the adults will help them sort things out. Bullying happens rarely, and if it does, adults quickly help. Pupils feel safe in school.

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

Leaders are ambitious in their expectations for all pupils. The curriculum has been developed by leaders across the trust to realise these aspirations from the early years upwards. Leaders have thought carefully about how to support and challenge pupils in mixed-age classes so they can achieve well.

They have developed detailed plans that support pupils to build knowledge and skills well over time.

Subject leaders check that the implementation of the curriculum is effective and helps pupils to know and remember more. There is further work to do because some leaders are new to the role.

Leaders also recognise that assessment does not yet fully identify gaps in pupils' knowledge in the foundation subjects. To ensure pupils' progress is not slowed, leaders are reviewing assessment so that it helps to shape pupils' learning by building on what they already know.

Learning is adapted where needed so that all pupils learn the curriculum well, with appropriate support provided where required.

This ensures that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, learn successfully.

Children get off to a great start in the early years, where leaders have made learning to read a priority. Staff have been trained well and teach the phonics scheme in line with leaders' high expectations.

They regularly check to make sure that all are keeping up. Effective support is quickly put in place for those who are not. Teachers provide plenty of stories and rhymes in the early years, and quality texts are used across the school to enrich the curriculum.

Reading environments in classrooms across the school are well resourced and inviting. This has improved pupils' engagement and interest in books and reading for pleasure. Pupils read well and with confidence.

Leaders are proud of their inclusive school. Their provision for pupils' personal development is a particular strength of the school. Adults have built positive, caring relationships with pupils.

Pupils show respect, care and tolerance towards others. There are a range of opportunities for pupils to take responsibility in school, which develops their leadership qualities. The school council allow pupils' voices to be heard and changes to be made.

Pupils enjoy a number of lunchtime and after-school clubs. These include knitting, puzzles and games, cricket and netball.

From the start, in early years, pupils are taught the rules and routines, which are linked to the school's 'PROUD' values of 'positive, respectful, outstanding, understanding and determined'.

Pupils and staff know what is expected and most pupils listen well in lessons and respond quickly to adult instructions. Adults calmly and patiently give time and space to pupils who need support to manage their own behaviour. Playtimes and lunchtimes are enjoyable, social occasions.

Pupils play sensibly and enjoy the opportunity to be active and play with their friends.

Parents are warmly welcomed at a number of events, including parent workshops, coffee mornings and open afternoons. School leaders appreciate this positive partnership and aim for it to be strengthened.

Staff in school speak positively about the wealth of training opportunities given to them, including the support from the trust. Staff say that they feel valued and that leaders consider their workload and well-being. Trustees have a good understanding of the school's strengths and challenges and hold leaders to account effectively.

Staff and trustees say that they feel proud to be part of the school community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding processes are robust.

Staff know their safeguarding responsibilities and fulfil them well. Staff are trained to recognise the signs that pupils or their families may need help. Staff record any concerns in a timely manner and leaders act quickly to get the right support.

The curriculum helps pupils to know how to keep themselves safe. They learn about online safety and how to identify and manage risk. Pupils feel safe because they trust the adults will listen to them and help them if they have any concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Subject leadership is at an early stage of development. Subject leaders have been unable to monitor the quality of teaching in their subjects of responsibility as fully as they would wish, due to being new to role. Leaders should continue to provide the training and support needed to ensure that subject leaders develop their roles to ensure that the curriculum is delivered as they intend.

• Staff are not yet using assessment procedures consistently in the foundation subjects to support the teaching of the curriculum in these areas. This hinders pupils' learning overall. Leaders need to ensure that staff have the knowledge and confidence to use assessment to inform teaching and embed pupils' knowledge in the foundation subjects systematically.

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