Hanham Abbots Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming and inclusive school. The school's values of enjoyment, respect, perseverance, responsibility and independence are an integral part of school life.

They help guide pupils to make the right choices in lessons, such as not giving up and listening carefully.

Pupils develop positive attitudes towards each other and adults alike. They feel safe and well cared for.

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils' learning and behaviour. Pupils understand and follow the school's 'be ready, be respectful, be safe' rules. Bullying is rare.

Pupils are confident in the ability of adults to sort out any issues if needed.<...br/>
Leaders place great importance on pupils' personal development. Pupils have a well-rounded understanding of diversity and equality.

They say that school teaches them to 'accept everyone for who they are' regardless of difference. Pupils enjoy the 'star of the week' assembly, where staff celebrate their achievements in and out of school. Many clubs help to broaden pupils' interests, such as gymnastics and judo.

Parents and carers are pleased about the education their children receive. Many commented positively on how the school went 'above and beyond' with their response to remote education.

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

Leaders have raised expectations of what pupils can and should achieve, notably in English and mathematics.

They have carefully sequenced learning so that pupils build up knowledge and skills over time. Teachers recap and revisit the most important learning to make sure that knowledge sticks. Pupils say that this helps to build their confidence and understanding.

Leaders ensure there is a sharp focus on reading. Staff benefit from regular and effective phonics training within the federation. They use assessment well to pinpoint pupils who need extra help.

Pupils struggling to master phonics receive specialist teaching. These sessions help to build their reading fluency and accuracy. Pupils speak positively about reading.

They identify how the school's 'echo reading' approach improves their expressive reading skills.

Changes to the federation leadership have brought about positive improvements to the school. Leaders' work to strengthen the wider curriculum is well underway.

They have mapped out the specific content and knowledge they expect pupils to know, remember and revisit in some subjects. However, this is not yet the case across the whole curriculum. Where subjects are less well developed, such as geography, pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge they should.

Consequently, their understanding of important concepts is patchy. Leaders recognise this and have plans in place to develop the curriculum further. The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the implementation of their work.

Teachers carry out regular checks to see how well pupils are learning. These are most effective in English and mathematics. However, in some other subjects, teachers are not always clear about what knowledge to assess.

This means they do not precisely know if pupils have remembered the most important content.

Leaders provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Well-trained staff identify pupils' barriers to learning promptly.

They put in place the right support to meet pupils' specific needs. Staff carefully consider support for pupils with social and emotional difficulties. This is successful in helping these pupils to manage their emotions.

Leaders set high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils understand the importance of the school's rules and happily abide by them. Lessons typically flow without interruption.

Leaders provide a well-designed programme to support pupils' wider development. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and the dangers of drug and substance misuse. Older pupils are not afraid to challenge racism and discrimination.

They are proud to belong to a school community that welcomes and values everyone.

Governors share the ambitions of school leaders. They are knowledgeable about what is going well and what needs further improvement.

Governors meet regularly with leaders, including subject leaders, to find out how the school is developing. Staff value the training they receive to develop their teaching expertise.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. They ensure that all staff are well trained to be vigilant. Staff are confident in reporting any concerns.

Leaders make swift decisions to support families in need of help. Governors work with leaders to check the effectiveness of the school's record-keeping and recruitment procedures.

Pupils learn about ways to stay safe through the curriculum.

They know not to share personal details online and how to stay safe when riding their bikes.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some of the wider curriculum subjects, leaders have not mapped out the precise sequence of knowledge that pupils should learn, remember and revisit over time. On occasions, this stops pupils from making the progress they should through the curriculum.

Leaders must ensure that they continue their work to implement a well-planned curriculum across all subjects. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. It is clear from the leaders' actions that they are in the process of bringing about the necessary improvements.

• In subjects other than English and mathematics, assessment is underdeveloped. Teachers are not always clear about what to assess to check how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. Leaders need to secure the use of assessment, so they know how well pupils are learning the curriculum in all subjects.

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