Hempshill Hall Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 January 2025

Pupils flourish at this welcoming school. They enjoy learning in an atmosphere of 'happiness, harmony and success'. Pupils like coming to school and they build strong friendships with each other. Relationships between pupils and staff are based on trust. Pupils are confident that if they have any concerns, staff will listen and help them. This helps pupils to feel safe. The school has high expectations of all pupils. Pupils enjoy a broad and ambitious curriculum. They behave well. They are familiar with the routines and consistent expectations shared by staff and typically show positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils achieve well. Pupils value and celebrate the diversity of the school population and the many languages that are spoken. They understand and appreciate difference. Through their 'helping hands', pupils make valuable contributions to the school and local community. The pupil parliament plays an active role in making the school playground a happy place to be. Pupils develop their sense of responsibility and knowledge of road safety when walking the school dog, Pretzel. They demonstrate lovely manners during 'family service' at lunchtimes. These occasions nurture pupils' social skills towards each other and adults and help everyone to feel like they belong.

What the school should improve

• In a small minority of subjects, the school has not precisely identified the key disciplinary knowledge and skills that pupils must learn. In addition, it has not determined the best way to deliver the curriculum content so that pupils retain important information. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not develop a secure understanding of the important knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers know exactly what they need to teach in each subject, and how to convey this information effectively, so that pupils remember the key knowledge and achieve well.
• Checks of what pupils know and understand are not consistent in some subjects. In these subjects, occasionally, staff do not identify pupils' knowledge gaps or misconceptions. Consequently, some pupils' learning is not secure. The school should ensure that teachers check pupils' knowledge and understanding closely and resolve any misunderstandings swiftly, so that pupils can move on to the next stage.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)