Students 'bubble over with enthusiasm' at small and 'unique' Hambledon Primary School

Hambledon Primary School, located in Church Lane, Hambledon, has received a good report card following its recent Ofsted inspection which took place on March 18 and 19 of this year.

The inspection outlined that students behave well and they are ‘polite and respectful’.

The report said: “Pupils bubble over with enthusiasm about the warm welcome everyone receives at this school.

“For most subjects, this important knowledge is sequenced to build pupils’ understanding in a sensible order over time, although this is something that needs to be finished for the early years.

“The school carefully identifies exactly what pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) need to learn to achieve their individual targets.”

The school has designed a ‘broad and ambitious’ curriculum and teachers want students to ‘love reading’.

From the start of reception, children discover a passion for literature which is developed through the use of listening to high-quality stories and texts.

Staff complete regular checks on what knowledge is being retained and support is put in place if there are students falling behind with the reading and phonics programme.

Adrienne Corr, headteacher of Hambledon Primary School, said: “We are so proud - it’s been a long time coming. It’s been a while since we had our last one and we are just so pleased at how the inspection team summed up our school and saw our strengths.

“We are quite a small school which is unique for our area - we are a small village school with just over 100 children and we really are like a big family.”

The school supports ‘personal development well’ and children ‘learn positive character traits such as resilience and resourcefulness’. As a result, children build confidence and are prepared ‘well for life in modern Britain.’

The report added: “Most pupils attend school regularly. The school works hard to promote positive attitudes to attendance. This includes raising awareness of the negative impact low attendance has on pupils’ achievement.

“However, there are still too many pupils who are persistently absent from school. The school provides bespoke support and challenge where pupils’ absence from school is too high.”

Ms Corr added: “We are constantly reviewing and reflecting on the programmes we offer for our children - it’s so important to make sure they are not only ready academically for secondary school but that we send them out into the world as good citizens.”

The Ofsted report highlighted that there are some areas for improvement including the fact that a number of vulnerable students miss schools persistently. This means that these students have gaps in their knowledge.

The safeguarding measures are effective and there is a strong culture of keeping children safe.

For more information about the Ofsted for Hambledon Primary School, click here.