Hanover Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 July 2024

The school makes sure that parents and carers, pupils and staff understand and support the 'happy Hanover habits' of being kind, brave and responsible. These are threaded through everything that happens here and help to make the school a joyful and nurturing place for everyone. Pupils enjoy learning very much, including opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. For example, staff make use of the school's proximity to the local canal to deliver bespoke learning experiences. These include, for instance, learning about water safety and the role of canals through the history curriculum. The curriculum is academically ambitious. The school makes sure that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make strong progress through the curriculum. The school supports pupils to be collaborative with each other to promote their learning. This emphasis contributes to pupils' enjoyment of their time at school. The school also stresses the importance of pupils attending every day. It works closely with families and other agencies to try to realise this ambition. Pupils are kept safe. Pupils' wider development is at the heart of the curriculum. Leaders work to ensure that pupils learn about how to thrive in both their local context and that of the whole country. They identify many opportunities for pupils to have experiences beyond their immediate circumstances, such as the residential trips in Year 5 and 6.

What the school should improve

• While much of the school's work to reduce absence has been effective, some pupils with SEND are missing too much school. This is hindering their learning. The school should support these pupils to attend school, putting in place approaches that are appropriately targeted to each pupil's needs and circumstances.
• Where aspects of the curriculum are newer than others, staff's knowledge of the curriculum and how to teach it is not as thorough as that in the more established subjects. This means that there are times when some pupils are not consistently well supported to develop a deep understanding of subject content. The school should ensure that further training is delivered to all staff to ensure that they have the expertise to teach the full curriculum.
• On occasions, staff are unsure of how to best support pupils with additional needs. Guidance which staff receive is, in some instances, not aligned precisely to pupils' needs. This leads to instances where these pupils are not being helped to learn the curriculum as well as the school expects. The school should ensure that all staff are provided with the guidance and training needed to provide effective support for the learning of all pupils.

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