Hartley Brook Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 June 2024

Most pupils enjoy attending school. They are polite, welcoming and inclusive of others. Pupils have confidence that adults will support them with any concerns they may have. This helps pupils to feel safe in school. The majority of pupils, including children in the early years, behave well. They enjoy playing with their friends at social times. In lessons, most pupils focus on their learning. Pupils who struggle to meet leaders' high expectations for conduct receive additional support from the school to improve their behaviour. This effective work has significantly reduced the number of pupils who receive sanctions for poor behaviour. Pupils understand how behaving well benefits all members of the school community. Many pupils achieve well academically. The school provides pupils with a range of wider opportunities to support their academic achievements. Pupils benefit from these. Some pupils hold leadership responsibilities in the school. In these, pupils make significant contributions to the school community. The school's 'eco- ambassadors' raised funds to purchase solar panels for the school when working to reduce energy use. Other groups have led on changes to school food to provide more healthy options for peers. Most pupils participate in the school's diverse range of clubs or represent the school in competitions. The school uses visits, including residential visits, to develop pupils' cultural awareness well.

What the school should improve

• Some checks that the school makes do not precisely identify the parts of the school's curriculum that are not working as leaders intend. Some improvements in how the curriculum is taught take longer to be made than necessary. The school should refine its systems to ensure that checks on the curriculum consistently identify any necessary improvements so these can be promptly implemented.
• In some lessons, assessment is not well used to check on pupils' learning or to identify misconceptions. Information from these checks does not inform future teaching consistently well. Some pupils' misconceptions are not addressed. The school should ensure that staff routinely use assessment information to address pupils' misconceptions and any gaps in learning.
• Too many pupils are regularly absent from school. These pupils miss important learning and achieve less well than they could. The school should build on its attendance strategy to secure further improvements in pupils' attendance.

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