Hatchell Wood Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 February 2022

This school is rightly proud of the caring and nurturing environment it provides for its pupils. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the 'embrace' curriculum that includes a wide range of experiences that promote pupils' personal development, including Forest School and 'smart seven' skills. Leaders are ambitious in what they believe all pupils can achieve. Pupils blossom under these expectations. Leaders ensure that pupils learn about respect, tolerance and diversity. Pupils are confident to talk about how they should treat each other and this is reflected in their behaviour. Positive relationships between pupils and staff are clearly evident. Pupils trust that staff care about their well-being and value their opinions. They are confident that bullying is rare and that members of staff treat any reports very seriously. One pupil said, 'If something's wrong, it matters'. Leaders value the importance of mental health and well-being. This is evident in conversations with both pupils and staff. Staff feel valued and well supported by leaders with regard to workload. They describe it a 'special community to be part of'. Older pupils value the role of 'well-being champions'. They are trained to help pupils play well together. These champions also fundraise to purchase resources that will benefit the school community.

What the school should improve

• In some lessons, teachers are not systematically checking what all pupils know. This means that gaps and misconceptions are not always identified quickly. Leaders should ensure that, in lessons, teachers are regularly checking what all pupils have learned.

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