Hatfeild Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 January 2025

Hatfeild Primary School is a nurturing and joyful school, which is welcoming to everyone. Since the last inspection, the school has fully embedded its vision of 'ready, respectful, safe.' Pupils value the warm relationships they build with staff during their time here. They enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn in lessons. Pupils feel safe and happy. They know that school staff will help them if they have any worries. The school has worked hard to raise the expectations for pupils. All staff now share this vision and believe that all pupils can achieve highly, including the most vulnerable and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many pupils reach these high expectations. Pupils develop a deep breadth of knowledge as they move through the school. Where appropriate, the curriculum is enriched with purposeful trips and activities. The school has also established high expectations for pupils' conduct. Behaviour across school is very positive. Pupils consistently show each other and staff courtesy and respect. In lessons, pupils listen carefully and concentrate on their learning. At break and lunchtimes, pupils enjoy playing with their friends. The school provides pupils with various experiences to develop outside of the classroom and try new things. For example, they take part in a range of clubs, including dance, rugby, drama and singing squad.

What the school should improve

• The school's curriculum is not securely and consistently embedded across all of the foundation subjects. As a result, in some lessons, activity choice does not support pupils to secure the knowledge set out in the curriculum. This means some pupils do not learn as much as they should. The school needs to ensure that in all subjects pupils are provided with clear and ambitious learning activities that help them develop the precisely identified knowledge and skills they need to be successful in these curriculums.
• In the mainstream school, the oversight of the SEND provision is sometimes not sufficiently focused. This means that at times the processes to identify and plan for the needs of pupils with SEND lack sufficient rigour. This limits some pupils getting the right help and support they need to achieve well. The school should ensure that its processes for identifying the needs of pupils with SEND and the subsequent learning and support they receive closely match to their needs so that all pupils with SEND achieve well.

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