Hatherleigh Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 March 2023

Pupils enjoy coming to this welcoming and inclusive school. Leaders expect all pupils to be successful. Pupils rise to these high expectations and take pride in their work. They talk about their learning with excitement and interest. Pupils feel safe at school. Pastoral support is strong. Pupils interact and play well with their friends at breaktimes. They are kind and helpful towards each other. Pupils are confident that leaders and staff will listen to their concerns. Adults deal swiftly with any minor falling out. Bullying is rare. Pupils behave well and move round the school calmly. They are enthusiastic learners. Pupils value the responsibilities they are given. School councillors support leaders to make changes. For example, they helped with the development of a house system. Many pupils benefit from the range of activities that leaders provide. These activities develop and nurture pupils' talents and interests well. Parents and carers value the work of staff and the school. Many say that the school is helping their children to thrive.

What the school should improve

• The reading curriculum in key stage 2 is underdeveloped. This means pupils do not build on the strong start they make in early reading. Leaders need to ensure that reading in key stage 2 is developed further, so pupils read more widely.
• In some subjects, the teaching of the curriculum is not as effective as it could be. Sometimes, this is because staff do not use assessment well as a basis for planning what pupils need to learn next. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is implemented as intended and that staff check effectively what pupils learn.

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