Hethersett Woodside Primary & Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 January 2024

Pupils live out the school values of 'respect, resilience and responsibility'. They enjoy coming to school and know staff care about them. Relationships are positive. Pupils are supported both socially and emotionally. More recently, behaviour has improved significantly. Pupils play together harmoniously in the playground. Playleaders keenly lead activities that support older and younger pupils to play together, making playtime a positive, friendly time. The school council is very proud of the 'Hethersett 100'. Pupils keenly raise money for carefully chosen local and national charities. This enables pupils to understand the importance of contributing to the local community. There is a wide range of opportunities for pupils beyond the curriculum. Pupils enjoy the chance to engage in a range of sporting clubs and a variety of musical opportunities offered to them. Pupils can learn to play instruments, join the school choir and perform at a range of community events. The school has worked hard recently to re-establish trips to enhance the curriculum. Pupils value the different residential trips they are now able to attend and the different visits they do as part of their learning. These opportunities support pupils' character development by helping them become more independent and resilient.

What the school should improve

• While governors are now starting to check how well the school is performing and ask questions to hold leaders to account, this has not been the case until very recently. This work is in the early stages of implementation. Governors must work with urgency to support and hold leaders to account to secure key improvements required.
• Weaknesses in the curriculum in some subjects contribute to gaps in pupil knowledge. The school must consider its curriculum content and assessment systems to ensure the curriculum meets the needs of pupils. This will mean pupils are taught the specific knowledge they need to make the progress they should through the planned curriculum.
• Subject leaders are developing into their roles and are not making a consistent impact upon the quality of provision in their subjects. They need to understand their role fully and be trained and supported to monitor and improve provision. This will ensure that they have an accurate understanding of their subject, and they develop the skills they need to improve the areas they lead.

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