Hurst Hill Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 March 2026

Pupils are happy and feel safe at this welcoming school. They arrive each morning to friendly greetings from staff who know them well. This helps pupils settle quickly and feel part of a caring community. Parents and carers speak warmly about the school and say staff listen to them and act when needed. Pupils say there is always an adult that they can talk to if they are worried. They trust staff to help them. Pupils behave sensibly in lessons and around the school. They follow routines and show respect for adults and each other. At breaktimes, pupils play kindly and include others in their games. They say bullying is rare and that staff deal with any concerns quickly. They understand the importance of being thoughtful and respectful. Pupils attend regularly and understand why coming to school every day matters. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those who face other challenges are fully included in school life. Staff understand pupils’ needs well and adapt activities so that pupils learn successfully alongside their classmates. Pupils who are known to children’s social care are supported sensitively. Pupils enjoy a range of wider experiences, including clubs, visits and leadership roles. Pupils learn about being responsible members of their school and local community; they begin to understand life in modern Britain. Pupils enjoy learning and take pride in their work. Younger pupils are enthusiastic about learning new sounds in phonics, while older pupils talk confidently about what they have learned in subjects, such as history and computing. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should by the time they leave the school, particularly in reading. Leaders are strengthening teaching and support, so pupils are beginning to benefit from these improvements.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that they continue to improve the achievement of all pupils, especially those who are disadvantaged.
• Leaders should ensure that improvements in teaching continue to further enable pupils to develop deep, secure knowledge across all subjects within the curriculum, leading to consistently high standards of achievement in all subjects.
• Leaders should evaluate the effectiveness of the pupil-premium strategy more rigorously, ensuring chosen approaches demonstrably help pupils to reduce barriers and improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders should continue to identify and tackle barriers to pupils’ attendance to secure further improvement in attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

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