St Nicholas Church of England Primary, Hurst

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 October 2023

This is a friendly and welcoming school. Staff work hard to ensure that pupils feel safe and happy. The school's values of believing and achieving through respect, honesty, courage and kindness are known to all. Pupils respond well to the high expectations regarding their behaviour. Pupils enjoy being greeted at the gate by the school dog, who is in school frequently. Children quickly settle in and learn school routines well. Pupils in Year 6 take their role of mentoring Reception-age children seriously. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school because they love being with their friends and learning about the world. The school has high academic expectations, which pupils strive hard to meet. Pupils are enthusiastic when talking about their learning. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well during their time at this school. The school grounds and rural location are well used to develop the wider curriculum. 'The Professor's Garden' at the front of the school celebrates the natural diversity of plants and animals in the area. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities and show great enthusiasm for their roles. They enjoy supporting the local community, for example by collecting food for the local food bank.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, the school has not identified, or considered how to check, the important knowledge it intends pupils to learn. This means that pupils' learning is sometimes variable. The school needs to identify the knowledge it intends all pupils to learn and help them to integrate new knowledge into larger ideas. The school also needs to check how well pupils have recalled the essential content and adapt its teaching accordingly so that all pupils know more and remember more over time.
• Some subject leaders are new to their roles. They are still developing their understanding of what works best and what needs to improve further. This means that they are not able to consistently evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. and The school should ensure that it provides high-quality training and development so that staff can successfully implement and evaluate how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum.

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