Headteacher’s Welcome
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome those of you visiting the Hillcrest school website for the first time.
We have worked hard over the past few years to strive for high academic standards and have consistently produced KS2 outcomes that exceed the national averages across all subjects. Over a child's 7-year journey through Hillcrest, the vast majority of children reach the standard that the government would deem sets them up for a successful transition to High School and for positive GCSE outcomes.
However, we also believe that there is a lot more to achieving these positive outcomes then just sitting in a classroom, receiving high-quality English and Maths teaching on a daily basis.
Mr M Try
The staff at Hillcrest designed and implemented their own whole-school curriculum called the TLC (Text-Linked Curriculum) which puts a high-quality text at the centre of every half-term's unit of work. All of their teaching, including in the Foundation Subjects such as Geography, History, Art and Design Technology, to name but a few, link back to the class book that is being studied throughout the term. This helps the children build links between all of their learning.
We also pride ourselves on having an Outdoor Learning Curriculum with every teacher delivering lesson outdoors in all weathers on a weekly basis. These lessons use a variety of different outdoor setting within the school grounds such as our Woodland area, Amphitheatre, Pond area, Outdoor Learning Zone and Sensory Garden, along with our huge Sports Field, to engage the children with their learning in ways that couldn't be achieved within the four walls of the classroom.
We are also about to embark on an exciting journey called Enrichment. On one Wednesday every month, the normal timetable will be collapsed so that time can be devoted to a series of Enrichment Activities. These activities seek to develop the children's skills and knowledge in areas that we would not otherwise get to teach through the national curriculum. Such Enrichment Activities include Archery, Yoga, 3D Printing and Observational Drawing, amongst many others.
Thank you to all who contribute positively to our school community and we look forward to working with you on 2026 and beyond.
Best wishes
Mr M Try
Headteacher