In July 2023, OFSTED made a Monitoring Visit to the school, to ensure that we were still a GOOD school.  Please visit the OFSTED website to view the school's reports.  It can also be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

Here are some headlines from the inspection letter:

• Hillcrest Primary School continues to be a GOOD SCHOOL;
• Hillcrest is a "happy, nurturing and welcoming school";
• "Pupils learn effectively and make good progress";
• Our pupils learn to be "well-mannered and kind" and "do not tolerate unkindness and will politely remind their peers if their behaviour is not considered 'the Hillcrest way'";
• Hillcrest pupils are "thoughtful, and express their views with maturity and respect";
• Hillcrest pupils "learn how to be Creative, Curious, Confident, Coordinated and Communicative";
• Hillcrest pupils are "knowledgeable about bullying and clear that it is not tolerated at their school";
• Hillcrest pupils "trust staff to help pupils" if bullying does occur;
• Hillcrest has "a bespoke curriculum with reading at its heart";
• Hillcrest teachers use "well-chosen learning activities based on high-quality texts to support their teaching";
• Hillcrest's SENDCO "provides clear guidance and support for all staff";
• Hillcrest's leaders "prioritise pupils' wider development", helping pupils to "develop their identity and self-esteem as active, confident members of their community";
• "Positive behaviour is learned and practised from Reception onwards";
• Hillcrest leaders have "created an ethos where pupils study hard and approach learning with determination and concentration";
• Hillcrest pupils "like their teachers and respond well to high expectations of behaviour and learning";
• Hillcrest leaders "ensure that pupils' best interests are at the centre of their decisions";
• Hillcrest governors "play a keen role in supporting leaders to fulfil their roles";
• Hillcrest staff are "proud to work at the school";
• Hillcrest families are "very positive about the provision for their children";
• Hillcrest staff are "well-trained [in safeguarding] and know the signs of when a pupil is at risk of harm" and they "respond quickly when concerns arise";
• Hillcrest pupils are "confident that they can speak with adults at school when concerned about their safety and well-being".

We have the following area to work on:

• "Teachers' subject knowledge in some areas of the curriculum is not as secure as in others, for example languages".  In response to this, we will be providing support and guidance to help teachers develop their language and music knowledge so that our pupils can achieve consistently well in these areas as well.

For a full copy of the inspection report, click on the link at the bottom of this page.

Please visit the OFSTED website to view the entire report.