Hamilton School

Overview

Hamilton School is undergoing significant changes, with new leaders developing an ambitious curriculum to meet pupil needs. While the school fosters a happy and inclusive environment where pupils’ mental health and personal development are well supported, the quality of education and early years provision currently require improvement.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel included, and demonstrate respect and kindness towards others.
• Staff provide quick, effective support for pupils’ mental health, and pupils know who to trust.
• Personal development is a strength, with pupils engaging in wider experiences like visits and a school parliament.
• Attendance is high, and parents and staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school.
• Phonics is taught well, enabling many older pupils to read key texts independently.

Areas to improve

• Staff must provide high-quality, purposeful interactions to help pupils build independence, language, and communication skills more effectively.
• The curriculum needs to be delivered through learning activities that clearly build on existing knowledge and skills.
• Staff must consistently implement agreed communication and behaviour strategies to ensure all pupils can express their needs and remain settled.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.