Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School

Overview

The report describes a school where pupils “achieve well” and outcomes are “close to the national averages.” Leaders have fostered a “positive, inclusive culture” where pupils feel safe, valued, and keen to learn. The curriculum is “ambitious” and “carefully ordered,” ensuring pupils are “well prepared for the challenges of a secondary school curriculum.”

Strengths

• Pupils become “confident, fluent readers” and have a “secure grasp of key mathematical knowledge.”
• Attendance is regular, with persistent absence “well below the national average,” driven by a welcoming environment.
• Behaviour is excellent; pupils show “high levels of respect,” bullying is “rare,” and learning is “rarely disrupted.”
• Staff are “proud to work at the school” and benefit from an “ambitious professional development programme.”
• Vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND, are supported effectively and “progress through the curriculum well.”

Areas to improve

• Staff must better identify and address “embedded misconceptions” in writing basics, such as letter formation and spelling, through more precise questioning.
• Leaders should ensure the personal development offer is “carefully aligned with the curriculum” to deepen pupils’ understanding of life in modern Britain.
• Early years staff need to consistently apply expertise to teach the early writing curriculum as intended, tackling issues like pencil grip earlier.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with an “open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility” ensuring pupils are “made safer and feel safe.”