Hillsborough Nursery & Primary School

Overview

Hillsborough Primary School is rated as ‘Good’ across all inspection categories, including the quality of education, behaviour, and leadership. The report describes a school with a ‘positive learning culture’ where pupils are ‘polite and courteous’ and feel safe. Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who receive tailored support to succeed.

Strengths

• Pupils are ‘curious and engage with leaders’ ambitious curriculum’, particularly in reading, mathematics, and history, where knowledge is carefully sequenced.
• Reading is a clear priority; staff deliver phonics effectively, ensuring books match pupils’ known sounds, leading to increased ‘confidence and fluency’.
• Behaviour is ‘calm’ and ‘orderly’, with staff maintaining high expectations and providing robust support for pupils who struggle to regulate their behaviour.
• Staff skilfully identify pupils with SEND and provide necessary resources, enabling them to ‘learn well’.
• Early years provision ensures children are ‘well prepared for Year 1’ through a curriculum that clearly sets out required knowledge and skills.

Areas to improve

• In subjects such as science, plans do not identify the ‘precise knowledge’ pupils should learn, leading to lessons that focus on activities rather than concepts.
• Assessment systems in foundation subjects are inconsistent; teachers do not always check for specific knowledge gaps, allowing ‘misconceptions’ to go unnoticed for months.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are ‘effective’, with staff being ‘vigilant’ about pupils’ safety and receiving regular training on identifying potential harm.