A BASINGSTOKE school has maintained its 'good' rating after a recent Ofsted inspection, with inspectors praising the school's strong commitment to inclusion.
Hatch Warren Junior School came out with flying colours in the inspection that took place on May 8 and 9. It was the first for the school since November 2018.
The report praised the school's welcoming environment and dedication to all students.
“The school’s values of ‘inspire’, ‘believe’, ‘persevere’ and ‘achieve’ are evident through the care given to pupils," it said.
READ MORE: Chineham nursery handed 'outstanding' Ofsted
"Pupils embrace these values to help them make the right choices, meeting the high expectations staff have.
“All pupils benefit from a broad, well-planned curriculum that is well developed in most subjects. The school is ambitious for pupils’ achievements, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has a strong understanding of individual pupils’ needs. Staff work relentlessly to make every day successful for every pupil.”
Reading was identified as a particular strength, with a focus on a wide range of books and a well-structured approach to teaching phonics, benefiting even students who are at the beginning stages of learning to read or who speak English as an additional language.
While acknowledging the school's overall success, the report did identify areas for improvement.
“In a few subjects, teachers lack clarity of what the key knowledge is that pupils should learn and how best to teach it," the inspector wrote.
"This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should further refine its curriculum in these subjects to prioritise the key content that it wants pupils to learn.
“In some subjects, assessment processes are not fully in place. As a result, staff are not always addressing misconceptions or building on prior learning effectively. The school should ensure assessment information is used effectively so that all pupils learn even more of the curriculum’s key knowledge effectively.”
Headteacher Jackie Bryant, who joined the school in January 2023, shared her delight with the Ofsted report.
“I am thrilled with our recent Ofsted report as it captures the fantastic work the staff team do, day-in, day-out, to ensure every child is happy and succeed," she said.
"Thank you to my staff team for their hard work, dedication and care they show the children every day. I am so proud of our polite, respectful and well-mannered children, who made the Ofsted team feel so welcome and shared with them all the wonderful opportunities they have here, whilst they are at HWJS. I am truly privileged to be headteacher here, at such a fantastic school."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here