Hillbrook School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. The school has improved since the last inspection, and now provides an excellent quality of education. Achievement is outstanding.

Pupils start school with skills which are very low in comparison to age-related expectations. They make outstanding progress across the school. Teaching is outstanding.

Teachers have very high expectations of pupils and ensure lessons are planned to a very high quality. The school is a very welcoming and caring environment. Relationships between pupils and adults are powerful, due in part to excellent role modelling, and pupils knowing they are all respected in this highly inclusive environment.
<...br/>The school is successfully and expertly run by the headteacher and deputy headteachers. All of the staff, and governors, support their high expectations, and want the very best for all of the children in their care. Pupils are excited and highly engaged by their learning environment.

Their behaviour and attitudes to learning are exceptional. Their strong desire to learn in lessons and their excellent application play a significant part in their success. The curriculum is extremely memorable, offering a rich and exhilarating variety of experiences.

Parents and carers are very positive about the education their children receive and the progress they make. They also believe that their children are very safe and happy at school. The governing body is incredibly skilled at holding the school to account.

Governors have an excellent understanding of the school, its strengths and areas for further development. Children in the resource base make an excellent start to school because they also receive outstanding teaching.

Information about this school

The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.

The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is well above the national average. There are currently no pupils from service families in the school. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is above the national average.

The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs is above the national average. The large majority of pupils are of Black African, Pakistani and White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.

The school has an Early Years Foundation Stage resource base, Little Hillbrook, which caters for children with autistic spectrum disorders. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. The school makes limited use of the local authority pupil referral unit.