Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School Keepers Close, Bestwood Village, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG6 8XE

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Outcome

Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Rachel Jarvis. This school is part of Flying High Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Chris Wheatley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Neil Robinson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this school. They say there is nothing they would change about it. Staff make their school a welcoming and inspiring place to be. Pupils feel safe and secure here. Teachers make lessons enjoyable, so pupils love learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children have a strong start to their education in the early years. They learn the ‘Hawthorne Way’ quickly and develop positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils continue to build on this strong start as they progress through school. They are polite and well mannered. They work hard and try their best in lessons. Pupils play kindly and respectfully during playtimes. Staff support pupils sensitively to manage their feelings if needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to be responsible members of the school community. This starts with small jobs in the classroom. Pupils are proud to hold roles such as school councillors, science ambassadors, sports leaders and diversity team members. Pupils feel they can make a difference in these roles while building their confidence and skills for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has designed an aspirational curriculum that enables pupils to learn rich vocabulary and develop important life skills through memorable experiences. This enables pupils to achieve well and be prepared for the next stage of their education. 4 and 5 March 2025

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the last inspection, the school has completely revamped the curriculum. The school’s ambitious and engaging curriculum sets out clearly the important knowledge that pupils will learn over time. Some more recent curriculum changes were made in response to a decline in outcomes in statutory mathematics assessments. The school has also built in more time to ensure pupils practise learning fundamental knowledge such as multiplication facts. These improvements are paying off. Pupils are more fluent with number facts and confidently apply this knowledge, for example when learning about fractions. Most pupils are now achieving well in mathematics. However, teaching has not fully addressed gaps in some older pupils’ knowledge.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has worked extensively on ensuring that the curriculum is taught well. Through effective training, teachers follow the ‘Hawthorne Harvest’ lesson structure. They present new learning clearly. Pupils practise new learning alongside their teachers before practising independently. Teachers revisit and make links to previous teaching to help pupils remember well. They carry out regular checks on pupils’ understanding. However, on occasion, these checks lack rigour. Sometimes, teaching does not identify or address misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means that pupils’ knowledge is not as secure as it could be in some subjects.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school prioritises reading, and pupils benefit from expert phonics teaching right from starting school. Pupils who fall behind the phonics programme receive effective support to address the gaps in their knowledge. Many pupils become fluent readers quickly. They apply their knowledge of phonics confidently to their writing.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has improved the teaching of writing. In the early years, children learn quickly how to hold their pencils and form letters correctly. They enjoy making books and writing stories. Older pupils write with increasing confidence when showcasing their learning in other subjects. Most use neat handwriting, spell accurately and experiment using ambitious vocabulary.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Largely, teachers make suitable adaptations to ensure these pupils learn the ambitious curriculum alongside their peers. However, teaching is not consistently adapted well for pupils who are still at the earlier stages of learning to write, including pupils with SEND. Adaptations do not support these pupils to build well on their writing skills.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils behave well, and the school is calm and orderly. The school ensures that pupils learn what positive behaviour choices look like in a range of situations. Pupils understand the importance of regular attendance. As well as making school a place where pupils want to be, the school provides helpful support for pupils and families when needed. This has led to sustained improvements in rates of attendance.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern society. Throughout the curriculum and assemblies, pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of fundamental British 4 and 5 March 2025

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values and equality. Pupils have a respectful attitude to those with different beliefs and backgrounds. They understand the importance of treating everyone fairly.

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The trust and the local governing board know what the school does well and what needs to improve further. The trust provides the school with the support it needs to make continued improvements. This includes access to quality training. Staff benefit from this greatly. They also value the opportunities for professional learning with colleagues in other trust schools. This helps them to improve the quality of education continually.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ knowledge are consistently identified and addressed. This means that some pupils’ knowledge is not secure, including in subjects such as mathematics. The school should refine its approach to assessment and ensure that teaching routinely and systematically addresses pupils’ knowledge gaps in a timely manner.  Sometimes writing activities are not adapted appropriately for pupils, including those with SEND, who are still at the earlier stages of learning to write. Adaptations do not enable these pupils to build on their knowledge or writing skills. The school should strengthen its approaches to supporting pupils at an early stage of writing to ensure success for all pupils across the breadth of the curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. 4 and 5 March 2025

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School, to be good for overall effectiveness in April 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School converted to become an academy in February 2022. When its predecessor school, Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.  The inspector met with the CEO and representatives of the local governing body. She 4 and 5 March 2025

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also met with other representatives of the trust.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened as pupils read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site during breaktime.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils and staff. She spoke to parents and considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Claire Stylianides, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 4 and 5 March 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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