Henry Hinde SchoolOfsted report card, 22 Sept 2026

Henry Hinde School

Address: Cornwallis Road, Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22 7HN Unique reference number (URN): 140372

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders take time to understand pupils’ individual circumstances and the reasons why some do not attend school regularly. This is particularly important for vulnerable pupils and those who join the school part way through the year. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to find ways to improve their children's attendance. Where there are more complex barriers, leaders engage with external agencies to provide enhanced support for pupils and their families. As a result, pupils’ attendance is steadily improving and the number of pupils who are frequently absent from school is reducing.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have been quick to establish consistent routines and expectations for behaviour now that younger and older pupils are learning on the same site. As a result, pupils know how they should behave and generally conduct themselves well. In lessons, they listen attentively and work hard. At social times, pupils of different ages and from different backgrounds play together happily. Pupils learn to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. As a result, they typically treat each other with kindness and respect. When incidents of misbehaviour or bullying do happen, staff deal with these effectively.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders maintain effective oversight of pupils’ attendance and behaviour. However, they do not analyse information precisely enough to identify emerging patterns and trends and to be certain that their actions are always having the impact they intend.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have created an engaging and well-resourced early years environment following the move to a new school site. Children have settled quickly as a result of effective transition arrangements. Staff prioritise getting to know children’s starting points when they join Reception. They use this information to plan activities that build on what children know and can do. Staff adapt the curriculum effectively to meet children’s needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children make steady progress across all areas of learning.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff build caring relationships with children. They establish clear routines to create a calm and safe environment. This helps children to feel happy and secure. Children learn to play together, to take turns and to listen to each other. High-quality interactions develop children’s language, vocabulary and imagination. Children mirror the new vocabulary that staff introduce, for example describing how cars travel 'faster' down a 'steep' slope.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders know what needs to improve further in the early years. For example, they have introduced a new programme for teaching phonics and writing. This has put a renewed focus on the teaching of reading as well as ensuring that children learn how to hold a pencil correctly and form letters accurately.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have managed the coming together of the infant and junior schools extremely well. Staff and pupils have settled quickly, and there is a sharp focus on making sure that the new school is the best it can be. Senior leaders have a detailed and accurate understanding of what needs to improve. In the past 12 months, the trust has driven demonstrable improvements in pupils’ attendance and achievement. However, leaders know that there is more to do. The school’s new leadership team has identified precisely what needs to happen next. They have made rapid decisions and implemented change quickly, for example, in adopting a new phonics programme. These changes are already having a positive impact on the effectiveness of the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees and local governors understand their roles and responsibilities well. They share a relentless drive to continue to improve the curriculum, teaching and pupils’ achievement. The trust has taken decisive action to support the school in making these improvements, for example, by reorganising the leadership structure. The best interests of all pupils, including those who are most vulnerable, sit at the centre of all decision-making.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide staff with appropriate training and support to develop their knowledge and expertise. School networks within the trust make a valuable contribution to the professional development offer. Although the school merger has unavoidably generated some additional work, staff feel valued and say that leaders support their workload and wellbeing effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents and carers have mixed views about the school. Many comment on the care and support their children receive. A small number of parents have concerns about communication. Leaders recognise this and are looking at how to make improvements.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have developed an appropriate personal development programme that goes beyond academic subjects. This offer includes a range of opportunities and experiences to build pupils’ knowledge and understanding of themselves and the world around them. For example, pupils learn about changes to their bodies as they grow older and about how their behaviour can impact on other people.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils develop their understanding of British values. They experience democracy when they vote for sports leaders. Pupils know that there are rules they need to follow in school and that wider society has laws and expectations too. Pupils learn about different faiths and religions. This helps them to develop respect and tolerance for others. Pupils demonstrate this in their day-to-day interactions with one another. Pupils recognise that everyone is different. They understand the importance of people being able to have their own views and opinions.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a range of enrichment opportunities to enhance their learning in the curriculum and broaden their experiences. These include visits to places of interest and an outdoor residential trip in Year 6. Pupils also have access to extra-curricular sports clubs. Leaders make appropriate adjustments to ensure that all pupils can take part in these activities, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Needs attention

Pupils appreciate the pastoral support they receive. They know that staff will help them in school as well as signposting support that their families can access. Pupils learn how to manage their feelings and behaviour. For example, pupils talk about using ‘mountain breathing’ to calm down when they are angry or upset. Pupils know how to stay safe and healthy. They value visits from external speakers, such as the fire service and the police. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online, including being alert to some of the risks of artificial intelligence.

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Achievement Needs attention

Over the past 3 years, too many pupils have left Year 6 without achieving the standards expected for their age. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other vulnerabilities. Across the school, pupils’ basic knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics is not fully secure. There is variability in the quality of pupils’ handwriting, the accuracy of their spelling and their use of punctuation. Some pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read are not achieving as well as they should.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ achievement across the wider curriculum is similarly variable. In some subjects and classes, pupils develop secure knowledge. However, in others, pupils do not develop the knowledge and skills they should. This is due to inconsistencies in the effectiveness of teaching.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders recognise this and are taking appropriate action to bring about improvement. The work of current pupils shows that achievement is improving but there is more to do.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The quality of teaching varies across classes and subjects. As a result, some pupils do not develop a secure understanding of what they are learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

In some classes, staff make careful checks on pupils’ understanding during lessons. They use this information to adapt what they teach next. However, this is not consistent across the school. Sometimes staff do not identify that pupils are finding learning difficult. They do not notice and address errors in spelling, letter formation and the use of punctuation. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge emerge, which slows their progress, particularly in writing.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teachers do not always have the subject knowledge they need, which means that modelling and explanations are not always as clear as they need to be. Sometimes, teachers do not adapt lessons and resources well enough for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other vulnerabilities. This means that some of these pupils find it difficult to access the learning successfully.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders are taking effective action to improve the quality of curriculum and teaching. For example, the wider curriculum is now more clearly sequenced and learning builds in a logical order over time. Teaching in mathematics is becoming more consistent. Leaders have recently changed the approach to the teaching of writing and early reading. Although this work is in its infancy, pupils are already receiving teaching in phonics that matches their needs more closely.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders identify pupils’ needs promptly when they join the school. However, the targets and strategies that leaders put in place to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other vulnerabilities often lack precision. As a result, the support that some pupils receive does not match their needs closely enough. Staff do not consistently adapt learning effectively. This means that some pupils do not get the help they need to overcome barriers to their achievement as quickly as they could. Leaders recognise this and have started to provide staff with training to develop their knowledge and expertise.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders work closely with families and external agencies. They secure additional support for pupils who need it. Leaders provide pupils with effective pastoral care. This helps to address barriers to pupils’ wellbeing. For example, many vulnerable pupils join the school after the start of Reception. Staff help these pupils to develop a sense of belonging within the school community.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The school’s pupil premium strategy accurately identifies the barriers that disadvantaged pupils face and appropriate strategies to address these. However, leaders do not ensure that teaching consistently provides the timely and targeted support that these pupils need to make the progress they are capable of. Leaders are not always clear about which strategies are working best and which are less effective.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils from the infant and junior schools have recently come together on one site to form a new school. They have quickly adapted to this change because of the thoughtful support provided by leaders and staff. Pupils are excited by the new opportunities the school merger brings. For example, older pupils are relishing the chance to act as positive role models for younger pupils.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils feel happy and safe at school. They benefit from caring relationships with staff who know them well. Pupils trust that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. This includes if any bullying happens. Pupils understand the school’s new ‘Pride’ values and how these will help them to be successful in school and beyond. For example, pupils can explain the importance of persevering even if they are finding something difficult. Pupils typically behave well in lessons and around the school. Most pupils concentrate on their work and are keen to do well. Pupils learn to understand the impact of their actions on others. As a result, they treat each other with kindness and respect.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils value the opportunities on offer to develop their talents and broaden their interests. They enjoy attending sports clubs and going on school trips. Pupils are keen to take on roles of responsibility. They take pride in caring for their school environment, for example, by not dropping litter and planting trees on the field. Leaders want the best for pupils. However, some pupils do not achieve or attend as well as they should. Sometimes, teaching does not match the needs of pupils, which slows their progress. Some pupils have gaps in their reading, writing and mathematical knowledge and skills. There is also variability in how effectively staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. New leaders are fully aware of this. They are taking swift and decisive action to address these aspects and have already made some notable improvements.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to develop teachers' subject knowledge and expertise so that teaching and activities match pupils’ needs more closely. Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils’ foundational knowledge are addressed quickly and that teachers identify emerging gaps early and provide timely support so that pupils progress well from their starting points. Leaders should ensure that all staff have a precise understanding of what pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils need to learn next and how best to support them. Leaders should strengthen the teaching of writing so that pupils develop secure spelling, punctuation, sentence construction and handwriting skills as they move through the school. Leaders should sharpen their analysis of information relating to inclusion, attendance and behaviour so that they can identify more quickly where strategies are working and where

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About this inspection

This school is part of the Transforming Lives Educational Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Helen Stevenson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Guy French.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the executive principal, head of school, assistant principal, special educational needs coordinator, staff, pupils and parents during the inspection. They also spoke with the chief executive officer, the chief education officer, the chair of the board of trustees, 2 trustees and the chair and vice chair of the local governing body.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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Team inspectors:

Pamela Matty, Ofsted Inspector Lorraine Lord, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 22 September 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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280

Close to average The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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280

The school has undergone some significant changes since the last inspection. In September 2026, the school merged with Henry Hinde Infant School to create an all-through, one-form entry primary school. At the same time, a new executive principal, head of school and assistant principal took up post. The head of school and assistant principal had previously worked at the school in different roles.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 55% 62% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 50% 60% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 55% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 48% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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