Hasting Hill Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is warm and welcoming. The school cares deeply for the pupils and their families.

Pupils love coming to school. They know staff will greet them with a smile. Relationships between pupils and staff are very strong.

Pupils trust staff and feel safe. Pupils are kind to each other. Instances of bullying are rare.

If bullying does happen, staff deal with it promptly.

Pupils respond well to the school's high expectations. Behaviour is good.

Pupils move through the school calmly and get on with work in lessons. Pupils apply themselves and work hard. A few pupils struggle to manage their own behaviour.

Staff support these pupils ...well. Learning is not interrupted.

The school supports pupils' well-being very effectively.

Pupils learn about the different ways to help keep calm, for example. Pupils who need extra help can use one of the homely breakout spaces.

Pupils love reading.

They look forward to hearing the next chapter of the class book. They recall the content with enthusiasm and excitement. They listen to teachers reading a novel, rapt with attention and groan when the chapter ends on a cliffhanger.

Younger children eagerly join in with the re-telling of traditional tales.

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

The school's high ambition for pupils is reflected in the curriculum. The well-designed reading curriculum helps pupils learn to read as quickly as possible.

Teachers' frequently check that pupils keep up with the sounds they are learning. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds they know. The school promptly provides extra support to pupils who need it.

Pupils become fluent, confident readers. The school's rigorous approach to the teaching of reading is paying dividends. It is not reflected in the below average outcomes at the end of key stage 2 in 2023.

A carefully sequenced mathematics curriculum enables pupils to learn well. Effective teaching ensures that pupils master number skills. Probing questioning picks up pupils' misconceptions.

Staff are quick to correct any misunderstanding. If pupils struggle they receive tailored support to help them keep up.

Other subjects have well-sequenced plans.

Pupils steadily build up what they know and can do. Pupils can confidently recall what they have learned. However, in a small number of subjects, there are gaps in pupils' knowledge.

For example, in history, pupils struggle to explain key developments in different historical periods. Also, in art, pupils do not have a clear understanding of the artists they are studying.

The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Teachers adapt lessons effectively for pupils with SEND. Staff skilfully support pupils who struggle to concentrate. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

Younger children settle into school quickly. The early years is calm and purposeful. Children learn to follow routines.

The curriculum is carefully mapped out. Children get support that matches their stage of development. Children learn an ever-widening vocabulary.

For example, two-year-olds learn that ducks quack while they play in the water. Children in Reception learn that 'enchanted' is another word for 'magic'.

The school's teaching of speaking and listening is not as effective as it needs to be.

In the early years, for example, children's conversational skills are not developed consistently. While in key stage 2, some pupils struggle to articulate what they know.

The vast majority of pupils behave well.

Pupils understand the importance of the school's rule to be kind. Pupils accept differences. They understand the need to be tolerant of others.

The school is aware that some pupils do not attend as well as they need to. Improving the attendance of these pupils is a high priority for the school. The school has robust systems in place to address this issue.

There is early evidence of improvement to pupils' attendance.

Pupils receive a wide range of experiences that support their personal development. These include making a campfire and visiting art galleries and museums.

Older pupils hold responsibilities such as anti-bullying champion, school councillor or digital leader. Pupils with SEND participate in the full range of school activities and clubs.

Support for pupils social and emotional well-being is extensive.

The school provides a range of opportunities to help with pupils' specific needs. The school ensures pupils have access to external agencies, when needed. Many parents and carers speak highly of the support their child receives in school.

The trust and local governing body are proud of this inclusive school. Their frequent checks assure them that pupils are safe and achieving well. They monitor the support that pupils and families receive.

Staff have full confidence in school leadership. Staff benefit from extensive support and training.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of foundation subjects, including history and art, the school is not ensuring that pupils have the essential knowledge they need. This means that, in these subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. This is limiting pupils' understanding in these subjects.

The school should review the planning and delivery in these subjects. The school should ensure pupils are revisiting essential knowledge consistently across all subjects in order to ensure pupils are learning effectively across the curriculum. ? The school does not have a consistent approach to developing pupils' expressive, spoken language.

This means that some pupils struggle to speak in full sentences and cannot explain themselves clearly. The school should review the opportunities children have to develop spoken language from the early years onwards. The school should ensure that there is a consistent and effective approach to developing spoken language across the school, so that all pupils can speak in full sentences and explain themselves clearly.