Ofsted inspectors say leaders at Scarborough’s Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy have made “strong progress”

Thomas Hinderwell, which currently has 225 pupils on roll, was rated “Inadequate” by inspectors in 2020. While the new overall Ofsted rating is “Requires improvement”, the school is rated as “Good” for its early years provision, personal development and leadership and management (three out of the five categories).

Ofsted’s report praises school leaders for working “swiftly and effectively” to develop a broad and exciting curriculum and highlights the “strong progress” made since the previous inspection.

The report stated: “Leaders recognised that much needed to be improved in the school. They worked swiftly and effectively to develop a curriculum that is broad and exciting.

“Leaders have implemented new systems and policies to improve behaviour. These are having some impact and behaviour in lessons and around school is usually calm.”

The report did note, however, that: “This is not always the case at more unstructured times of the school day. Some pupils say that they do not always feel safe at these times.

"Leaders are starting to address this. They know that there is more to do to ensure that behaviour on the playground improves.”

Ofsted recognised the many changes that have been made at Thomas Hinderwell, noting that pupils are happy and say the school is better now.

Attendance has significantly improved and many pupils said they “enjoy coming to school every day”.

Other highlights in the report include:

Early Years: children get off to a “great start” due to the well-planned curriculum and skilled and caring staff.

Inclusivity: “all pupils joining the school are welcome and supported” and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported with a range of resources including ‘speech to text’ software.

Personal development: pupils learn to appreciate difference and diversity. They can join a growing range of clubs, including football, Lego and crochet club.

The report follows the high results pupils at Thomas Hinderwell achieved in their most recent phonics screening tests.

Phonics is a way of teaching reading by focusing on the sounds of individual letters and on the sounds of letters when they are combined.

87% of pupils at Thomas Hinderwell passed their phonics screening check despite the disruption caused by the pandemic. 12% above the national average.

Thomas Hinderwell also smashed the national average for pupils working above the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. 14% of pupils at Thomas Hinderwell reached this combined higher standard twice the national average.

Chloe Webster, Head of School at Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy, said: “I am pleased Ofsted agrees that strong progress has been made at our school.

"We will of course be using Ofsted’s reflections to ensure we continue to progress across every area so that we can provide the very best education and learning experience for our children.”

Simon Rose, Director of Primary Education at DRET, said: “Thomas Hinderwell is on a positive journey and I am proud of our staff, pupils and the whole school community for their dedication to constant improvement.

“It’s great to see praise for leadership and management, the personal development curriculum and the school’s early years provision.”