The Hill Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
391
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Community school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(31/10/2023)
Full Report - All Reports
67%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Peppard Road
Emmer Green
Reading
RG4 8TU
01189375560

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your strong leadership is central to the school’s success. You have built an effective team of leaders who share your vision for the school and for its pupils, and make a valuable contribution to the school’s development. For example, in the past year, your deputy headteacher has played a central role in strengthening assessment procedures. As a result, leaders, teachers and governors have an even sharper view of pupils’ progress so that they can target support for individual pupils with increasing precision. You, your staff and the governors work positively and constructively together, continuously reviewing and developing the school’s work in your drive to provide the best quality education for your pupils. You and your team took swift and successful action to reverse a dip in standards at the end of key stage 2 in 2016. For example, your assistant headteacher has worked alongside teachers to improve aspects of their practice, such as the use of questioning during lessons. As a result, pupils’ outcomes at the end of Year 6 recovered in 2017 and were higher than the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. You have addressed the key issues raised at the time of the previous inspection in full. Improvements in teaching have accelerated pupils’ progress across the curriculum. For example, teachers have higher expectations of pupils’ learning than at the time of the previous inspection and have a better understanding of how to deepen pupils’ knowledge. They use questioning consistently well during lessons to explore and extend pupils’ understanding. The quality of pupils’ work has improved as a result, particularly for the most able pupils. Your school’s busy, orderly and welcoming atmosphere provides a strong framework for pupils’ learning. Pupils are keen to learn and attend school regularly. They are polite, kind and behave well. By the end of Year 6, pupils are mature, perceptive and responsible young people. They are very well equipped for the next step in their education. You are understandably proud of the quality of your curriculum, which is skilfully designed to enthuse pupils about learning from the moment they start school. An extensive range of performing arts and sports events add depth and breadth to pupils’ learning. This helps them to develop personal skills, such as confidence, resilience and independence. Pupils’ love of school is illustrated by one pupil’s comment, ‘I would like to be able to go to school at the weekends: I enjoy it so much.’ Parents are highly appreciative of all that you and your staff do for their children. You and your governors have an accurate view of the school’s performance, being clear about priorities for future developments. For example, you have rightly identified that recent improvements in the quality of mathematics teaching are not yet as well established in all classes and that a small number of disadvantaged pupils make slower progress in mathematics than they should, as a result. Consequently, while disadvantaged pupils’ progress has improved considerably during the past year, this remains a key focus for school development. You have suitable plans in place to secure further improvements in teaching and in disadvantaged pupils’ learning. Safeguarding is effective. You and your leadership team give safeguarding the highest priority. You make sure that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and rigorously maintained. Your business manager and office manager complete recruitment and suitability checks carefully and conscientiously, so that the workforce is secure and pupils can learn safely. Strong staff teamwork, positive relationships with parents and effective links with agencies ensure that senior leaders are able to identify and deal with any safeguarding queries quickly, sensitively and appropriately. You and your team make sure that the school provides pupils and staff with a safe and attractive working environment. Well-maintained and good-quality resources contribute well to pupils’ learning and to their enjoyment of school. Pupils feel safe, respected and valued. Those who spoke with me said that there are rarely any problems with poor behaviour or unkindness. However, they feel confident that teachers would sort out any concerns should any arise. One pupil summed up the views of others when she said, ‘I like the way that our teachers help us and support us.’ Inspection findings During this inspection, I focused on: how effectively teaching challenges and extends learning for the most able pupils, particularly in mathematics; disadvantaged pupils’ progress; and the quality of pupils’ writing across the curriculum. Consistently effective teaching in all year groups ensures that the most able pupils make strong progress throughout the school. The most able achieve well in English and mathematics by the end of early years, and at the end of each key stage. Pupils’ thoughtful contributions during lessons, and the work in their books, illustrate the school’s success in ensuring that the most able pupils achieve well. The proportions of pupils achieving the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 have been above the national average for the past two years. Leaders have made good use of training since the previous inspection to increase teachers’ understanding about how to extend pupils’ learning more effectively. Teachers use questioning well during lessons to explore and deepen pupils’ understanding. They plan demanding activities so that pupils have to think hard when completing work. Recent developments in mathematics teaching have strengthened pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills, including for the most able pupils. For example, teachers have increased the use of practical equipment, such as cubes and counters, to improve pupils’ mathematical understanding. Pupils of all abilities are developing an increasingly confident and secure mathematical understanding as a result. Leaders are now focusing on making sure that improvements in mathematics teaching are fully established across the school, so that all groups of pupils make the same strong progress. In the past year, leaders have taken successful steps to improve the quality of learning for disadvantaged pupils. For example, leaders and teachers have established detailed action plans for individual pupils so that everyone is clear about pupils’ specific needs. Extra help is targeted where most needed. As a result, disadvantaged pupils’ progress has improved and the differences between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of their peers have diminished in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders are determined to eradicate the small differences which remain so that all disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as they should in mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Leaders have made changes to the teaching of writing during the past few years which have accelerated pupils’ progress in English. For example, teachers provide pupils with more opportunities to produce high-quality written work across the curriculum than at the time of the previous inspection. Consequently, pupils become proficient and engaging writers by the end of key stage 2, successfully adapting the structure and style of their writing according to the purpose of the task and their audience.

The Hill Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>76, "agree"=>21, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>1, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>81, "agree"=>15, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>1, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>58, "agree"=>36, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>73, "strongly_agree"=>6, "agree"=>6, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>30, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>33, "strongly_agree"=>37, "agree"=>17, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>11, "agree"=>42, "disagree"=>26, "strongly_disagree"=>16, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 19 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>29, "agree"=>48, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>14} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>41, "agree"=>46, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>61, "agree"=>33, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>64, "agree"=>25, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>56, "agree"=>25, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>8} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023
Yes No {"yes"=>90, "no"=>10} UNLOCK Figures based on 126 responses up to 14-12-2023

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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