School in Brentwood gets ‘requires improvement’ Ofsted rating

A school in Brentwood has seen its Ofsted rating downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’.

An inspection of Hogarth Primary School and Nursery in Riseway was carried out by the education watchdog in February and it has now published its findings in a report.

Ofsted said there have been several changes in the senior leadership of the school since the last inspection in December 2021.

In January 2023, the chief executive of a local trust took on the role of interim executive headteacher in order to support leaders to improve the school.

The report said: “Leadership has not been consistent in most curricular areas or in early years.

“This means that teachers are only just beginning to receive the training they need to engage pupils in lessons effectively or identify gaps in learning well enough.”

Read More: Ofsted: Elm Park nursery rated ‘outstanding’ by regulator

Staff interviewed by Ofsted shared that the leadership changes in the last two years have been “detrimental to their morale and workload”, the report said.

But they feel “more positive” after improved support from leaders, inspectors said.

According to the report, the current leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils learn and achieve well.

A structured reading programme is now being followed by teachers so students can learn to pronounce difficult words, inspectors wrote.

However, Ofsted found that the school does not have a procedure in place to identify and support pupils who have fallen behind in their reading.

The report claimed that pupils feel “safe and happy” at this “calm and welcoming school”.

The safeguarding standards were considered to be effective by Ofsted, but it said some pupils do not attend the school regularly.

The attendance was found to be low overall, and the school, it said, lacked an effective strategy to address this.

It added that pupils liked to take part in extra-curricular activities in the past, but some of these activities did not take place because of the staff changes.

The instability at school, it said, had left many parents with mixed views but many are now positive about its new direction.

The report also highlighted that leaders have not identified the key knowledge pupils need to learn as they progress through the school.

It added: “This limits how well pupils build their understanding of subjects over time.”

It praised the school’s services available to pupils with special educational needs, and said that the school “has adapted resources and provided in-class support where appropriate.”

The school did not respond to a request for comment.