Children “come to school happily each day” at a Bushey primary school, according to its latest Ofsted inspection.

Hartsbourne Primary School was rated ‘good’ by the education regulator in a report published today, May 10, following an inspection on April 16 and 17.

The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and early years provision were all considered to be ‘good’, while the personal development was judged to be ‘outstanding’.

Watford Observer: Headteacher Danni Harte celebrates the Ofsted result with Hartsbourne pupils.Headteacher Danni Harte celebrates the Ofsted result with Hartsbourne pupils. (Image: Hartsbourne Primary School)Headteacher Danni Harte said: “My brilliant team and I are very pleased to have received such a glowing Ofsted report, which we feel not only reflects our lovely school and fabulous children, but also represents the progress we have made since our previous inspection." 

She said that its ‘outstanding’ rating for personal development highlighted their efforts to develop both pupils’ academic and personal sides and that they were excited for the future, with a new nursery opening in September.

“My favourite sentence in the report is ‘pupils come to school happily each day’”, she added.

“It mirrors what I see on the gate every morning and I am proud to be the headteacher of a school that children are happy to attend, happy children learn and achieve.”

The primary is part of the Bushey St James Trust and teaches 197 children aged four to 11 at its site in Hartsbourne Road.

Inspectors found that pupils received a well-rounded education and achieved well in maths and reading, as well as taking part in extracurricular activities which “expand their horizons”.

The children were said to behave well in the calm classrooms due to high expectations and clear boundaries set by staff, and that achievement awards motivated them to try their best.

The report also highlighted that “strong relationships are at the heart of the school”, as pupils develop trusting relationships with staff and each other from reception through their education.

An interim inspection in 2022 upheld the school’s ‘good’ rating from before it converted to an academy in 2017, and the latest visit found it had since developed the curriculum to further reflect its “ambitious vision” for pupils.

Inspectors said that teachers regularly check pupils understand the work and act quickly to change lessons when necessary, as well as adapting tasks to ensure pupils with SEND could meet the curriculum’s aims.

One area for improvement was structuring lessons in the most effective way to ensure all pupils made as much progress as possible.