Hethersett Academy Continues to be Ofsted Outstanding

The success is ongoing for Hethersett Academy after a summer of record-breaking results with the school not only achieving 92% 9-4 grades across all GCSE subjects in August and a Progress 8 score of 0.99, making Hethersett Academy the number one school in Norfolk for progress, but now also securing its second Outstanding Ofsted rating.

Ofsted states: 

“Hethersett Academy continues to be Outstanding. Pupils flourish at this school. They attend regularly, arrive on time and present themselves impeccably. Pupils respect each other and their surroundings. Pupils have very high expectations of their own and others’ behaviour. They value every minute of learning time.”

This is the second time that the school has received an Outstanding rating having achieved the same in 2016. The school, which is known for its ongoing success is consistently one of the top-performing schools in Norfolk, producing students that achieve highly and go on to do great things, with this year being no exception. 

In the report, Hethersett Academy was praised for its knowledge-rich curriculum, its wide range of extra-curricular activities, and the high ambitions it has for its students. 

Ofsted said:

"The curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders adapt the trust’s high-quality policies and curriculum plans for their pupils. Leaders choose ambitious content from around the world to show how everything works. Pupils build their knowledge logically and step by step towards their own ideas. Pupils attend a wide variety of clubs, activities and inter-house or inter-trust competitions”.

The popularity of the school amongst parents, pupils and staff was also recognised, with Ofsted saying:

“Parents and carers want their children to attend this school. Although the school has already doubled in size, it continues to grow and remains oversubscribed. One parent exemplified the views of many, stating, ‘Excellent facilities and brilliant opportunities, second to none with regards to pupil development and education’. Staff are extremely positive about working at the school. They say that leaders have reduced workload and support their well-being”.

Inspiration Trust CEO, Gareth Stevens said: 

“It has been a fantastic year for Hethersett Academy. Not only have they recently achieved their best ever GCSE results - no mean feat for a school that continuously produces excellent results; they have been named as the top school in Norfolk for progress, and now they have received another Outstanding rating from Ofsted. I am incredibly proud of all the students and staff at Hethersett Academy and delighted to share this excellent news with the county.”

Hethersett Academy’s Principal, Jane Diver said:

“We are absolutely delighted with this outcome. Our team and students deserve this recognition, they work incredibly hard to achieve exceptionally high standards. Our main goal is to ensure every one of our students experiences an enhanced education where they learn to be kind, work hard, take pride and embrace the opportunities available to them. We aim for all children to be confident in their own ability and proud of their achievements, so that they leave education prepared to reach their potential. Our continued success as a school and the judgement today demonstrate that we are consistently delivering on this - I’m very proud to be Headteacher of Hethersett Academy.” 

The celebrations continue for Hethersett Academy as the school recently achieved the highest Progress 8 score in Norfolk, came 1st Place in the Trust-wide Sports Competition earlier this month, and their Design and Technology department were awarded ‘The Autodesk Excellence Award’ for Outstanding Departmental Team, acknowledged for their outstanding contribution to the industry by The Design and Technology Association.