Hilldene Primary School

About Hilldene Primary School

Hilldene Primary School sits within the London Borough of Havering, a local authority with 60 primary schools, ten of which hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating. The school currently ranks 48th out of 49 primaries in the borough, placing it in the bottom tier locally. For context, the highest-ranked peers in Havering include Upminster Junior School, Nelmes Primary School and Hacton Primary School, all of which score considerably higher on the same ranking metric. Hilldene’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, judged the school as Requires Improvement overall, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2014. The inspection report noted that the quality of education, early years provision and leadership and management all require improvement, while behaviour and attitudes and personal development were rated Good. The school is led by headteacher Georgina Delmonte and caters for 663 pupils aged 3 to 11, operating below its capacity of 720.

Academically, Hilldene’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that 37% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the Havering local authority average of 65%. Only 4% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. In reading, 57% met the expected level and 18% reached the higher standard, while in writing 63% met the expected level and 13% achieved the higher standard. Maths results were weaker, with 49% reaching the expected standard and 10% the higher standard; the average maths score was 99. Progress scores were not provided for any subject, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Nationally, Hilldene ranks in the bottom 7% of primary schools on the expected standard measure, and within London it sits near the bottom of the table.

Despite the academic challenges, the school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, forest school, playing fields, gymnasium, art studios, music rooms, sports hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, gymnastics, athletics, tennis, swimming and cross country, and clubs include coding, gardening, film club and choir. The school provides for several SEND categories, including moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. However, the Parent View survey, based on 74 responses, shows that only 61% of parents agree or strongly agree that SEND children receive the support they need, with 39% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 152 applications for 78 places and 73 first-preference offers, suggesting strong local demand. Hilldene may suit families who value its wide facilities and extracurricular offer and who are comfortable with a school that is actively working to improve its academic outcomes.

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