Highlands Primary School, Hull Review 2026: Outstanding outcomes with a strong character curriculum

Highlands Primary sits in Bransholme and serves a wide age range, from two-year-old provision through to Year 6. Its headline story is unusually consistent: calm expectations, strong attendance routines, and results that place it above England averages by a clear margin in Key Stage 2 measures.

Leadership is stable. The school’s principal is Mrs D Smith, and governance information published by the school shows an appointment date of 17 October 2013. A trust layer shapes the school’s operations too, as Highlands is part of Humber Education Trust, having joined in September 2020 (with academy conversion in April 2013).

The most recent graded inspection found Highlands Outstanding across every judgement area, including early years.

The school presents itself with explicit values language, and that is more than branding. Respect, resilience, kindness, tolerance and self-confidence are set out as core expectations and are used as reference points for how pupils treat each other and how adults frame behaviour and belonging. That clarity matters in a larger primary, because consistency across classes is what stops routines fraying.

A notable feature of Highlands’ culture is how deliberately it builds “personal development” into weekly rhythm. The school runs weekly home groups as a structured space for pupils to talk about feelings, relationships and wider themes, including current affairs in an age-appropriate way. For families, the practical implication is that wellbeing is not handled only reactively, it is timetabled and normalised, which tends to help quieter pupils as much as confident ones.

Early years is a genuine part of the school’s identity, not a bolt-on. The two-year-old provision is described as a refurbished indoor and outdoor area within the foundation stage building, with children attending either morning or afternoon sessions during term time. That structure is helpful for working families who want predictability, while still keeping early years at an age-appropriate pace.

The most recent Key Stage 2 picture is strong across the board.

• Combined reading, writing and mathematics at expected standard: 91.33%

• Reading scaled score: 108

• Mathematics scaled score: 108

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled score: 106

These are well above the England benchmark figures provided for comparison, especially on the combined expected standard measure and higher standard outcomes.

On rankings, Highlands is ranked 2,636th in England and 11th in Hull for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places it comfortably above the England average, within the top 25% of primary schools in England (around the 17th percentile).

For parents comparing several Hull primaries, the useful move is to use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to line up the full outcome profile side-by-side, as the gaps between strong schools often show up in the detail (for example, higher standard proportions and scaled scores), not just the headline measures.

Teaching is built around sequencing and precision, particularly in the core. Early reading is treated as a priority from Reception, with phonics at the centre of how pupils learn to decode and build fluency. A practical sign of a coherent reading model is book matching, where pupils read texts aligned to the sounds they already know, so confidence builds quickly and gaps are picked up early.

Curriculum planning is presented as mapped and progressive across subjects, rather than a set of isolated topics. For pupils, the implication is that knowledge and vocabulary are revisited and strengthened over time, which supports those who need more repetition as well as those who are ready to move faster.

Early years deserves separate mention because the school serves two-year-olds. The two-year-old sessions run 8.30am to 11.30am or 12.15pm to 3.15pm, and staffing is described in terms of nursery nurses and support assistants, which signals a practitioner-led early years model. Government-funded early education hours are available for eligible families; for nursery and two-year-old pricing specifics, the school directs families to its own admissions routes and information pages rather than publishing a single universal figure.

As a state primary, most pupils move on to Hull secondary schools through the local coordinated admissions process, with allocations shaped by published admissions arrangements and catchment priorities rather than automatic feeder guarantees.

Highlands’ preparation for transition is described through practical mechanisms, particularly for pupils who need more structure. The SEND information report refers to transition books, visits and systematic transfer of information for primary-to-secondary transition. The implication is that transition work is planned, not left to the last half-term of Year 6, which can be especially valuable for pupils with anxiety, SEND, or those who benefit from routine and familiarisation.

For families who want to understand which secondary options are most realistic from their address, Hull publishes catchment mapping and admissions guides, and the most reliable approach is to cross-check the council’s materials alongside each school’s admissions policy in the year you apply.

Reception admissions sit within Hull’s coordinated process. Highlands’ own published admissions figures indicate 67 applications for 51 offers for the most recent recorded primary entry route with the school marked oversubscribed. That level of demand is meaningful but not extreme, roughly 1.31 applications per place, so the competitive pressure is real, yet not in “hundreds for a handful of places” territory.

For September 2026 Reception entry in Hull, the council’s published timeline set the application deadline as Thursday 15 January 2026. Offers for primary places follow the national timetable, with Hull-area materials pointing to 16 April 2026 as offer day. Since today is 27 January 2026, that deadline has already passed for September 2026 entry, so families applying now should check the council’s guidance on late applications and likely timing.

For nursery and two-year-old provision, admissions are handled differently. Trust admissions policy documents state that admission to two-year-old provision (for eligible children) and admission to nursery are determined at school level rather than through the standard Reception coordinated round. The school also publishes a nursery application form, which signals a direct application route for nursery places rather than council coordination.

Parents weighing their chances should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check distance accurately if distance is part of the published tie-breaks in the relevant year’s admissions arrangements. This matters even more where a school is oversubscribed, because small measurement differences can decide outcomes.

Pastoral support is embedded through routine and relationships. Weekly home groups provide a regular forum for feelings, belonging and wider learning about society, and older pupils are given structured leadership roles that include supporting younger pupils with reading and lunchtime help. The practical effect is twofold: younger pupils get additional “safe” role models, and older pupils practise responsibility in a real, visible way.

Breakfast club is part of the school’s offer, which can be a major stabiliser for family logistics and punctuality. The school’s SEND report describes breakfast club running each morning between 8.00am and 8.50am, and the wider school day page sets the main session times.

Safeguarding is treated as a standard expectation within the school’s operating model, and the most recent graded inspection records safeguarding arrangements as effective.

Highlands is unusually specific about music. A standout commitment is that all pupils learn to play a brass instrument, and musical participation is not only internal, with pupils also performing at Hull Minster. For children, the benefit is not just performance, it is discipline, listening skills, and a shared experience that cuts across year groups and backgrounds.

Clubs are varied and presented as an expected part of school life rather than an occasional extra. The school publishes term-by-term club lists, which include examples such as KS2 Choir, football across different year groups, basketball, film club and boardgame club. The practical implication for families is that extracurricular access can be planned, because the school sets out dates and time windows rather than leaving clubs vague.

Enrichment also appears through educational visits linked to curriculum. One example referenced in official inspection material is a Stone Age learning visit to Creswell Crags, positioned as a way for pupils to deepen knowledge and make links across subjects.

School day

8.45am to 3.15pm.

Breakfast club

8.00am to 8.50am (noted in SEND information).

Two-year-old provision sessions

8.30am to 11.30am or 12.15pm to 3.15pm, term time.

Wraparound beyond breakfast club and the pattern of after-school provision varies by term. The school publishes after-school club timetables, so it is worth checking the latest schedule when planning childcare.

This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. Expect the usual costs for uniform, trips and optional extras; families who want the most accurate picture should review the school’s current policies and term communications.

• Oversubscription is real. The school is oversubscribed on the recorded primary entry route, so families should treat admission as competitive and plan backups carefully.

• Deadlines matter. For September 2026 Reception entry, the published Hull deadline was 15 January 2026, which has already passed. Late applications can shift when an offer arrives.

• Music is a core expectation. Whole-cohort brass tuition and formal performance opportunities can be brilliant for many children, but it does mean music is not purely optional in the way it is in some primaries.

• Early years structure is session-based. Two-year-old provision is organised in morning or afternoon sessions, which may not match every working pattern without additional childcare.

Highlands Primary is a high-performing, values-led Hull primary with a distinctive commitment to music and character education. Results are comfortably above England averages and the school’s culture is built on consistency, routines and deliberate personal development.

Who it suits: families in and around Bransholme who want a structured school with high expectations, strong outcomes, and a genuine whole-school approach to music and leadership opportunities. The main challenge is admission timing and competition, so organisation around the local authority process is essential.