Harborne Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Children get off to an excellent start in the outstanding Reception classes. They make rapid progress in all areas of their early development.

All pupils benefit from outstanding teaching. They make excellent progress from the very beginning of Year 1 and reach very high standards by the end of Year 6. Any pupils in danger of falling behind in their work, or who find work difficult, are quickly identified and promptly supported so they too achieve very well.

Teachers use information about pupils' previous learning extremely well to set demanding work for pupils at all ability levels. Teachers are highly effective in enabling pupi...ls to make their own decisions about when to move on to the next steps in their learning. Pupils are encouraged to challenge themselves and choose the most difficult tasks they think they are capable of completing.

The marking of pupils' work is excellent. Detailed tips help them to improve it. Teachers do not always make sure pupils gain maximum benefit by responding to their comments.

Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and around the school. They feel very safe in school and enjoy coming. Attendance is above average and pupils are punctual.

Leaders make sure pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils are extremely proud of their school and have excellent personal qualities. The school's leaders, including the governors, have very successfully created an environment in which high expectations and high standards are the norm.

Leaders' regular and rigorous checks on the quality of teaching and pupils' achievement have helped to ensure that both have improved since the last inspection. Governors are fully committed to the school and are extremely effective in holding senior leaders and staff to account. Their challenging questions have played an important part in helping staff to achieve an outstanding quality of education.

Information about this school

The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in single-age classes, but in ability groups for mathematics in Years 2 to 6 and phonics in Years 1, 2 and 3. Children in Reception attend on a full-time basis.

Just under half of the pupils are White British. Others come from a wide range of minority ethnic groups, the main group, at 15%, being Indian. A small minority, 22%, speak English as an additional language.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority), at 15%, is below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average at 11%. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

The principal, who works on a part-time basis, is a National Leader of Education (NLE) and provides support to vulnerable schools. The head of school is full time. The governors run a breakfast club on the school site, and it was included in this inspection.

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