Harbour Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leadership across the school is good. As a result, the school has improved since the previous inspection. The school is well placed to continue to improve.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. Pupils are appropriately challenged through activities which meet their needs. All groups of pupils make good progress.

Action is quickly taken to provide extra support to pupils who are in danger of falling behind. Standards at the end of Year 6 have improved since the previous inspection and in 2015 were similar to the national average. Pupils' personal development and welfare is good.

This is a very caring school. Pu...pils of all ages behave well. They are polite and respectful.

They are positive about learning. Good relationships mean that pupils feel secure. The school keeps pupils safe.

Parents are pleased with improvements in the school since the previous inspection. They feel confident in the school's leaders. Provision in the early years is outstanding.

Excellent leadership and strong teaching result in children making rapid progress and being well prepared for Year 1. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Some pupils have too many absences, which affects the consistency of their progress. Some pupils show a lack of confidence in their writing and do not fully develop their writing skills by writing at length.

Teaching does not ensure that pupils develop their ability to explain mathematical ideas and so deepen their understanding.

Information about this school

The school is larger than the average-sized school. Harbour School was newly formed in January 2013, following the closure of a junior and an infant school.

The school moved into a new building in September 2014. The early years foundation stage comprises a large Nursery and two Reception classes. The Nursery includes two-year-old children who attend part-time.

Most other children attend Nursery part-time and some attend full-time. Children in the Reception classes attend full-time. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.

The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.) The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is much higher than average.

The school meets the current floor standards, which are the government's minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. The headteacher is a local leader of education. The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.