Harlyn Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Harlyn Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for by staff. They know that staff are keen for them to succeed. In turn, pupils rise to the expectations staff have of them.

They do this by working hard in all subjects and taking part in lots of exciting lunchtime clubs and after-school activities.

Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They are well organised for their lessons and get down to learning quickly.

They feel safe to express their views and ask questions. Pupils learn a lot about their rights and responsibilities and what it means to be a good citizen in the modern world. They leave the school ...well prepared for secondary education, both academically and in terms of their personal development.

Pupils say that the school helps them to build their confidence and self-esteem. For example, they are proud to be members of the school orchestra, sports teams and drama productions. Disadvantaged pupils also access these opportunities.

Pupils value one another's views and show respect by listening to what others have to say. In this climate, bullying of any kind is rare and mutual respect is demonstrated well. Staff model such attitudes and behaviour very well.

Unsurprisingly, pupils trust staff to sort out any problem in the unusual event of something going wrong.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Morale in this school is high. Staff, parents, carers and governors are supportive of school leaders.

All believe and aspire to the best for their pupils. Much work is being done to improve the school's curriculum, teaching and assessment. The quality of education provided is good.

Leaders and teachers understand why it is important for pupils to learn things in the right order. In science, for instance, pupils learn about the idea of forces, such as gravity, before moving on to exploring the idea of air resistance. In reading, teachers spend time explaining to pupils the context in which new words and phrases might be used.

This enables pupils to make more sense of the text and hence make better inferences.

Leaders have carried out reviews in some subjects to improve plans for what pupils should learn. All curriculum subjects will have been through this rigorous process by the end of the current academic year.

The positive impact of this work can be seen in subjects including English, mathematics, art and history. A key principle has been to look carefully at the concepts taught in different year groups. In these subjects, topics have been mapped out so that pupils learn things in a logical order that helps them build a strong knowledge base.

While work is ongoing in other curriculum subjects, such as geography, science and physical education, it is clear that leaders understand the importance of good planning.

Teachers and teaching assistants are skilful at breaking down complex problems into smaller steps that pupils can manage. This is particularly useful for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Teachers ensure that pupils remember earlier learning before they go on to new and harder work. For example, Year 5 pupils can explain the concept of 'punishment' in Victorian England in the context of the United Nations Convention on Human Rights.

Children are exposed to a language-rich environment in the early years.

Children in the Nursery listen to lots of rhymes and stories. They start learning phonics early. Outcomes in phonics have improved, particularly in 2019.

Pupils are now more confident in decoding words than in the past.

Pupils achieve well in mathematics and English by the end of key stage 2; this includes disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. The curriculum in these subjects is ambitious for all pupils in that it is designed well to meet all needs.

For example, in mathematics, clear links are made between topics. Effective support is provided to all pupils who need it to help them achieve their goals.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school has a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff at all levels receive regular safeguarding training, and they know how to identify pupils who are potentially at risk. Staff understand and follow leaders' guidance for reporting any safeguarding concerns.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding concerns are properly recorded. They are tenacious in making sure that child protection referrals are dealt with appropriately. The maintenance of child protection files is effective, and leaders work well with representatives from other agencies.

As a result, the most vulnerable pupils are kept safe and free from harm.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The curriculum is planned and delivered well in most subjects, including mathematics and English. However, the knowledge that pupils need to acquire is not set out in a carefully planned sequence in all subjects.

Transitional arrangements have therefore been applied on this inspection. Leaders should ensure that planning in all subjects is well sequenced and coherent, resulting in stronger learning over time across the whole curriculum.Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 19 January 2016.

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