Harnham Infants’ School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leaders, including governors, provide determined and effective leadership. This has led to significant improvements over the past year, ensuring that teaching is good, and pupils achieve well.

Senior leaders have developed a strong and cohesive teaching team. They check teaching thoroughly, followed by helpful support and challenge. Because of these actions, teaching keeps improving.

Teachers have high expectations and plan work to interest and challenge most pupils. Consequently, most pupils are making good progress and achieve higher standards. Occasionally, teachers do not check pupils' understanding precisely enough in lessons to clar...ify tasks or to provide additional challenge for the most able pupils.

This slows their progress. The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well planned. Pupils receive good levels of support enabling them to progress well.

Disadvantaged pupils make good progress from their starting points because of well-targeted teaching and effective personal support. Pupils behave well and the school is a happy, harmonious place. They say that they feel safe because staff look after them well.

The curriculum is broad and interesting. It promotes pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills and their physical well-being effectively. Parents praise the work of the school in providing a caring, nurturing environment in which their children can thrive.

They appreciate the increased opportunities to become involved in their children's learning. Children in the early years settle quickly and confidently into school routines. They are taught well and make good progress, starting Year 1 as confident learners.

At times, teaching does not stretch the most able children to the full. Governors have a good knowledge of how well the school is doing and lend generally effective support to leaders. However, they do not challenge leaders rigorously enough to hold them to account for the standards pupils achieve.

Middle leaders, some relatively new to their role, support colleagues well to improve the school's provision. As yet, however, they do not make a sufficiently effective contribution to monitoring and developing teaching in their areas of responsibility.

Information about this school

This is an average-sized school.

Pupils are organised in 9 classes, three in each age group. The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average as is the proportion of disadvantaged pupils. The school manages a breakfast club each day.

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