Harpenden Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leadership is highly effective.

The positive impact that leaders have had on improving the school is very clear. The school is now securely good and improving. The school's curriculum is strong and well planned.

The curriculum meets the needs of current pupils very well. The school provides particularly well for pupils' social and emotional development and their mental-health needs. This is a key strength of the school.

The quality of teaching is now consistently good. Staff know pupils as individuals and meet their needs well. Children get off to a good start in the early years.

The proportion that reach a good level of... development by the end of the Reception Year is above average. Safeguarding is effective. Pupils are cared for well and taught, systematically, how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations.

Pupils behave well in their classrooms and during breaktimes. They listen carefully and follow the school's rules. Outcomes have improved greatly since the school opened as part of the Scholars' Education Trust.

Progress is now in line with the national average and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics combined is above average. Pupils' attainment in writing is less strong than in reading and mathematics. Pupils do not apply their spelling and grammar knowledge well enough.

Some of the youngest children do not form letters correctly and muddle capitals and lower-case letters. The quality of teaching in writing has improved. This has not yet had enough impact on outcomes.

Pupils make strong progress across a wide range of subjects. However, few pupils make substantial and sustained progress across the curriculum, including in English and mathematics.

Information about this school

A full inspection of the predecessor school was carried out on 17 to 18 September 2015.

The overall effectiveness of the predecessor school was judged to require improvement. The predecessor school was also judged to require improvement at an earlier inspection, in March 2014. The school joined the Scholars' Education Trust, and re-opened as an academy free school, in September 2016.

The current headteacher joined the school at the same time. A local governing body is responsible for the day-to-day strategic leadership of the school. The board of trustees has ultimate responsibility for the governance of the school.

Also at this postcode