Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils are happy at this nurturing school.

They are excited to see which class 'Attendance Ted' will visit each week and who will win 'Flamingo Bingo'. These carefully considered incentives motivate pupils to attend frequently. The school prioritises the well-being of all pupils.

Pupils know there are adults and other pupils in school who will listen and help them should they need support.

Pupils successfully follow the school rules of being safe, responsible and kind. Responsibility is particularly important to pupils.

Prefects are proud of how they help and support younger children. Diversity champions and school councillors work well together... to identify ways to improve the school. These roles help pupils to develop the skills they need to be 'ready to jump into adulthood'.

Pupils behave well throughout the school day. They work hard in class to reach the high expectations the school has of them. The school playground and field are a hive of activity.

Pupils enjoy playing hockey and football together. They also appreciate the opportunities the school has carefully provided for them for quieter activities. These include sharing and recommending books from their 'reading suitcases'.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that sets out what pupils will learn. In most subjects, the school has broken this knowledge down into smaller steps. The school has then placed this knowledge into a clear sequence.

This helps build pupils' knowledge over time. However, in some subjects, the school has not identified the specific building blocks of knowledge or the important concepts to revisit. In these subjects, pupils do not routinely learn content that builds on what they already know.

This makes it difficult for pupils to make connections between what they are learning now and what they have learned before.

Staff use careful checks on learning to identify how well pupils are faring or where they have gaps in their knowledge. Well-trained staff support pupils to either close gaps or to extend learning.

For example, in the early years, staff choose activities that support children to develop important fine motor skills. Thoughtful and probing questions challenge children to develop their knowledge and understanding of number while completing these activities. In subjects where curriculum design is less precise, checks on learning are also less precise.

In these instances, the school does not always know how well pupils are learning.

Reading is a priority across the school. Stories and a love of reading start in the Nursery.

The sharing of books, songs and rhymes helps to expand children's vocabulary. Pupils enjoy the books and stories that teachers read to them. Staff are well trained to support pupils at the early stages of reading.

They carefully check that pupils know the meaning of words they read. This helps pupils to understand and use new vocabulary. The school recognises when a pupil is finding reading difficult.

Staff provide them with the support they need to become confident and fluent readers.

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with precision. Useful guidance helps staff to know how to support pupils with SEND.

Staff make adaptations to learning so that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Focused interventions help pupils to make progress towards appropriate targets.

Pupils are kind, courteous and polite towards each other and adults.

They appreciate opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Performing at a local theatre inspires pupils to join the choir. It also challenges them to go out of their comfort zone and try something different.

The personal, social, health and economic curriculum supports pupils to understand important concepts throughout their time at school. For example, pupils learn to show tolerance and respect towards anyone who is different to them.

Leaders at all levels are ambitious for pupils.

A rigorous focus on improving pupils' attendance has had significant success. However, in some aspects of the school's work, such as some parts of the curriculum, monitoring is not as thorough as it could be.

Staff are proud to work at the school and appreciate the support the school gives them.

The school successfully engages with the parental community. Many parents are very positive about the quality of education and support their child receives.

The governing body ensures the school supports staff to manage their own workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the school has not precisely identified the most important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to remember. This means there are occasions when teachers do not plan lessons that build on prior learning.

The school should ensure that the curriculum in these subjects clearly identifies the most important knowledge and when it should be taught and revisited. The school should then ensure that assessment in these subjects is precisely linked to this knowledge. This is so that pupils make better connections between what they are learning now and what they have learned before.

• In some areas of the curriculum, the school's monitoring of how well pupils from Nursery to Year 6 are learning is less well developed than in others. This means the school does not always have the information it needs to make necessary changes or improvements. Leaders at all levels should ensure there is rigour to monitoring the impact of the work the school does.