Harris Primary Academy Chafford Hundred Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teachers help pupils develop a deep knowledge and understanding across a wide range of subjects.
• Ensure that leaders at all levels make a significant contribution to the development of high-quality provision, especially those team members who are new to their roles.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The executive principal leads the school extremely well. He has nurtured and developed excellent working relationships throughout the school. Consequently, there is a positive, aspirational and hard-working atmosphere which is shared by all pupils, staff and leaders.
• Leaders have a very accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for continued development. Their wide-ranging actions to improve the school since the previous inspection have enabled pupils to make excellent progress.
• There is a well-established partnership between the three schools in the federation that share the same campus. The principal at the neighbouring primary school provides support to staff, and the schools share teachers, training opportunities and the use of specialist facilities. As a result, pupils have access to a wide curriculum taught by staff who are confident and knowledgeable about their subjects.
• Leaders provide supportive coaching to staff. They insist on high levels of consistency and, consequently, the quality of teaching continues to improve.
• Development of staff is a priority and leaders have been highly effective at supporting staff to take on leadership roles.
• Newly qualified teachers are very well supported in this school. They quickly feel part of the team and describe an atmosphere of mutual support where ‘Everybody is for everybody else.’
• Parents and carers, through Parent View, the online Ofsted questionnaire, and staff, in the staff survey, expressed a very high level of confidence in the leadership of the school.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding very successfully to fund early support and to offer wide, culturally diverse curriculum opportunities to pupils. The opportunities range from residential trips where pupils take part in the running of a farm through to yearly visits to different places of worship. High-attaining pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding take part in the ‘Brilliant Club’, linking pupils up with students and staff at universities.
• The leadership of special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is highly effective. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make strong progress. The pupils’ individual plans focus on achievable steps and are monitored very carefully.
• The physical education (PE) and sport premium grant is used extremely well. Leaders prioritise specialist coaching and ensure high levels of participation in inter-school events. Because of high-quality teaching, pupils perform very well in competitions.
• Leaders have widened the curriculum through the links within the federation. Teachers from the secondary school on the same campus provide Mandarin and Latin lessons. Latin teaching enhances pupils’ wider knowledge of language through the study of word origins.
• Leaders have ensured that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is woven throughout the curriculum. Pupils are often asked to consider questions that make them think and apply what they have learned, for example ‘What will happen to the rainforests in the future?’ Pupils apply their school values of respect and responsibility to these questions, resulting in well-thought-out answers.
• A minority of parents would like more communication with the school, although most parents who spoke to inspectors stated that the interaction between teachers and parents is excellent. Leaders have worked hard to increase communication. Slides from the presentation at the parents’ meeting are now available on the website and social media is used effectively to keep parents informed about events, homework and how they can further support their children. At the start of the day, pastoral staff welcome pupils and take queries from parents to pass on to teachers.
• Middle leaders are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their subjects. However, some are very new to the role. The work of these staff in supporting school improvement is at an early stage and they are following a programme to develop their leadership skills.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is highly focused on achieving the best outcomes for pupils, across and beyond the curriculum. Governors challenge school leaders rigorously and are committed to building on the school’s strong academic results. They maintain a sharp focus on the strategic direction of the school.
• Governors undertake substantial amounts of training that enable them to fulfil their roles very well. They are active in this area and take on development opportunities as soon as they are available. Governors have built strong and effective links with school leaders.
• The governing body fulfils its statutory duties to an extremely high standard.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff training has ensured that all staff are aware of the possible indicators of neglect, abuse and exploitation. Staff report any concerns swiftly and leaders follow these through appropriately.
• School leaders and the governing body ensure that appropriate employment checks are made on all staff working in the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Pupils achieve extremely well over time because of the quality of teaching in the school. Staff provide high-quality support to stop pupils from falling behind.
• Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. This is further promoted through the school value of ‘Resilience’. Pupils understand that this means not giving up, even when tasks are difficult. Teachers refer to the school’s values regularly and pupils demonstrate them fully in their attitudes to work and to each other.
• Teachers emphasise the use of technical and specific vocabulary and insist on full sentences to put these in context, ensuring that pupils understand and can apply new vocabulary well.
• Teachers challenge stereotypes, for example pupils were asked to consider the hidden messages delivered through a high-profile advertising campaign. Pupils are encouraged to debate and present their thoughts. Pupils use phrases such as ‘respectfully disagree’ in their discussions.
• Teachers promote and praise excellent presentation. Pupils take great pride in their written work. Pupils’ presentation in books is of a particularly high standard.
• Teaching assistants are used extremely well to support learning. They work seamlessly with the teachers to motivate pupils and to ensure that they do not fall behind. Staff working with the school’s nurture group support pupils’ needs very well, adapting the curriculum so that pupils make progress both academically and socially.
• Phonics is taught systematically and with a high level of consistency. Leaders ensure that fluency is developed well, and pupils move quickly on to reading for enjoyment. Teachers encourage a love of reading and provide challenging and interesting texts.
• Writing is taught very well throughout the curriculum. Pupils write at length and for a variety of purposes from an early age.
• The teaching of mathematics is consistently strong. Pupils use practical, pictorial and written approaches proficiently when solving mathematical problems.
• The teaching of art is a strength of the school. Leaders have ensured that it is a priority, providing specialist teaching and resources. Consequently, work produced by pupils demonstrates high levels of artistic skill.
• Teachers who are at the start of their careers, or who have changed classes, have regular coaching from senior leaders to enable them to teach at the high standard expected. New teachers stated that the support and mentoring they receive are of a high quality, encouraging and welcomed.
• Most teachers use insightful questioning to identify quickly where pupils have not fully understood a topic. They use probing, open-ended questions effectively. There is an emphasis on using extension questions to challenge pupils. However, this does not consistently help pupils to deepen their understanding.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils say they feel very safe in school and parents agree that their children are very well looked after. Pupils say they know how to get help if they are worried about anything.
• British values are taught thoroughly through the school’s core values. Respect for all is emphasised in lessons and pupils value each other’s opinions. They are taught to be resilient yet supportive of each other. Older pupils run outside activities at lunchtime for younger ones. In lessons, there is an emphasis on pupils explaining concepts to others who have not grasped them the first time round.
• Teamwork is emphasised throughout the school day. Pupils are highly supportive of each other in lessons and at lunchtime. For example, a group of Year 5 pupils worked with peers and teachers across the school to find ways to improve the pupil experience. This project involved considering a variety of viewpoints and deciding on and implementing a consistent approach to displays and presentation across the school.
• There have been very few examples of bullying or racist incidents in the last two years. Any occurrences have been dealt with sensitively. Pupils state that there is very little bullying and they are confident that staff will deal with any issues quickly and effectively.
• There is a strong emphasis on teaching pupils to stay safe, particularly online. E-safety is taught regularly in lessons. Pupils have an excellent understanding of what they should do to keep themselves from harm.
• Pupils do not accept discrimination. Last year, in their history lessons, pupils planned and held a suffragist demonstration to celebrate the anniversary of women getting the vote. Following this, pupils approached the executive principal with a reasoned proposal for all class names in 2018 to be female role models. They presented their case well and school leaders have followed their request.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy. They can explain what healthy eating and fitness are. PE and personal, social and health education lessons develop this knowledge very effectively.
• The school provides a breakfast and after-school club. Pupils have a choice of activities and say that they enjoy attending. Staff were seen to have warm and positive relationships with the pupils in their care.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ behaviour in class and around the building is exemplary. Routines are very well established from the moment pupils join the school. On the very rare occasions that their behaviour is ever less than expected, staff remind pupils of the school’s high expectations in a positive manner.
• Pupils are extremely polite. They listen well to each other in discussions and are keen to talk to visitors. They are self-disciplined in how they conduct themselves.
• Pupils attend school punctually and their attendance is above the national average. Where pupils were persistently absent in the past, leaders have worked effectively to improve their attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils make outstanding progress throughout their time in the school.
• Provisional results for 2018 show that, at the end of key stage 2, the proportions of pupils achieving at least the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics were well above the national averages. Pupils’ progress at the end of key stage 2 was also above the national average from high starting points at the end of key stage 1.
• Disadvantaged pupils also make very good progress. In 2018, they achieved above the national average for all pupils nationally.
• At both key stages 1 and 2, the proportion of pupils reaching the standard for greater depth was above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Most pupils in Year 1 reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check, well above the national average.
• Pupils across the school read with speed and confidence once they have mastered the basics skills of reading. Pupils read books that are challenging and interesting.
• Pupils develop and use their reading and writing skills very effectively throughout the broad and balanced curriculum. A wide range of activities, many practical, engage the pupils’ interest. For example, Year 6 pupils plan and produce videos to explain e-safety to younger members of the school community.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that pupils’ progress in written and reasoning work across the curriculum, including mathematics, is very strong. Pupils’ work shows detailed knowledge of topics studied.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, together with pupils who are at risk of falling behind, respond well to the wide range of interventions and support. Almost all make substantial progress from their individual starting points by the end of key stage 2.
• The school assesses pupils’ performance in subjects such as history and art. Most pupils achieve well in every subject, with many reaching a greater depth of understanding each year.

Early years provision Outstanding

• The early years is led exceptionally well. The early years leader has determination and a vision, shared by her staff, that all children will make the best possible start to their school lives. Children in the early years settle quickly and make substantial progress.
• In 2018, most children achieved a good level of development at the end of the early years, which is significantly above the national average. The proportion exceeding the early learning goals was well above the national average in all areas of learning. The very few children who do not achieve a good level of development make very strong progress from their starting points.
• The early years leader has established consistently effective practice across all classes in the setting. Staff work extremely well together to ensure that children have the best possible learning opportunities.
• In Reception, the children concentrate very well on their activities and make significant progress because of the many opportunities to practise the basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Phonics is taught very effectively and in line with the school’s chosen approach. Children enjoy playing at being ‘the teacher’ in a specific area set up for this purpose, where they practise their letter sounds well.
• Nursery children have sessions where there is a high focus on developing their basic skills. For example, ordering construction materials by colour developed both the children’s mathematical and vocabulary skills.
• Both Nursery and Reception children have access to the same highly stimulating and engaging outside provision, which provides children with a wide range of high-quality experiences. The early years leader works effectively with staff to ensure that all areas of learning are frequently accessible for children to enjoy.
• Children are supported to take appropriate risks, for example tackling a climbing wall with supervision.
• The children who have specific speech and language difficulties are well integrated in the Nursery, with the additional support of speech therapists. The emphasis on speech and communication benefits the development of all children in the early years. Staff use both open-ended and closed questions well to encourage children to explore new experiences and to develop their vocabulary.
• Children are very well behaved. Routines across the school are taught to children at an early age. Reception children move around the school sensibly, quietly and confidently.
• Parents are extremely positive about the transition of their children into or through the early years. Comments on the parent survey stated that their children had settled quickly. Parents are highly engaged in their children’s learning, and communication in the early years supports them well.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 138349 Thurrock 10053296 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 688 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Executive principal Telephone number Website Email address Ann Slater Matt Britt 01375 484 490 www.harrisprimarychaffordhundred.org.uk/ t.holland@harrisprimarychaffordhundred.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school is part of a multi-academy trust, the Harris Federation.
• In addition to providing governance for this school, the local governing body also acts as a separate governing body to the other primary school on the same campus.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The federation provides initial teacher training programmes. New teachers often join the school from these programmes.
• The Nursery includes 15 part-time places for children with specific speech and language difficulties, funded by the local authority.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed learning in every class. Most observations were undertaken alongside members of the senior leadership team or the principal of the partner academy.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks were looked at by the inspection team.
• The inspection team met with representatives from the local governing body and the federation. They met with senior leaders, subject leaders and a group of newly qualified teachers.
• The school’s pupil commissioner group (a group who had worked on a cross-federation project) met with an inspector, as did a group of pupils from across the school. Inspectors also spoke to pupils informally in lessons and at playtimes.
• The inspection team scrutinised the school’s website and a range of school documents, including assessment information and the school’s improvement plans.
• Pupils in Years 1, 2 and 5 read to inspectors and talked about their reading preferences.
• The 97 responses made by parents to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were considered. The inspection team also spoke to some parents before the start of the school day.
• The 22 responses to the staff questionnaire were considered.

Inspection team

Tessa Holledge, lead inspector Steve Mellors John Daniell Stewart Caplen Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector