North Harringay Primary School

North Harringay Primary School Falkland Road, London, N8 0NU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Standards in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6 and at the end of Year 2 are improving year on year.  Pupils achieve well. The proportion of pupils making and exceeding the expected rate of progress compares well with schools nationally.  Pupils who are eligible for extra government funding and those who join the school at the early stages of learning English make particularly good progress.  The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers give pupils very detailed feedback about their work and pupils use this really well to make sure they improve.  Pupils show exemplary attitudes to learning and want to succeed. Their behaviour is excellent both in lessons and around the school. They feel very safe in school and feel they are listened to and respected.  The school is exceptionally well led and managed. The inspirational headteacher and her senior leadership team are highly effective

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

in checking and improving the quality of teaching and have the support of all the staff.  The governing body is highly effective at challenging the school to improve. They are tenacious and professional, and insist that school leaders explain clearly about the work and life of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A small amount of teaching requires improvement. As a result, pupils’ progress is not consistent in all year groups.  A few teachers do not ask questions that are challenging enough or are designed to test and develop pupils’ understanding.  Pupils do not get enough opportunities to plan their own learning, to ask their own questions and to learn on their own.  A few teachers are not always aware of how well all their pupils are coping with activities and as a result, they miss the opportunity to give them more challenging work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 28 lessons, of which 11 were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, inspectors made other short visits to lessons and to learning areas in the course of their observations of pupils’ behaviour. They also listened to pupils read.  Inspectors observed senior leaders reporting back to teachers on the quality of their teaching.  Inspectors took account of the 36 responses to the online Parent View survey and spoke informally to parents and carers as they brought pupils to school.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, a representative from the local authority, governors, senior and middle leaders, and teaching staff.  The information from 38 staff questionnaires was considered.  Inspectors observed the work of the school, and looked at pupils’ books and at a number of documents, including the school’s own data and monitoring of how well pupils make progress.

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Information about this inspection

They also checked planning documents, records of checks on the quality of teaching, and records of behaviour, attendance and punctuality, as well as documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Simon Blackburn, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Samuel Ofori-Kyereh Additional Inspector Michael Elson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium, which is additional funding provided for looked after children, pupils eligible for free school meals and children of service families, is well above average.  Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic groups and more than half of the pupils speak English as an additional language, both of which are well above the national averages.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average and the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The number of pupils who join the school in the middle of the year is high compared with other schools and many of these pupils are at the very early stages of learning English.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school runs an after-school childcare facility for pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and raise achievement in all subjects and all year groups by:  ensuring pupils have regular opportunities to plan their own activities, ask their own questions and learn independently  making sure that teachers regularly check the quality of learning taking place in their classrooms and quickly provide extra challenge to those pupils who need it  improving the quality of the questions asked by teachers so that they consistently challenge pupils and check and deepen their understanding.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards have improved each year for the last three years so that at the end of Year 2 they are similar to national averages. Standards in mathematics at the end of Year 6 were below average in 2012 but this still represents a big improvement on the previous year and this improvement continues with pupils currently in the school. Standards in English and overall were similar to national averages.  Children enter Nursery and Reception with knowledge and skills that are well below those expected for their age. As a result of good and outstanding teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage, they make good progress and start Year 1 with skills that are just below national expectations.  Progress is slower in Year 1 as a result of less consistently good teaching but pupils then make good progress in Year 2. Pupils in Year 2 are on track to exceed national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are making good progress in Key Stage 2 as a result of the actions of leaders and managers in making sure that teaching has improved.  All groups of pupils, including those from minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, are achieving well from their starting points. Pupils who are known to be eligible for pupil premium make better progress than expected, for example in reading and mathematics. As a result, the gap in the attainment of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals when compared with pupils nationally, based on average point scores, is closing rapidly. Many pupils join the school at the early stages of learning English and the school is highly successful at supporting them to develop their language skills quickly through the use of community native speakers. These pupils often make progress at double the expected rate.  The school’s rigorous tracking and checking of progress identifies any underperformance, and

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The achievement of pupils is good

conversations between school leaders and class teachers make sure that steps are taken to help them catch up. As a result, all pupils who receive individual support make good progress.  Pupils read well and have the opportunity to read in many lessons. Their skills in linking sounds and letters (phonics) are developed well in Nursery, Reception and Year 1. As a result, a higher proportion of pupils reached the expected standard in the screening check than found nationally. Pupils use these skills very well in their reading and can sound out unfamiliar words with confidence.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is mostly good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan lessons that excite and interest pupils and help them to learn well. In an outstanding lesson in a Reception class, children were stimulated by literacy work based on the ‘Gruffalo’ to build tents, write letters, sing songs and paint pictures with snow outside. This work rapidly improved their reading and writing skills, and increased their social development and confidence by the way they worked together and came to agreements about roles and sharing.  Teachers have high expectations of the quality of pupils’ work and the pupils take great pride in their work. They encourage pupils to work in groups and with ‘talk partners’ so that they have the opportunity to explain their thinking.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and are also reflective, constantly evaluating their own teaching. They generally work well with other adults to plan the learning of groups or individuals

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The quality of teaching is good

who need extra help but sometimes they do not check the progress these groups make often enough so they are not aware that they may need more challenging work.  The feedback given to pupils about their work is exemplary in all classes. Teachers work extremely hard to make sure that each pupil knows exactly what they need to do to reach their target or to make the next step to improve. Their marking gives more challenging problems, corrections and questions, which pupils routinely answer, and this speeds up their progress. Pupils also mark their own and each other’s work, which the teacher checks so that pupils have a good understanding of what is expected from them.  The quality of the questions used by teachers is generally good, but a few teachers do not use questions to challenge pupils well enough or to probe their understanding of their learning.  In a few lessons, teachers do not always make the most of the pupils’ outstanding behaviour.

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The quality of teaching is good

They do not give pupils enough opportunities to ask challenging questions, plan their own learning or explore each other’s ideas. In an outstanding mathematics lesson with Year 6, the pupils were given these opportunities and were encouraged to take risks and learn from their mistakes. The pupils were active and asked excellent questions, developing confidence in their abilities quickly and making rapid progress.  The way lessons are planned using a ‘theme’ allows pupils to practise their literacy, communication and mathematics skills in many different lessons and they can see the value and relevance of their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils enjoy being at the school and have a real hunger for learning. This is clear from their above average and improving attendance, the excellent presentation of the work in their books and from their formal conversations with inspectors.  Behaviour around the school is outstanding. Pupils move about purposefully and politely, following very well established routines, and are extremely courteous both to each other and to visitors.  Pupils understand and respect the school rules and the sanctions and rewards system and report that they think they are very fair and make sure that pupils know what to do and what to expect. There is an active school council and pupils say they feel their views are listened to and they feel respected.  Parents and carers agree that their children feel safe at school. Pupils have a very good understanding of the different types of bullying and actively try to prevent it. They say bullying is

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

very rare and the school’s records confirm this.  Behaviour incidents are unusual and the school has been very successful in reducing dramatically the number of fixed-term exclusions over the last two years. The use of some pupil premium funding to employ a pastoral manager has had a very positive impact on both behaviour and attendance.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Under the inspirational leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the school has improved quickly. It has successfully addressed all the issues highlighted in the previous inspection report and has dramatically improved the outcomes for its pupils.  Leaders throughout the school understand the strengths and areas of development very well. The headteacher has brought in a number of new leaders and has made sure that they are fully trained and focused on improving teaching and learning. All middle leaders are involved in checking the quality of teaching so that the burden does not fall on one or two leaders only, and all take responsibility for ensuring success.  All leaders are highly committed and use data effectively to analyse how well pupils and groups are doing in their subjects. This has led to improvements through the pupil progress meetings, which also check on the effectiveness of the extra support given to pupils.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders make accurate judgements of the quality of teaching. The formal performance management process, which assesses how well teachers are doing and reviews their pay, is well structured. It sets very challenging targets for teachers to meet and reviews these thoroughly so that teachers can get useful training to help them improve. There is a strong link between the quality of teaching and salary progression.  Pupils help to decide the way subjects are taught through the choice of a book, which forms the centre of ‘themed’ lessons. The main focus is on developing literacy skills, with links with other subjects made and skills developed through these. This leads to an interesting and motivating set of lessons that pupils can see the purpose of and that inspires them to work hard. Opportunities are built in for pupils to celebrate each other’s cultures and interests, which also help to foster good relationships and tackle discrimination.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The pupil premium is used effectively, mostly to provide one-to-one support for individual pupils and groups within classrooms but also to fund additional teachers so that classes can be taught in ability groups and to pay for a proportion of the salary of the pastoral support manager who supports pupils with behavioural and emotional needs. The school can point to pupils’ improved progress, which is a direct result of these spending decisions.  The after-school club, which provides childcare services after school, is well run and managed. It is a safe and stimulating learning environment where pupils are carefully supervised and learn new skills, particularly in art and crafts.  The local authority provides good support to the school under its ‘medium’ support category.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly effective at challenging the school to improve. It has a very thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school because governors ask

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the right questions and look for evidence themselves rather than just waiting to have information presented to them. For example, when presented with data that showed a lack of progress for a small group of pupils, they requested the preparation of a case study that included looking at a selection of books and hearing about the strategies the school intended to use to help the pupils improve. They then looked at the books again to see how well they had done. Some governors have also joined senior leaders on learning walks to see how they help teachers to improve. Governors have a good understanding of the financial challenges that face the school, know why it spends its money as it does and understand the impact that the pupil premium is having on pupils’ progress. Governors have a good understanding of the performance management process and are aware of where teaching is strong and where the headteacher is working with teachers to make improvements. The governing body has a good

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The leadership and management are outstanding

mix of skills, and governors are proactive in updating skills through training. They make sure arrangements to safeguard pupils meet statutory requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 134681 Local authority Haringey Inspection number 402622

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 464 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dominic Hinshelwood Headteacher Helen Connor Date of previous school inspection 10–11 June 2010 Telephone number 020 8348 0948 Fax number 020 8340 8021 Email address admin@nhp.haringey.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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