Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane

School report Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane Philip Lane, London, N15 4AB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ progress has improved rapidly since the academy opened in 2012.  Pupils make excellent progress in learning letters and the sounds they make.  Most teaching is good and some is outstanding. Pupils learn well because the teachers ask them questions that make them think. Pupils enjoy their learning because their classrooms are exciting and inspiring places to be.  Pupils’ behaviour has improved and pupils behave well in lessons. Pupils feel exceptionally safe and secure. Staff are respectful to the pupils, and the pupils to each other.  Leadership and management, including governance, are outstanding. Leaders have brought about considerable improvements in teaching, behaviour and achievement because of very high expectations.  Governors share the high expectations, and always challenge the academy to improve.  Leaders and managers have worked very closely with parents, who are supportive of the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

academy.  Pupils appreciate the broad range of subjects they can learn. The academy puts a high priority on keeping pupils fit and healthy. All pupils engage in lots of different sporting activities.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In 2013, pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 was well below the national average. It has improved since but there has not been enough time for this improvement to be sustained.  Behaviour is not consistently outstanding in the playground.  Not enough teaching is outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 28 lessons or part lessons. Eight lessons or part lessons were visited jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, governors, staff and with a representative from the Harris Federation.  Inspectors looked at a range of evidence, including the academy’s self-evaluation, its monitoring of teaching over time and safeguarding arrangements. They observed the academy’s work, looked at pupils’ books and the tracking system used to monitor pupils’ progress and behaviour.  Inspectors took into consideration the 32 responses to the online questionnaire Parent View. Inspectors spoke to parents and considered the responses to the academy’s parent and pupil questionnaires, and the 41 responses to the staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Miranda Perry, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Philip Littlejohn Additional Inspector Veronica Young Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is below average. The proportion at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational need is below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the additional pupil premium funding is above average. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane converted to become an academy on 1 September 2012.

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Information about this school

When its predecessor school, Downhills Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged as requiring special measures.  In the first year of the academy there was a high turnover of staff, but staffing is now stable.  In May 2014, the academy won the SSAT Educational Outcomes Award for academic progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding and so that pupils’ attainment continues to rise by making sure current outstanding practice is shared more widely amongst teaching staff.  Improve the management of behaviour in the playground so it is of the same standard as behaviour in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since the academy opened, pupils’ progress has accelerated in all year groups. Staff measure progress very accurately, so they know when progress needs speeding up.  The proportion of pupils making the nationally expected rate of progress or better in Key Stage 2 was above national figures in reading, writing and mathematics in 2013. The pupils feel they do well because they are thoroughly prepared for their tests.  The academy promotes equality of opportunity well. As a result, disabled pupils and those who have special needs make outstanding progress from their different starting points. They are motivated by learning materials which interest them and give them confidence.  Pupils from minority ethnic groups and with English as an additional language achieve well. The majority of them arrive at the academy with limited English. There is excellent support for them to acquire the language quickly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, the attainment of pupils supported through additional funding, the pupil premium, was one term behind other pupils in the national tests at Key Stage 2 in mathematics, two terms behind in writing and half a term behind in reading. The attainment of pupils supported through additional funding has improved since then and this gap has now closed. Some of this improvement is because the academy runs a programme for pupils who find mathematics difficult that is taught by highly skilled staff. More able pupils achieve well. They think this is because they know what progress they are making, and what further progress they need to make. One pupil in Key Stage 2 said, ‘The teacher tells me exactly what it is I’ve got to aim for. Then, I aim for it, and I do it.’  About half the children arrive in Nursery and Reception with skills below those typical for their age and the rest with skills at or above those typical. The rate of progress made by children in

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The achievement of pupils is good

the Early Years Foundation Stage has improved and is now outstanding. For each child, a very thorough record of their progress is kept so the academy is clear about what they need to learn next.  The proportion of pupils who reached the expected levels in the phonics check (the link between letters and sounds) at the end of Year 1 and Year 2 was higher than the national average in 2013. The academy uses the results of the phonics check to make sure their teaching of letters and sounds is hard enough.  Although pupils’ attainment at both key stages has now improved, this improvement is recent, as attainment was well below national averages in 2013.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The majority of teaching is good or better. Pupils learn well in classrooms where displays celebrate success and inspire the pupils to be proud of their work.  Teachers ask questions that make pupils think deeply. In a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils made outstanding progress because they were nurtured to ask questions that deepened their understanding.  Pupils learn to read well because they enjoy reading and place a very high value on it. A girl in Year 1 said, ‘There is nothing better than curling up in our reading corner with a book.’  Pupils describe the academy as an ‘I can’ place. Pupils in Key Stage 2 explained that in lessons they are taught to discover all the things they can do and overcome all the things they cannot.  Pupils think marking helps them to improve. They appreciate being given the chance to write to their teachers in their books and explain what they have found easy and what they have found

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The quality of teaching is good

hard.  Disabled pupils and pupils with special educational needs are given highly specialist support. They are given activities and materials which are well adapted to their knowledge and skills and which help them overcome the difficulties they have.  Children learn well in the Early Years Foundation Stage because they learn about things that are relevant to their community. For example, children in the Nursery were learning to count by doing a local traffic survey.  Teaching is strong in a variety of subjects. Pupils produce high quality art work because they are given the chance to study the skills of professional artists. Pupils are taught well in science because they study topics that really excite them.  Some outstanding practice has yet to be shared amongst all teachers, and consistently demonstrated across the school. One of the reasons for this is the high staff turnover in the first year of the academy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils has improved since the academy opened and is now good. This improvement is acknowledged by pupils, parents and staff.  In all year groups, pupils concentrate in lessons, listen well to instructions and tidy up quickly and quietly after each activity, ready for the next.  Pupils take responsibility for their own and their peers’ learning. For example, in a Reception reading lesson, children helped each other follow the words, and encouraged their partners if they were at risk of losing concentration.  The academy fosters good relationships, and does not tolerate discrimination. Pupils respect, and care about, each other. Key Stage 2 pupils consider it a great honour to be given the job of play leader for Key Stage 1 pupils.  Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly over the last year and is now above the national average for primary schools. The academy has a designated member of staff who knows the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

pupils very well, and has the time to follow pupils up individually if they do not attend.  The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils think that bullying is not an issue. They know how to keep safe in and out of the academy. One Key Stage 2 girl said, ‘We are told about unsafe things, but not in a scary way, in a way which means we can look after ourselves and our friends.’  Parents think the academy is a safe and happy place for their children to be. One parent said, ‘It is a privilege for my child to come here. They are safe, happy and love their lessons.’  Inspectors agreed with the pupils’ view that behaviour is not always outstanding in the playground.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Through an exacting first year, the headteacher remained focused on securing the very best education for pupils at the academy.  Since opening, senior staff have worked steadfastly with the headteacher to improve achievement, teaching and behaviour through consistently high expectations of themselves, all staff and pupils.  Leaders and managers measure the performance of pupils with great rigour. This means they are able to put programmes in place that bring about rapid progress.  Teaching staff have benefited significantly from the coaching and support they have received from the senior managers. Senior managers never expect staff to do anything they cannot do themselves.  Teachers and other staff are set highly aspirational targets to manage their performance. They are then given training which is individualised and develops their specialist expertise.  Leaders and managers are constantly revising their plans for improvement, in response to the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

ever changing strengths and weaknesses of the academy. As soon as one improvement has been secured, they re-focus on achieving the next one.  Subject leaders have a very good understanding of the learning which takes place in their subject areas. They have exceptional subject knowledge that generates subject enthusiasm among their colleagues and pupils.  Leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are strong. The leader ensures that staff work well as a team to plan, teach, and measure progress.  The Harris Federation has supported the school extremely effectively in its development as a new academy. For example, it brings in specialists from outside the academy to measure performance and help bring about improvement.  Leaders and managers have worked extensively in partnership with parents to develop the academy so that it meets the needs of its local community.  The pupils enjoy a wide range of subjects. They talk about how much they love their music

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The leadership and management are outstanding

lessons. Children in the Nursery, particularly those with limited English, are delighted to join in with the singing.  Primary school sport funding has been used well and pupils’ performance has improved because far more pupils have become involved in sporting activities. Pupils are developing their skills in, for example, fencing, archery and dance.  The governance of the school:  Governors have an extensive range of expertise, so they can support and challenge the academy across all areas of its performance. They have been extremely thorough with regard to making sure safeguarding requirements are met. The governing body keeps up to date with training, so its members understand what the best teaching looks like, and how to bring it about. The Harris Federation supports the governing body in understanding how well the school does compared to schools nationally. Governors have worked closely with the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

headteacher to ensure good teachers are rewarded, and underperformance is effectively tackled. The governing body is very thorough in ensuring that resources, additional funding, and primary sport funding are well targeted to bring about improvement.

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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 1138447 Local authority Haringey Inspection number 425461

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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 Academy alternative provision sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 450 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Susan Head Headteacher Kirstie Fulthorpe Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0208 808 3231 Fax number 0208 808 7752 Email address info@harrisprimaryphiliplane.org.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 and 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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