Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace

School report Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace Malcolm Road, Penge, London, SE20 8RH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The academy is well led and managed. The Principal and senior leaders have ensured that it has improved swiftly since it opened.  The Harris Federation provides excellent support and challenge to other leaders. Their uncompromising approach means that weaknesses are tackled very quickly.  All leaders, including those in charge of subjects, have a good understanding of the main priorities because they check provision thoroughly.  Children get off to a good start in the early years. They enjoy their work and achieve well.  In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils are also taught well and continue to make good progress. Their achievement is good, especially in mathematics and reading.  Teaching motivates and inspires pupils. It helps them develop the skills needed to succeed in later life.  Disadvantaged pupils and those who are disabled or who have special educational needs make good progress and achieve as well as others.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ positive attitudes in lessons contribute to their good learning. They feel safe and behave well. They are considerate, polite and well-mannered.  Staff have excellent relationships with each other and their pupils. The pupils reflect this in the way that they support each other and are tolerant and respectful.  The academy works well with parents. Most are extremely supportive of the academy. They are particularly pleased with the care shown for their children.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ attainment is lower in writing than it is in reading and mathematics.  Teachers do not always give pupils sufficient guidance to help them improve their writing and to correct errors.  Pupils do not write at length frequently enough, especially in Key Stage 1.  Across the school, the learning of the most-able occasionally slows because work is too easy for them.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 16 lessons, nine of which were observed jointly with the Principal or vice principal. In addition, Inspectors made some short visits to observe learning at other times.  Discussions were held with pupils, staff, representatives from the Harris Federation and members of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of the views of 31 parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also analysed the academy’s own surveys of parental views and talked to parents at the end of the academy day.  Inspectors observed the academy’s work, heard pupils read and looked at a number of documents, including: the academy’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress; planning and monitoring documents; the academy development plan; records relating to behaviour and attendance; safeguarding information; and health and safety documentation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors analysed 62 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The academy is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Children in the early years attend full time in one of the two Reception classes or part time in the Nursery.  Around a quarter of pupils are white British, with a similar proportion being from Back African families. Other pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Nearly a half of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is also 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 academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The governors are managed by the Harris Federation.

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Information about this school

 Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace converted to become an academy on 1 September 2013. When its predecessor school, Malcolm Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in writing by:  ensuring that teachers give pupils more guidance about how to improve their work or correct errors, especially in Key Stage 1  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching across the school by ensuring that work is not too easy for the most able pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Principal and other senior leaders have secured good improvements since the academy opened. The quality of teaching has improved. Pupils say that lessons are more interesting and that this has helped to improve their behaviour. As a result, leaders have established a happy and supportive atmosphere which encourages pupils to enjoy academy life and achieve well.  Staff promote equality well across a diverse community. Excellent relationships between staff and pupils help to ensure that the academy is calm and welcoming. Leaders do not tolerate any form of discrimination.  The Harris Federation provides excellent support to senior leaders. They relentlessly pursue excellence and do not accept second best. This has been instrumental in the many improvements seen since the academy opened, especially in increasing the amount of good or outstanding teaching.  Leaders make excellent use of information about pupils’ progress to check that they are all doing well

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The leadership and management are good

enough. They respond quickly when they identify any possible underachievement, making good use of support both in and out of lessons to help pupils quickly get back on track.  Middle leaders, such as those in charge of subjects, have developed their skills well since the academy opened. They are well trained and are fully involved in checking provision for themselves, although they have not picked up some inconsistencies in the quality of marking quickly enough.  Leaders ensure that sport funding to develop pupils’ ability and participation in physical education is having a positive impact. A specialist sports coach provides good support teachers, increasing their skills and confidence in the teaching of sport. Pupils greatly enjoy a wide range of sports clubs, including football, cheerleading and athletics. These contribute successfully pupils’ their well-being.  Pupils find the curriculum (the topics and subjects taught) interesting. This helps them make good

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The leadership and management are good

progress in developing literacy and numeracy skills, although there are too few opportunities for pupils to write at length, especially in Key Stage 1. This sometimes slows the pace at which writing skills improve.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the promotion of British values is threaded throughout all activities and is supported well. Pupils helped to write the academy’s core values (‘We are aspirational, compassionate and team players’) when it opened. These are reflected in their behaviour and responses to each other. Pupils have a good understanding of democracy through the process of voting members on to the school council. Pupils also spoke with enthusiasm about their philosophy lessons where they enjoy the opportunity to debate different topics which cover a wide range of themes, including bullying.  The academy meets statutory requirements for safeguarding pupils. Arrangements are effective. There is

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The leadership and management are good

a robust culture of safeguarding pupils across the academy. This is monitored closely by the principal and governors, ensuring the safety of pupils.  Most parents are pleased with the work of the academy. They say that they can see many improvements since it opened. They are becoming more involved in academy life by, for example, attending workshops.  The governance of the school:  The skilled governing body provides highly effective challenge and support to academy leaders. They have a good understanding of how well the academy is performing when compared with other schools nationally.  Through visits to the academy, they have a very good awareness of the quality of teaching and its impact on learning. They use the information to ask questions about the improvement being made to pupils’ achievement and to ensure that weaknesses are being tackled quickly. They know where teaching is strongest, and ensure that only effective teaching is rewarded financially. They know what is

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The leadership and management are good

being done to tackle any weaknesses in staff performance.  Governors know exactly what the impact of the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is having on their achievement because they receive regular updates to confirm how well these pupils are doing and then check for themselves if they have any queries.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This good behaviour helps pupils learn well. Pupils have highly positive attitudes to learning. They told inspectors that lessons are now much more interesting than they used to be.  In lessons and when moving around school, pupils are polite and courteous. They cooperate well with adults, responding quickly to instructions and happily supporting each other with their work.  Pupils work hard most of the time. They take pride in their work which is usually very well presented. On just a few occasions when work is not sufficiently challenging, a few pupils do not concentrate well enough and become inattentive.  Pupils are keen to take responsibility. School councillors contribute well to school development. Pupils who attend ‘The Fun Club’ at lunchtime say that it helps them to learn how to play together and to ‘be sensible.’  Pupils enjoy school a lot and most attend regularly. The academy has robust systems in place for

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Behaviour

monitoring the attendance of all pupils. Academy leaders work closely with other agencies to promote good attendance and to help families in ensuring their children are not absent needlessly.

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Safety

 The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Parents are very positive about how well the academy keep their children safe. Inspectors saw that staff take good care of pupils by being alert most of the time and ensuring their safety.  Pupils are very clear about what to do if they have a worry. They say that although there is some bullying and occasional name calling, it is dealt with well by staff.  Work in and out of lessons helps pupils to learn how to stay safe. Younger pupils are very knowledgeable about road safety, while older pupils explain clearly how they can avoid potential dangers such as ‘gang- life’ as they get older.  The academy ensures that pupils are careful when using the internet. Pupils know what to do if they encounter cyber-bullying. They are very clear about risks relating to social networking.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Inspectors found that teachers make work interesting. This successfully promotes pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. For example, pupils in Year 6 worked exceptionally well together to write letters as part of their work on the Second World War. The teacher’s excellent subject knowledge meant that pupils received good guidance both in the language they were using and the skills needed to be successful.  Across the school, teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well. They ensure that pupils understand what they are learning, explaining work clearly so that time is not wasted.  The teaching of literacy, reading and mathematics is good. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils should achieve. They plan carefully to meet the needs of pupils. The most able are challenged well most of the time, but occasionally work is not adapted quickly enough for these pupils when they have grasped a skill or concept so that their learning can move on even more quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In mathematics, pupils’ progress is especially rapid. This is because teachers provide work that enables pupils to think deeply about their learning by applying their skills to practical situations. For example, books in Year 5 show that pupils confidently use their knowledge of fractions to solve problems.  Additional adults are used well to support disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Skilled guidance from teachers and teaching assistants make a good contribution to the learning of these pupils.  Teaching meets the needs of pupils who speak English as an additional language well. Teachers help these pupils to improve their speaking skills quickly. For example, they check that they understand new vocabulary as soon as it is introduced.  Parents feel that teaching has improved since the academy opened. Most are pleased with the quality of teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers give pupils clear feedback about the next steps in their learning. They are diligent about marking work so that pupils are usually clear about what they have done well and how to improve. However, there are some inconsistencies in practice. Teachers do not always give pupils enough guidance about mistakes they are making in their written work. This means that pupils repeat some mistakes because they have not been shown what they have done wrong.

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The achievement of pupils

 Pupils in all ability groups and from all ethnic backgrounds are achieving well. Pupils’ attainment has improved quickly since the academy opened. Pupils make good progress across the academy.  In national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2014, pupils’ attainment in mathematics and reading was above average. There is a similar picture of pupils working above expected standards in the current year.  By Year 6, pupils read confidently. Younger pupils have a secure knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent). This is reflected in the national phonic screening checks at the end of Year 1, with the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level being slightly above the national average in 2014.  In mathematics, older pupils confidently use their knowledge to design and solve their own problems, showing a secure understanding of different mathematical concepts. Younger pupils identify number

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The achievement of pupils

patterns and use different strategies to solve addition or subtraction problems.  Across the school, pupils’ attainment in slightly lower in writing than it is in reading and mathematics. While progress in writing is generally good, in some younger classes pupils do not write frequently enough at length so that they can consolidate and extend skills.  The academy ensures that all groups of pupils do equally well. Disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs achieve well. They are well supported in their learning through the effective deployment of teaching assistants, who are well trained in delivering intervention programmes. As a result, pupils make good progress from their starting points and, in Year 6, most are on track to reach at least the expected level for their age by the end of the academic year.  The most-able pupils are also now making good progress and more are on track to reach the higher levels

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The achievement of pupils

than was the case in 2014. Just occasionally, however, their progress slows when work is too easy for them.  Disadvantaged pupils are supported well and from their starting points, make good or better progress across the academy. In 2014, the Year 6 pupils supported by the pupil premium were around two terms behind their classmates in writing and a term behind in mathematics. There was no difference between their attainment in reading. When compared with all pupils nationally, disadvantaged pupils were a year ahead in mathematics, a term ahead in reading but a term behind in writing.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve well. They make good progress in learning spoken English, even if they have been in academy for only a short time.

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The early years provision

 When children start in the academy, few are working at the level of development typical for their age. Children achieve well in both the Nursery and Reception classes. They make good progress, especially in developing their personal and social skills. Children’s attainment was above average by the end of the Reception year in 2014. Children are well prepared to join Year 1.  Leaders in the early years manage provision well. High expectations has improved provision significantly since the academy opened, especially in developing the quality and use of the outdoor area. Leaders make good use of data to check that children are doing well enough and to provide additional support where needed.  Good teaching ensures that children learn new skills quickly. Staff keep detailed records of children’s progress in their ‘My Learning Journals’. This ensures that staff have an accurate understanding of what

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The early years provision

children can and cannot do so that they can plan and provide exciting activities which usually match their needs. Adults use questioning well to test children’s understanding, but very occasionally they do not take this into account quickly enough so that they can provide the right level of challenge all of the time for the most-able children.  Disabled children and those who have special educational needs make good progress because they are supported effectively. Adults ensure that children who have English as an additional language understand new vocabulary and are able to take a full part in all activities.  Children develop their social skills quickly. They behave well and feel safe. They confidently choose where they are going to work and they move calmly and quietly to activities without disturbing others. They use the wide variety of equipment made available to them sensibly. Work in the ‘Forest School’ helps children

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The early years provision

to appreciate the world around them and contributes well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The early years staff have strengthened links with parents. Workshops at the start of the year are very well attended by parents and help them to understand what their children will be learning. Parents are almost unanimously pleased with the quality of early years provision.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 139966 Local authority Bromley Inspection number 450185

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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 sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 358 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Susan Head Principal Aliki Constantopoulou Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 020 8778 4742 Fax number 020 8778 4742 Email address info@harrisprimarycrystalpalace.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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