Harrington Junior School

Harrington Junior School Derby Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham, NG10 4BQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Achievement requires improvement because pupils do not yet make consistently good progress across all year groups and in all subjects.  While pupils’ progress is improving quickly this year in reading and writing, the rate of improvement is slower in mathematics.  In writing, the achievement of the most-able pupils is not as good as it could be.  In mathematics, the progress of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is not yet good enough.  Although much improved, the quality of teaching is not yet consistently good enough to raise the overall achievement of all pupils to good.  Not all subject leaders’ planning for improving teaching and achievement indicates clearly how the impact of leaders’ actions will be measured.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher set high expectations and show a strong determination to improve the school further. Staff and governors share leaders’ ambition for continued improvement.  Senior leaders are successfully tackling weaknesses in teaching and the underachievement of pupils. Achievement is rapidly improving and there is now no inadequate teaching.  Governors check the quality of teaching and the performance of different groups of pupils closely and challenge school leaders well.  Pupils behave well. They enjoy being at school and are keen to learn. This is because of the positive culture and the interesting curriculum that staff have established.  Pupils are looked after well. They feel safe at school, reflecting the good relationships that pupils have with staff.  Pupils take part in the rich variety of clubs and activities. These contribute strongly to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils learning in all classes, listened to some pupils reading and talked to them about their learning and experience of their school. Some of the lesson observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons, in a wide range of books, and at displays of pupils’ work around the school.  The inspectors spoke with some parents informally during the inspection when they were dropping off their children and at lunchtime. Inspectors checked the online Parent View survey but there were insufficient responses in the current academic year for any analysis.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including records relating to pupils’ behaviour, information on pupils’ achievement and attendance, policies and procedures, and the school’s own view of its performance.  Inspectors checked on the work of governors and scrutinised documentation regarding safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Dilip Kadodwala, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen McMullan Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The school the school was judged to require special measures at its previous inspection in November 2013. Since then, there has been significant change in the senior leadership and governance of the school.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is slightly above average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding from the government for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further

 Further improve teaching and so raise achievement by:  developing pupils’ mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding across all year groups so that they can apply this knowledge confidently to solving problems  ensuring that work set in mathematics for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs fully develops their basic skills and knowledge of number facts in the subject quickly and effectively  making sure that work set for developing the writing skills of the most-able pupils is consistently challenging.

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What does the school need to do to improve further

 Strengthen the impact of leadership and management by making sure that all subject leaders’ plans to improve teaching and to raise pupils’ achievement identify clearly how the success of leaders’ actions will be measured.

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The leadership and management are good

 The untiring commitment and complementary skills of the headteacher and deputy headteacher are resulting in them making great strides in improving the school, particularly this year. Their strong sense of purpose, supported by the governing body and communicated clearly to all staff, has been crucial in tackling the legacy of pupils’ underachievement and weak teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The successes of the senior leaders’ actions are seen in eliminating inadequate teaching, reversing pupils’ significant underperformance and greatly improving pupils’ attitudes to learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have high expectations and have established a culture of continuous improvement. All staff are highly committed and use opportunities well to develop their professional skills. For example, teachers have observed effective teaching, including in other schools, and have improved their practice. As a pupil commented to an inspector, ‘Teachers invent new ways to work.’ Consequently, teachers secure pupils’ good motivation and engagement with their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders carefully check the quality of teaching and the achievement of different groups of pupils. Checks are closely linked with rigorous management of the performance of staff and carefully tailored professional development. Teachers are supported and challenged in equal measure and are held to account for their pupils’ progress, so that pay increases are only made when teachers meet the challenging targets set for pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders have an accurate understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Although the school is improving strongly, senior leaders and governors recognise that the impact of their actions on pupils’ achievement has yet to be reflected consistently across all year groups and pupil groups in the national tests in English and mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 Members of staff with responsibilities for subjects and other aspects of the school’s work are playing a full part in the work to improve the school. They know how well pupils are achieving, and individual subject leaders provide staff with suitable support; for example, in planning and implementing the curriculum. They work with governors to help them understand and check pupils’ progress, and the impact of teaching on this.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school improvement plan drawn up by leaders is reviewed periodically and results in leaders and the governing body setting priorities that suitably reflect the school’s ambition. However, the plans prepared by some leaders lack clarity about how the success of actions will be measured.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is highly inclusive and promotes equality of opportunity effectively. All pupils have equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Some subjects are taught through topics and themes to match pupils’ interests and capture their imagination; for example, ‘Were the Vikings ruthless raiders or valuable settlers?’ The topics result in pupils using a wide range of skills and developing their knowledge and understanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about rules and respect for others. They have a basic understanding of democracy. For example, they take part in the work of the school council and express their views willingly, knowing that these will be taken seriously. Pupils enjoy many opportunities to take on responsibilities, including for managing some of the games and activities that are organised at lunchtime.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is a harmonious community where pupils from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds show respect for one another. No discrimination of any kind is tolerated. Pupils celebrate different religious and cultural festivals, and learn about religious traditions; for example, by visiting different places of worship.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well, underpinned by regular assemblies which pupils enjoy. Many pupils regularly participate in a rich variety of sports, music and residential opportunities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium funding is used well to provide disadvantaged pupils with additional support in English and mathematics. Leaders and governors carefully check how the funding is spent and whether it provides value for money. The funding is helping disadvantaged pupils to catch up quickly with other pupils in the school, with some making better than expected progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary physical education and sport funding is used well to support sports clubs, underpinned by effective teaching in the subject. Pupils understand the importance of keeping fit and healthy, and most are happy to take part in activities that help them to maintain good health.

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The leadership and management are good

 School staff work hard to engage with parents and to help them support their children’s learning outside of school. The parents who met inspectors informally spoke positively about the improvements made by leaders and are largely supportive of the school’s work. A small, but effective, parents’ forum provides a good opportunity for school leaders to discuss ideas and to listen to parents’ views. A high proportion of parents respond to surveys when they attend parents’ evenings.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school leaders and staff work well with external agencies; for example, in supporting pupils and families who are potentially vulnerable.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority brokered a link with a successful school. Leaders are making sure that they use this, effectively. For example, in improving the quality assurance of judgements made about teaching and in checking the accuracy of assessments made about pupils’ attainment.

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The leadership and management are good

 Both the headteacher and the deputy headteacher have astutely reshaped their actions in the light of their visits to schools whose leaders are helping to mentor them. A clear example of success of this mentoring is seen in the rapid progress made by disadvantaged pupils. Links with the infant and secondary schools are helping the school to be well prepared for changes to National Curriculum assessment.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding procedures are carried out well and are effective. Procedures meet statutory requirements and all staff are trained to the expected levels. They understand what is required of them in the school’s policies.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is increasingly effective. It is implementing carefully the agreed actions that came from an external review of governance. Members of the governing body take part in suitable training to make sure that they have the necessary skills; for example, in understanding data about the achievement of different groups of pupils.  The governing body is organised well and members are active in checking how well the school is doing. They gather first-hand evidence to supplement reports provided for them by school leaders, including the regular reports from the headteacher.  Governors have a clear view about the quality of teaching and support senior leaders’ work in improving its quality. Governors make sure that systems for checking teaching and linking pay to pupils’ progress are rigorous and fair.  The governing body oversees the management of resources and finances well. Governors carefully

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The leadership and management are good

check that the pupil premium and the primary sport funding are securing the intended aims.  Governors regularly check safeguarding arrangements to make sure that these are effective and meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The pupils enjoy being at the school and they are proud to belong to it. Pupils consistently have positive attitudes to learning, take pride in their work by presenting it neatly and carefully, and are respectful to teachers and other adults in the school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils respond quickly to the instructions from staff, both in lessons and around the school, including in the playground.

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Behaviour

 The atmosphere in lessons is good. Pupils listen intently, get on well with each other during group and paired work, and show that they are keen to work and improve. Pupils show respect to one another; for example, when making comments about each other’s work.

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Behaviour

 Pupils from the variety of backgrounds represented at the school learn and play together well. Pupils told inspectors that they do not hear racist or homophobic language being used at school.

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Behaviour

 Exclusions are rare because the school has developed effective systems for managing pupils’ behaviour. Pupils whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable are looked after well.

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Behaviour

 Pupils arrive promptly to school and their attendance is above the national average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents who spoke with inspectors felt that the children were safe at school and pupils agreed.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding about how to stay safe, such as e-safety, bicycle safety and when using the internet.

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Safety

 Pupils say bullying and name-calling are rare. Pupils understand about the different forms that bullying can take. They say that staff act quickly and effectively to deal with any occurrences that are reported.

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Safety

 Staff are trained well in child protection and other aspects of safeguarding. Pupils are confident that there is always an adult they could speak to about any concerns they might have.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching at Harrington has improved quickly over the past year. The legacy of weak teaching has been tackled successfully by senior leaders. However, the impact of the school’s actions has not been sustained for long enough to secure consistently good progress by the pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not develop pupils’ basic skills in mathematics well enough to enable pupils to make faster progress in this subject. This is particularly the case for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Teaching assistants’ contribution to these pupils’ progress is not always effective because pupils are not always helped well enough to work things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although teaching across the school has improved pupils’ writing skills, it is not resulting in the most-able pupils making the progress that they could. This is because of inconsistent challenge for them over time to master their knowledge and apply their skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is particularly effective, teachers’ expert questioning deepens pupils’ thinking, using pupils’ experience from real-life situations. For example, Year 3 pupils’ visit to a chocolate factory was followed up by creative work, making the pupils use their literacy, mathematical and artistic skills to produce imaginative work and successfully engaging pupils of all different abilities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 One of the main reasons for the improvement in teaching is the good-quality marking from teachers and other adults. Pupils are given the time to correct mistakes, improve their work or to answer the teachers’ challenges before moving on to the next piece of work.  Typically, the pupils show interest in lessons and get on well with the work they are given. Increasingly, teachers pay attention to the specific learning needs of different groups of pupils. This means that, often, pupils are set different work. Homework helps pupils to extend their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Improved literacy and numeracy teaching means that pupils are making expected progress in all year groups. The weakest readers are helped to improve their skills quickly. Pupils enjoy reading and are happy to read aloud in lessons. Pupils benefit from the time they are given in a range of lessons to practise their skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Disadvantaged pupils are supported through carefully chosen support. The success of these approaches is seen, for example, in the significant narrowing of the gaps between the attainment of the disadvantaged pupils and others in the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The 2014 results in national tests for Year 6 pupils were better than at the time of the last inspection. Overall, the pupils’ attainment was broadly average. This is a notable improvement on the previous year, when attainment was below national averages.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s own information on pupils’ achievement, scrutiny of pupils’ books and observations in lessons indicate that the progress of most pupils is improving in all year groups. Pupils are making faster progress than previously in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In mathematics, the speed of improvement is not fast enough across all year groups. Pupils’ knowledge of basic number facts is insecure. This prevents them from applying their calculation skills accurately and quickly to solving problems in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, the difference between the attainment of the Year 6 pupils who were eligible for the pupil premium and that of other pupils at the school amounted to the disadvantaged pupils being around two months behind in reading and mathematics. In writing, the disadvantaged pupils were six months behind their classmates. Compared to all pupils nationally, the difference in mathematics amounted to around two months behind; and six months behind in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, fewer disadvantaged pupils made the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics than did other pupils in the school and all pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s tracking of pupils currently in Year 6 shows that the progress of disadvantaged pupils is improving and that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school is almost closed in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 making better than expected progress exceeds that of their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The gaps between the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils and their classmates are also narrowing quickly in Years 3 to 5. This reflects the effective use that leaders are making of the pupil premium funding; for example, by providing one-to-one tuition and small-group sessions in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Overall, the attainment and progress of the most-able pupils are also improving. In the 2014 national tests, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels was above average in mathematics and average in writing. The proportion in reading was below average. The data for pupils currently in Year 6 shows that a significantly higher proportion are predicted to attain the higher Level 5 in reading and sustain the gains made in mathematics. These improvements are not yet matched in writing. In other year groups, the most-able pupils are making the progress expected of them in reading and mathematics, but the rate of improvement is not as strong in writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve as well as other pupils in the school. Improvements being made in reading and writing are evident for this group of pupils because their individual learning needs are understood and met well. However, in mathematics, these pupils’ skills in knowing and applying basic number facts are particularly weak and the support provided by teaching assistants is not consistently effective.

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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 112582 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 462736

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 211 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Tidmarsh Headteacher Rachael Wilmot Date of previous school inspection 28 November 2013 Telephone number 0115 9732963 Fax number 0115 9732963 Email address headteacher@harrington.derbyshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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