Harbour Primary and Nursery School

Harbour Primary and Nursery School Church Hill, Newhaven, East Sussex BN9 9LX

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Leadership across the school is good. As a result, the school has improved since the previous inspection. The school is well placed to continue to improve.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. Pupils are appropriately challenged through activities which meet their needs.  All groups of pupils make good progress. Action is quickly taken to provide extra support to pupils who are in danger of falling behind. Standards at the end of Year 6 have improved since the previous inspection and in 2015 were similar to the national average.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. This is a very caring school.  Pupils of all ages behave well. They are polite and respectful. They are positive about learning.  Good relationships mean that pupils feel secure. The school keeps pupils safe.  Parents are pleased with improvements in the school since the previous inspection. They feel confident in the school’s leaders.

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This is a good school

 Provision in the early years is outstanding. Excellent leadership and strong teaching result in children making rapid progress and being well prepared for Year 1.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some pupils have too many absences, which affects the consistency of their progress.  Some pupils show a lack of confidence in their writing and do not fully develop their writing skills by writing at length.  Teaching does not ensure that pupils develop their ability to explain mathematical ideas and so deepen their understanding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve teaching so that more pupils make more than expected progress by ensuring that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

teaching enables pupils to develop their ability to think, talk and reason mathematically pupils develop their confidence and ability to write at length independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers, including governors, should continue to work with parents to encourage their children’s good attendance in order to fully support pupils’ learning and progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Good leadership and management have resulted in improved teaching since the last inspection. As a result, pupils now make good progress from their starting points and reach standards at the end of Year 6 which are in line with the national average. The school is in a good position to continue to improve.  Leaders have high expectations for themselves and pupils. They have created a culture in which all are expected to do their best. The school’s mantra ‘Always be Curious’ emphasises the need to be keen to learn. This is also true for staff, who are encouraged to reflect on their practice and how it can be strengthened. There is a good programme of professional development for staff.  School leaders frequently check the work of teachers. They visit classrooms formally and informally. They look at pupils’ books and teachers’ planning. Teachers appreciate the high-quality feedback and guidance they receive to help them improve their practice.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Comprehensive systems to record and track how well pupils are doing mean that leaders and teachers can check that pupils are on track to meet their targets. Extra help is quickly given to support those pupils at risk of falling behind. The achievement of groups is thoroughly checked to make sure that no groups of pupils are doing less well than others. For example, staff recognise that the achievement of boys has been less strong than that of girls and have successfully adapted the curriculum to better meet their needs. A focus on the learning of the most-able pupils helps to make sure this group of pupils achieve well. These are examples of the school’s good promotion of equal opportunities.  Pupils study subjects under an overall theme and different aspects of learning are linked together skilfully. For example, in Year 6, pupils learn about the importance of keeping healthy when learning about how

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

food is produced locally. Year 5 learn to use Roman numerals during their study about the Roman Empire. A wide range of clubs and visits enriches the curriculum further. As a result, the curriculum contributes well to pupils’ personal development as well as their academic achievement.  Pupil premium funding (additional government funding to support pupils who are looked after, or are known to be eligible for free school meals) is used effectively. The school provides many interventions to support the achievement of this group of pupils. For example, specialist teachers give extra help in reading, writing and mathematics. Well-trained teaching assistants give individual and group tuition. The funding is also used to help pay for swimming lessons and school trips. As a result, disadvantaged pupils achieve well and have similar experiences in school as their peers.  The school is rightly proud of the impact that the additional funding for primary sports and physical

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

education has had. A specialist coach works alongside teachers to improve their practice. New equipment has been purchased and a wide range of new sports has given pupils new opportunities, such as playing golf or learning to roller blade. As a result, pupils’ participation in sports has improved.  British values such as respect, responsibility and democracy are successfully promoted through the curriculum. Pupils are respectful to each other and to adults. They understand the democratic process by voting for school councillors. They willingly take on responsibilities around the school and as ‘reading buddies’ where older pupils read with younger ones. Displays around the school remind pupils about important events in British history such as Remembrance Day.  A strong sense of community runs through the school. For example, during the inspection, staff and pupils rehearsed their drumming in preparation for their ‘Rainbow Fish’ parade in the Brighton Festival

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Children’s Parade. Assemblies help pupils to reflect on the importance of perseverance and forgiveness. Activities such as these help to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.  Leaders make sure that pupils are kept safe in school. Effective links with a range of professionals help to support pupils and their families with extra guidance where it is needed.  Although leaders have ensured that attendance has improved, they know that more needs to be done to make sure that all groups of pupils secure good attendance.  Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and discussions with parents during the inspection show that most parents are supportive of the school. Most feel that the school is well led and managed. The inspection findings support this view.  The governance of the school Governors carry out their role effectively. They provide support to the headteacher but also hold

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

leaders to account. They ask challenging questions, for example about whether pupils’ targets are sufficiently challenging. The headteacher provides informative termly reports to governors. Governors rightly check what they have been told by making frequent visits to the school to see how policies are being carried out in practice. As a result, they know the school well. Governors make sure that teachers’ pay reflects their performance. They make sure that the headteacher has challenging targets for her performance which are tightly linked to the achievement of groups of pupils. Governors manage the finances of the school effectively. They have a good understanding about how the pupil premium funding is spent and how this helps disadvantaged pupils to achieve well. They make sure that the additional funding for primary sports and physical education is also well spent.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding procedures are appropriate. Leaders and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

governors are fully aware of their statutory responsibility to keep pupils safe. Staff receive appropriate training, including how to recognise when pupils may be at risk of abuse, extremism or radicalisation.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection because of good leadership and is now good. Relationships are positive and pupils want to learn.  Teaching assistants are used well to support pupils who have special educational needs or disability and those who are in danger of falling behind.  Classrooms are attractive and well organised, with pupils’ work well displayed. This gives pupils pride in their work.  Teachers use the information they have about pupils to plan work that is at the right level. Careful questioning in lessons helps pupils to deepen their understanding.  Teachers follow the school’s policy on providing guidance when marking pupils’ work. Pupils have good opportunities to identify the strengths and ‘next steps’ in their own work and that of others.  Reading is well taught. The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is effective and is

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

helping pupils to read with confidence. Pupils read for pleasure and enjoy listening to good-quality texts read to them by their teachers.  A focus on teaching English grammar, spelling and punctuation has raised standards in writing. Pupils write for different purposes in English and in other subjects. However, some pupils, and especially less confident writers, are not expected to write at length frequently enough to enable them to fully develop their skills. Some pupils are too dependent on adult help and staff do not encourage them to use resources, such as dictionaries, to produce work independently.  Mathematics is well taught. Pupils practise basic skills regularly and can apply these when solving problems. The most-able pupils are given extra challenges to make sure they have to think hard. For example, in Year 5 the most-able pupils use facts about angles to make deductions about missing angles

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and explain how they reach their answers. However, while the most-able pupils become proficient in thinking mathematically, other pupils are often not expected to explain their reasoning and this slows their progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils develop self-confidence through being given responsibilities such as tidying the playground, looking after the school’s guinea pigs and raising money for charity. Pupils enjoy being a ‘Star of the Week’ and having their photograph on display. The ‘nurture class’ provides a safe and supportive place in which pupils who find it difficult to learn are able to thrive. Pupils appreciate the weekly ‘Thrive’ provision which gives extra support for pupils who lack confidence. Pupils develop their self-confidence by taking part in the school’s ‘Red Boat Radio’ broadcasts. In these ways, the school successfully supports pupils’ emotional well-being.  Pupils develop a secure understanding about how to lead safe and healthy lives through taking part in a range of activities. For example, pupils enjoy the ‘Change4Life’ club and the physical activities that are on

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Personal development and welfare

offer in the after-school clubs. Regular visits from the fire service and police help pupils to understand how to keep safe. They know how to keep safe when using the internet; for example, they know not to share passwords. The vast majority of parents who responded to Parent View agree that their child feels safe in school.  Pupils understand the different forms of bullying, including name-calling. They say that bullying is rare but dealt with effectively by adults when it does happen. School records show that bullying is very rare and appropriate action is taken when it does occur. All pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online survey felt they could talk to an adult if something was worrying them.  The breakfast and after-school clubs provide safe, welcoming places outside of school hours.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and friendly.  Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. They behave well in lessons. The school’s behaviour policy is well understood by staff and pupils. Most parents who responded to Parent View agreed that pupils are well behaved in school.  Attendance rates have been lower than average in the past. In particular, the proportion of pupils with persistent absence has been high. The school has done much to encourage good attendance. As a result, attendance rates overall have improved and the rate of persistent absence has fallen. Nonetheless, there remain too many pupils who do not attend school regularly and this slows their progress.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ achievement has improved steadily since the previous inspection. Work in pupils’ books, as well as the school’s assessment information, shows that all groups of pupils make good progress from their starting points. This progress is evident in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.  The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development when they leave Reception has risen markedly over the last three years so that in 2015 the proportion was above the national average.  Results in the Year 1 phonics check have also improved and in 2015 were similar to the national average. Stronger teaching has resulted in a trend of rising attainment at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2.  The gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils is closing because of the good support disadvantaged pupils receive.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make at least good progress because they are

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Outcomes for pupils are good

carefully nurtured and given good support, in class and in small ‘booster’ groups.  The school’s focus on making sure that the most-able pupils are challenged to think and work hard has resulted in improved rates of progress for this group of pupils.  Pupils who need to catch up make good progress in English. However, their progress in writing lags slightly behind that in reading. This is because some pupils lack confidence in their ability to write so rely too heavily on the support of an adult, rather than finding strategies to support their independent writing. In addition, they do not fully develop their writing skills by writing regularly at length.  The good training that teachers have received, together with effective support from leaders, has improved the teaching of mathematics so that pupils’ progress in mathematics has improved for all groups. While many pupils, especially the most able, can explain their mathematical thinking well, other

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Outcomes for pupils are good

groups of pupils are not so confident and this slows their progress in fully understanding mathematical concepts.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 The leadership of early years is outstanding. The leader, fully supported by the headteacher, shows a relentless determination to improve outcomes for children. She ensures that staff in the early years are well trained and have an excellent understanding about how young children learn. As a result, teaching in the early years is excellent.  A high proportion of children enter Nursery with a level of skills, knowledge and understanding well below those typical for their age. However, they quickly make rapid progress in all areas of their learning. Staff have very high expectations of what children can achieve from the time they start school. For the last two years, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has been above the national average. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1.  Additional funding for disadvantaged children is used highly effectively. Provision for this group of

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Early years provision is outstanding

children is particularly strong. In 2015, the proportion of disadvantaged children who reached a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year was much higher than that reached by other pupils nationally.  Staff make frequent, very thorough checks on what children know, can understand and can do. Staff use the information from the checks precisely to make sure that children choose activities which present the right amount of challenge for them. These checks are recorded as online ‘learning journeys’ which parents see each week. In this way, parents are kept fully up to date on the progress of their child.  The environment is vibrant and rich. Activities are extremely well thought through so that all areas of learning are catered for. Activities excite and inspire children to learn. For example, during the inspection children took ‘telephone calls’ from superheroes, counting in 10s to dial the numbers. Other children

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Early years provision is outstanding

made boats, following their visit to the local lifeboat station, and went ‘fishing’ from the large replica of a fishing boat.  Early reading and writing skills are exceptionally well taught in early years. Phonics is skilfully taught by well-trained staff. During the inspection, Nursery children listened carefully to the different sounds made by musical instruments and joined in rhymes, recognising and learning to say the initial sounds. Reception children are able to apply their phonics knowledge to write words and simple sentences, for example about the lifeboat.  Staff take every opportunity to develop children’s confidence and speaking skills. The younger two-year- old children are superbly cared for and play happily alongside the older children. Children quickly learn to behave well. They learn to take turns, to play and learn well with each other in this very safe, supportive environment.  Very strong links are made with parents. Frequent workshops give parents good information about how

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Early years provision is outstanding

they can help their child to learn. For example, the ‘Eat Better, Start Better’ cookery scheme has been very well received by parents.  The school has strong partnerships with external professionals with whom they work closely. The school is keen to work with others to raise standards in the quality of early years provision. It is an ‘Early Excellence Hub’ which provides a centre of best practice in Newhaven and across East Sussex.

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School details

Unique reference number 114441 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 10012235 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 2–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 515 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Teresa Owen Headteacher Mrs Christine Terrey Telephone number 01273 514 532 Website www.harbourprimary.co.uk Email address office@harbour.e-sussex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 26–27 February 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized school. Harbour School was newly formed in January 2013, following the closure of a junior and an infant school. The school moved into a new building in September 2014.  The early years foundation stage comprises a large Nursery and two Reception classes. The Nursery includes two-year-old children who attend part-time. Most other children attend Nursery part-time and some attend full-time. Children in the Reception classes attend full-time.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is much higher than average.  The school meets the current floor standards, which are the government’s minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher is a local leader of education.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed a range of learning activities. These included 27 lessons, many of which were jointly observed with senior leaders.  Inspectors talked to groups of pupils about their learning and their views about the school. Pupils were heard reading and an inspector attended a school assembly. Pupils were observed at playtime and during lunch. Inspectors looked closely at pupils’ work for the current school year.  Discussions were held with school leaders and several representatives from the governing body. A telephone conversation took place with the local authority representative.  Inspectors took account of 85 responses to the online survey, Parent View. Inspectors also met with parents at the start of the school day to gather their views. Inspectors also took account of 10 responses to the online pupil survey and 51 responses to the online staff survey.  A range of school documentation was scrutinised, including the school’s own information about how well

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Information about this inspection

pupils are doing, the school’s checks on the quality of teaching, the school development plan and records relating to behaviour and attendance.  A review of safeguarding records and procedures was also carried out.

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Inspection team

Joanna Toulson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Lesley Corbett Ofsted Inspector Clementina Aina Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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