Harefield Infant and Junior School

Inspection of Harefield Junior School Park Lane, Harefield, Uxbridge UB9 6BJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding 17–18 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that they like coming to school. Teachers make learning fun and enjoyable. Pupils say that teachers encourage them to try hard and not give up. They told us that the teachers want them to meet their potential.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that the new senior leaders have improved behaviour. It is getting much better. We noticed some instances of pupils not paying attention and disturbing their classmates. A few teachers do not tackle this misbehaviour as well as they could. Most pupils behave well at play and lunchtimes. A few though, are boisterous. They push and shove and are disrespectful to the lunchtime supervisors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils we spoke to say they feel safe in school. They know that staff care for them and their families and would help them if they had a problem. They learn how to stay safe in different situations. They are not worried about being bullied. They report that it rarely occurs. They are confident that staff would quickly sort out any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff, parents and pupils told us that there is a positive atmosphere in the school now. They feel that under the new leadership, the school is on the up.

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better?

The new executive headteacher and head of school know that the quality of education is not good enough. We found that they have credible plans to improve the planning and teaching of all subjects. They have made a good start in implementing their planned actions. Their top priority is to improve reading.

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better?

Across the subjects, planning is not effective enough. Leaders have not thought through the main things they want pupils to know and remember. They have not planned learning in a logical order. Consequently, pupils do not build on what they already know. This limits their progress.

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better?

Teachers work well with their year group colleagues to plan a series of lessons in all subjects. They do so without knowing what their pupils learned in the previous year. This means that, although pupils study a range of subjects, it is not with adequate depth. This is because there is no logical order to what pupils learn year on year. Pupils do not make enough links to what they have already studied. They are not well equipped to understand how to apply their knowledge across subjects. This means that they do not make enough progress.

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better?

The teaching of reading is improving. Leaders have given teachers effective plans and resources. These are helping pupils to develop their reading and comprehension skills. Teachers assess pupils’ progress. Class teachers and their assistants help pupils to catch up when they fall behind. 17–18 September 2019

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Leaders, however, did not check which of the pupils entering Year 3 had weak phonics skills. This meant the pupils who needed the most help did not get it straight away at the start of the year. Some of the books that staff give the lowest- ability readers are not well matched to their needs.

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The special educational needs coordinator works well with staff, therapists and parents. Together they help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to meet their targets.

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Most pupils are keen to learn, have positive attitudes to school life and behave well. When there is low-level disruption in class, learning slows. This limits pupils’ progress.

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Pupils have a good understanding of the diverse population living in modern Britain. They value the opportunities to raise funds for charity. They told us about a sponsored fundraising walk. They collected funds for supplying drinking water in an African village. They enjoy their regular debates about topical issues. These include the effects of poverty and overcrowding and questions about body image.

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Leaders work closely with the community. Pastoral care for pupils and their families is a strong feature of the school’s work. Leaders have worked well with parents in improving pupils’ attendance. Staff say leaders are very supportive of their well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the pupils and their families well. They are aware of the safeguarding risks and vulnerabilities in the local community. They are alert to the signs that suggest pupils might be at risk. They report their concerns to leaders.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work closely with a range of external agencies and parents. Together they support pupils’ safety and welfare.

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Safeguarding

As part of the curriculum, pupils learn about a range of risks, including in using social media. Staff help them to understand how to minimise danger and keep safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While pupils have access to learning a range of subjects, the school does not yet provide a good quality of education. Pupils do not make the progress across the subjects of which they are capable. This is because leaders’ planning is not effective enough. Leaders do not plan units of learning sequentially. They do not build on pupils’ prior knowledge. They do not plan recall activities as necessary to build secure understanding. They are unclear what they want pupils to know and 17–18 September 2019

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remember.  The school needs to ensure that pupils who join the school in Year 3, having not reached the expected standards in the phonics screening, are supported quickly to catch up. Leaders do not identify these pupils early to give them well-targeted support from the start. The books staff give low-ability pupils to read are not closely matched to the sounds they have learned.  Leaders have rapidly improved behaviour. However, there remains some low-level disruption in class. Some pupils are disrespectful and over boisterous in the playground and dining room. Leaders should continue their work to improve behaviour. They should equip all staff, including midday supervisors, with the skills for effective behaviour management.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110496 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Acting chair of governing body Rowena Scott

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School details

Website www.harefield-jun.hillingdon.sch.uk/

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Information about this school

 The governing bodies of this junior school and adjacent infant school established a hard federation with effect from October 2018. There is now one governing body for both schools. The chair stood down in July 2019. The vice-chair is currently acting as the chair. A substantive chair is due to be appointed at the next full governing body meeting in October 2019.  Since the last inspection, there have been several headteachers at the school. During most of the last academic year, owing to long-term absence, the school was led by an assistant headteacher, who was also a full-time Year 6 teacher.  Governors appointed two new senior leaders, an executive headteacher and head of school. They both recently took up their posts at the start of this academic year.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, head of school, assistant 17–18 September 2019

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headteacher, the inclusion leader as well as subject leaders. The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority. He met with the chair of the governing body, as well as four other governors.  Inspectors considered, in depth, the curriculum areas of reading, mathematics, religious education and art. These ‘deep dive’ activities included discussions with leaders about how they plan the curriculum to ensure that pupils systematically learn and remember more; the guidance they give to teachers; and how they ensure that teachers gain strong subject knowledge. Inspectors also visited lessons, spoke with groups of pupils in some of those classes about their learning, and scrutinised pupils’ work. They also had discussions with the teachers of the classes that they visited.  Inspectors checked the school’s policies and records and spoke with the designated safeguarding leader, the executive headteacher, governors, pupils,

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staff and parents to check on the school’s culture of safeguarding.  Inspectors also checked a range of other documentation. They had formal meetings with staff and pupils and spoke with pupils during social times. They observed pupils arriving and leaving school. They considered the 22 responses to Ofsted’s survey for parents (Parent View) and the 17 responses from staff.

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Inspection team

David Radomsky, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nick Hitchen Ofsted Inspector 17–18 September 2019

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