Harrowbarrow Primary Academy

Inspection of Harrowbarrow School School Road, Harrowbarrow, Callington, Cornwall PL17 8BQ

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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 Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 26–27 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school, where children feel safe and looked after. Pupils enjoy coming to school and enjoy their playtime with friends. Many pupils learn to play instruments, and all have access to several before- and after-school clubs, for example choir, recorder, football or yoga.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are passionate about helping pupils’ mental health and well-being. They do all they can to help pupils be in school as much as possible. Pupils are encouraged be kind and thoughtful and to speak with adults about their worries. As a result, parents and carers say that they feel supported. Staff understand pupils’ emotional needs and how they may be helped. Relationships between staff and pupils are a strength of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value educational visits, for example to a mosque. Visitors to the school and lessons reinforce the message that everyone should be treated with respect. Pupils know that if they make a poor choice, they must ‘put it right’. Pupils report that bullying is rare, and that staff sort it out when it happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In some classes, pupils find it hard to concentrate when learning is too easy or too hard. Pupils then distract others from their learning.

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better?

Children in the early years enjoy their learning. Children know the daily routines. As a result, they are settled and happy. Children access a range of learning activities and are particularly keen to write. However, not all children write letters correctly. Some children struggle to identify the right letter and the associated sound.

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better?

Some letter sounds are not said correctly by staff. This means that children repeat the wrong letter sounds. This does not help them to read words. When staff say the letter sounds correctly, children copy them correctly. Pupils in the early years and key stage 1 learn their letters and sounds in different ways. This causes confusion. Pupils are unsure of the letter sounds and find it difficult to spell words.

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better?

Older pupils complete a reading quiz to develop their reading comprehension skills. However, too many pupils have gaps in their knowledge of letter sounds. They cannot sound out the letters to make the word when reading. Pupils want to be good readers. They think that reading is important to get good jobs. They enjoy visiting the school library and listening to class stories.

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better?

Some pupils have gaps in their mathematical knowledge. Pupils do not often use mathematics to solve problems. This prevents them from catching up and learning mathematics appropriate for their age. 26–27 February 2020

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Leaders, including governors, have sought guidance and support from nationally recognised experts. They have put their advice into practice in mathematics. This is beginning to have an impact on the amount of mathematics that children know, can do and understand. But it has not had enough time to embed. For some pupils, gaps in learning remain.

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Evidence from books shows that scientific knowledge is being developed and builds on what has gone before. This does not happen enough. Pupils have not experienced much practical science. Some do not understand their science lessons. When their misconceptions are not addressed, they repeat the errors. This does not allow pupils to develop effectively as scientists.

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For some staff, subject knowledge is not strong enough to enable them to help pupils in their learning. This means that, for some pupils, errors remain. Where learning is matched to the pupils’ needs, pupils learn well. The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) understands the needs of pupils at the school. For example, speech and language therapy helps children with their communication skills. Across the school, support for pupils with additional learning needs varies. This means that some pupils do not learn as much as their peers.

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Staff are keen to learn how to become effective curriculum leaders. They have had some training on how to plan the curriculum. But they do not know if pupils’ work is appropriate.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Checks are in place to make sure that adults who work and volunteer at the school are safe to be with pupils. Staff receive training on how to keep pupils safe. Staff hold pastoral meetings to identify pupils who are not safe and need additional support.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through online programmes and lessons. Risk assessments are shared with pupils before they take part in educational visits. Pupils can also share worries through ‘I wish my teacher knew’ boxes in classrooms. As a result, pupils say that they feel safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Phonics screening results vary considerably each year. Leaders must adopt a systematic synthetic phonics scheme to ensure consistency of approach and the delivery of high-quality phonics learning in order that all pupils will achieve well.  For some staff, subject knowledge is not strong enough to support and challenge pupils in their learning. This means that, for some pupils, errors 26–27 February 2020

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remain. Leaders must offer appropriate training in order to support staff to organise the learning across the curriculum so that every pupil at the school knows more and can do more.  Leaders do not know how well the curriculum is being taught. As a result, expectations for pupils’ learning varies across the school. Leaders must set out clearly the expectations for each year group, for each subject, for all groups of pupils.  Where learning is not sufficiently supported or challenged, pupils’ attitudes to learning are not good. Leaders must enable staff to be skilled to know when pupils need support or challenge in their learning in order that all pupils learn and achieve well.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 26–27 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10086872 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.harrowbarrow.cornwall.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18–19 November 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, subject leaders and the SENDCo. We met with representatives of the school’s governing body.  The inspection focused deeply on reading, mathematics, science and music. We met subject leaders for these subjects and undertook joint lesson visits. We also talked to pupils with their books and teachers.  We reviewed leaders’ checks on the suitability of staff to work with children. We looked at attendance information, behaviour logs and safeguarding records. We held discussions with senior leaders about safeguarding.  We spoke informally with pupils and observed their behaviour at various times during the day, including break and lunchtimes.  We met several parents at the start of the day, to gain their views of the school. We reviewed responses to the pupil and staff questionnaires, online survey, Parent View and additional free-text comments. 26–27 February 2020

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachel Miller Ofsted Inspector 26–27 February 2020

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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