South Harringay Junior School

Inspection of a good school: South Harringay Junior School Pemberton Road, London N4 1BA

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Outcome

South Harringay Junior School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

South Harringay Junior School is a happy and vibrant place. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They say that it is friendly and their teachers are kind. Staff, pupils, parents and carers say that they are proud to be part of this diverse and welcoming community. Respect and inclusion for all permeates throughout.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have built strong relationships with families. This reflects the school vision of a thriving village ready to welcome those who need a place to belong. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They were grateful for the support provided by leaders during the national lockdowns. One parent said: ‘Our children continued to excel, even while learning remotely.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils are encouraged to join the wide variety of clubs available. These include sports, gymnastics, choir, street dance and drama. Pupils say that they enjoy the choir and that singing makes them happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They embody the school’s values of respect and resilience. Pupils feel safe and said that bullying hardly ever happens. If it does happen, adults deal with it quickly. Pupils know they can speak to a trusted adult who will help them sort out any worries or concerns.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are determined that all pupils succeed. This includes the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. It matches what is expected nationally and has been well sequenced to ensure that pupils develop the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary they need. The curriculum is securely embedded and taught consistently across the school. 16 and 17 March 2022

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For example, mathematical activities are planned well and motivate pupils to learn. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. This ensures that pupils achieve exceptionally well, including pupils with SEND. In Year 3, pupils apply what they know about fractions to find patterns between numerators and denominators. Year 6 pupils apply their knowledge of multiplication and addition to solve problems involving volume of cubes and cuboids. They are resilient and work methodically to solve each problem.

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Similarly, the curriculum for history is equally ambitious. It is well planned and sequenced. Pupils confidently discuss when significant events happened. For example, they discussed when the Anglo-Saxons settled in Britain. Pupils remembered what they had learned in geography about farming and land use. They made links to the Anglo-Saxons and settlements. Pupils’ learning is enriched by visits to places of interest, such as the British Museum, London Zoo and a residential trip to South Wales.

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Staff provide pupils with every opportunity to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils who are at the very early stages of reading follow a systematic phonics programme. This ensures that all pupils learn to read quickly, including those who have recently arrived in the UK. They use their increasing knowledge of phonics to help them read and write. However, for some pupils the quality and presentation of written work is undermined by the school not teaching handwriting formally.

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Pupils read a wide range of texts, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Teachers select interesting and ambitious texts for pupils to read, for example works by Shakespeare and Lewis Carroll. Pupils are keen to share their love of reading while using iPads to read quietly or to each other. Non-fiction texts support learning in other subjects. For instance, in religious education, pupils read about the life of Edith Cavell and how she is remembered for her courage and compassion. Pupils speak enthusiastically about World Book Day. They enjoyed dressing up as characters from their favourite books.

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Leaders offer many opportunities for pupils’ wider development. Pupils are taught to respect the views and the beliefs of others. This helps them to understand other faiths and traditions . Visitors to the school provide an insight into the world of work. They encourage pupils to think about the future. Members of the school council decide what charities to support. They take on the responsibility for fundraising, for example raising money to support the local food bank.

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Teachers plan exciting and interesting lessons. This means that pupils learn and behave exceptionally well. Adults have high expectations of all pupils. As a result, there is no disruption to learning during lessons.

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Staff say that they are valued by leaders and governors. They are proud to be members of staff at the school. Teachers in the early stages of their careers are supported well by their mentors. Leaders are considerate of staff workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 16 and 17 March 2022

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Safeguarding is paramount throughout the school. Staff know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. They report concerns immediately so that pupils are kept safe.

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Leaders work closely with outside agencies to seek advice and escalate concerns to ensure that pupils and their families receive the help they need.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. This includes staying safe online. Teachers use the curriculum effectively to help pupils understand the importance of healthy relationships. Governors receive regular safeguarding training and updates. They check that recruitment of new staff follows safer recruitment guidelines.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although the English curriculum is, overall, sequenced and taught well, it does not include the formal teaching of handwriting. As a result, some pupils’ handwriting and written work is not presented well. Leaders must ensure that all pupils are taught and are able to write legibly and fluently, with increasing speed.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 16 and 17 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211210 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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School details

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 29 and 30 November 2012.

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Information about this school

 South Harringay Junior school is an average-size two-form entry school.  The Infant and Junior schools federated in September 2016.  The headteacher was appointed as the executive headteacher of the two schools in September 2016.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation. 16 and 17 March 2022

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 The inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher, deputy headteachers, assistant headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, the chair of the governing body and representatives from the local education partnership.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, listened to pupils read, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects, for example geography and religious education. The inspector also looked at some pupils’ books.  The inspector reviewed safeguarding arrangements by scrutinising records and talking to leaders, staff and pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents, staff and pupils through discussions and

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Inspection team

Dawn Titus, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 March 2022

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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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