Harlands Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Harlands Primary School Penland Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1PJ

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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Outcome

Harlands Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a buzz of excitement about learning at Harlands Primary School. Pupils are happy, active and animated. They enjoy school and are excited by the many opportunities it offers them. Pupils are inspired by the high expectations of behaviour and achievement that are set and modelled by staff. They strive to meet these high standards in all that they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and secure at school. They feel cared for, both by staff and by each other. Pupils appreciate being able to talk to staff if anything bothers them. They know that staff will do their best to help them. Bullying is rare. Pupils trust that if it should happen, staff will sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils can access a range of opportunities. Pupils spoke eagerly about their ‘Mission I’mPossible’ challenges, where they work independently on tasks such as designing weight-bearing bridges.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate taking on additional roles. These include giving lunchtime presentations to their classes or being part of the sports crew or school council. Pupils describe how these opportunities help to build their confidence. They are proud of raising money for charities such as the air ambulance.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum. It is clearly structured to help pupils build the important knowledge and skills they need. There is a sharp focus on building curiosity and pupils’ knowledge of the wider world. Pupils are prepared well for the next stages of their education. The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have been carefully considered. Pupils with SEND benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum. Their needs are identified quickly so that barriers to learning can be addressed. 10 and 11 January 2023

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Reading is a priority. Pupils, including those with SEND, have a love of reading. They read often and enjoy the stories that are read to them regularly. There is much excitement about the upcoming refurbishment of the school library. Children in early years get off to a good start with reading. They learn phonics using a carefully structured programme taught by well-trained staff. Pupils practise their emerging reading skills using books that contain the sounds they know. This helps them to grow in confidence as readers. Regular assessments help to identify those pupils who need to catch up with their phonics. These pupils are catching up quickly because of high-quality support in key stage 1. However, staff in key stage 2 have not yet all been trained to teach the current phonics programme. This means they do not have the skills to offer ongoing support to the older pupils who need it.

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Pupils develop as highly competent mathematicians as they move through the school. Children in early years develop confidence and curiosity to explore numbers and patterns. Older pupils have a secure grasp of number facts such as multiplication tables, which they apply enthusiastically to tackle increasingly complex challenges. Pupils with SEND are well supported by appropriate resources and staffing. Pupils are positive about mathematics and learn well.

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Subject leaders have ensured that the wider curriculum is well sequenced to connect and deepen learning across subjects. This helps teachers to build well on pupils’ prior knowledge. For example, pupils learning about the Silk Road trade route are able to apply previous learning about the Romans to suggest goods they might be likely to trade. However, subject leaders have not yet checked that their plans are effective in helping pupils to know more and remember more over time.

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Pupils’ learning is supported well by their good behaviour. Pupils particularly enjoy working in groups or pairs, where they can share their many ideas. Leaders are keen to support pupils even further to understand and regulate their emotions. The school is a settled and orderly environment, both in classes and as pupils enjoy social times in the extensive grounds.

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Leaders enhance the curriculum through opportunities to nurture pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils speak enthusiastically about these opportunities, including representing the school in sporting competitions and attending clubs. Pupils are proud of their achievements.

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Trustees know the school well. They ask challenging questions so that they can hold school leaders to account. Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate that leaders really consider their workload when making changes to policies and practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed robust systems and an ongoing programme of training that has created a strong culture of safeguarding. There is no complacency. Everyone is vigilant. 10 and 11 January 2023

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Leaders act swiftly in response to concerns. They work effectively with a range of external agencies to ensure that pupils and families receive any additional support they might need.

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Leaders have made sure that, across the curriculum, and through assemblies, there is a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn about healthy relationships and how to stay safe. For example, pupils have a detailed understanding of how to stay safe when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff in key stage 2 do not yet have the required knowledge to support pupils who do not have secure phonics skills. This can hamper their capacity to support these pupils effectively as they learn to read. Leaders should ensure that all staff are trained in the teaching of phonics.  Subject leaders of foundation subjects have not yet evaluated their curriculum areas. This means that they do not have sufficient oversight of the impact of their subjects in helping pupils to know more or remember more over time. Leaders should ensure that foundation subjects are systematically reviewed and evaluated.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2013.

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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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

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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241760 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took on the role in an acting capacity in December 2019 prior to substantive appointment. The deputy headteacher joined the school in 2021.  The school currently uses one registered provider of 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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met regularly with school leaders. The inspector also met with representatives from the board of trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils read. 10 and 11 January 2023

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 Safeguarding records were reviewed, including the single central record and appointment procedures. The inspector spoke to staff about safeguarding and spoke to pupils about the support they have in understanding how to keep safe.  The inspector reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff surveys and received an email from a parent.  The inspector talked to staff to gather their views about the school, including their workload and well-being. The inspector met with several groups of pupils, as well as speaking to pupils during lessons, at lunchtime and during a tour of the school.

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Inspection team

Deborah Gordon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 January 2023

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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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