Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery Barrack Lane, Harwich, Essex CO12 3NP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 3 and 4 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils are happy at this nurturing school. They are excited to see which class ‘Attendance Ted’ will visit each week and who will win ‘Flamingo Bingo’. These carefully considered incentives motivate pupils to attend frequently. The school prioritises the well-being of all pupils. Pupils know there are adults and other pupils in school who will listen and help them should they need support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils successfully follow the school rules of being safe, responsible and kind. Responsibility is particularly important to pupils. Prefects are proud of how they help and support younger children. Diversity champions and school councillors work well together to identify ways to improve the school. These roles help pupils to develop the skills they need to be ‘ready to jump into adulthood’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well throughout the school day. They work hard in class to reach the high expectations the school has of them. The school playground and field are a hive of activity. Pupils enjoy playing hockey and football together. They also appreciate the opportunities the school has carefully provided for them for quieter activities. These include sharing and recommending books from their ‘reading suitcases’.

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better?

The school has designed a curriculum that sets out what pupils will learn. In most subjects, the school has broken this knowledge down into smaller steps. The school has then placed this knowledge into a clear sequence. This helps build pupils’ knowledge over time. However, in some subjects, the school has not identified the specific building blocks of knowledge or the important concepts to revisit. In these subjects, pupils do not routinely learn content that builds on what they already know. This makes it difficult for pupils to make connections between what they are learning now and what they have learned before.

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better?

Staff use careful checks on learning to identify how well pupils are faring or where they have gaps in their knowledge. Well-trained staff support pupils to either close gaps or to extend learning. For example, in the early years, staff choose activities that support children to develop important fine motor skills. Thoughtful and probing questions challenge children to develop their knowledge and understanding of number while completing these activities. In subjects where curriculum design is less precise, checks on learning are also less precise. In these instances, the school does not always know how well pupils are learning.

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better?

Reading is a priority across the school. Stories and a love of reading start in the Nursery. The sharing of books, songs and rhymes helps to expand children’s vocabulary. Pupils enjoy the books and stories that teachers read to them. Staff are well trained to support pupils at the early stages of reading. They carefully check that pupils know the meaning of words they read. This helps pupils to understand and use new vocabulary. The school recognises when a pupil is finding reading 3 and 4 October 2023

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difficult. Staff provide them with the support they need to become confident and fluent readers.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with precision. Useful guidance helps staff to know how to support pupils with SEND. Staff make adaptations to learning so that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Focused interventions help pupils to make progress towards appropriate targets.

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Pupils are kind, courteous and polite towards each other and adults. They appreciate opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Performing at a local theatre inspires pupils to join the choir. It also challenges them to go out of their comfort zone and try something different. The personal, social, health and economic curriculum supports pupils to understand important concepts throughout their time at school. For example, pupils learn to show tolerance and respect towards anyone who is different to them.

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Leaders at all levels are ambitious for pupils. A rigorous focus on improving pupils’ attendance has had significant success. However, in some aspects of the school’s work, such as some parts of the curriculum, monitoring is not as thorough as it could be.

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Staff are proud to work at the school and appreciate the support the school gives them. The school successfully engages with the parental community. Many parents are very positive about the quality of education and support their child receives.

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The governing body ensures the school supports staff to manage their own workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school has not precisely identified the most important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to remember. This means there are occasions when teachers do not plan lessons that build on prior learning. The school should ensure that the curriculum in these subjects clearly identifies the most important knowledge and when it should be taught and revisited. The school should then ensure that assessment in these subjects is precisely linked to this knowledge. This is so that pupils make better connections between what they are learning now and what they have learned before.  In some areas of the curriculum, the school’s monitoring of how well pupils from Nursery to Year 6 are learning is less well developed than in others. This means 3 and 4 October 2023

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the school does not always have the information it needs to make necessary changes or improvements. Leaders at all levels should ensure there is rigour to monitoring the impact of the work the school does.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.  The school provides breakfast and after-school care for pupils on site.  The school runs nursery provision for children aged three and four years.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinators, subject leaders, staff, governors, a representative from the local authority and pupils. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read with a familiar member of staff.  Inspectors met with subject leaders, reviewed curriculum documentation and looked at examples of pupils’ work in some other subjects. A range of writing from across the curriculum was also considered.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, bullying

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records, attendance records, pupil records, minutes of governing body meetings, governor monitoring reports, school development plans, records of visits from the local authority and school policies.  Inspectors considered 47 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also spoke with parents as they arrived at school.  There were 84 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils. Inspectors also spoke with pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.  There were 38 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for school staff. Inspectors also met with staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Heather Hann Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 October 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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