Harwood Park Primary School

Inspection of Harwood Park Primary School Hardfield Street, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 1DG

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 February 2024

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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 Requires improvement 14 and 15 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm and welcoming place where pupils achieve well. Pupils are happy at school. They spoke enthusiastically to inspectors about the new and interesting things that they have learned.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils also told inspectors how much they like to help others. They explained that they enjoy the many roles of responsibility they hold. Through this work, pupils make a tangible contribution to the smooth running of the school. For example, they act as ‘buddies’ to new classmates. This helps pupils arriving from other schools or from overseas to adjust quickly to the school’s high expectations for their behaviour and academic achievement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years also settle in effortlessly. They form secure relationships with staff and each other. They learn quickly how to socialise, cooperate and listen to others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school makes sure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive the support they need to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during lessons and as they move around the school. Those who need additional help to manage their emotions benefit from the support of well- trained staff and access to the ‘well-being hub’. Pupils told inspectors that it is easy to make new friends because other pupils are kind and respectful.

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better?

The school has continued to develop its curriculum since the time of the previous inspection. The curriculum is ambitious and well thought out. Its structure successfully supports teachers to design learning that caters for the differing prior knowledge that pupils may have.

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better?

Pupils frequently revisit earlier learning. This helps pupils new to the school to catch up with learning that they may have missed. It also enables those pupils who have been at the school for longer to secure a deeper understanding of concepts and ideas. Pupils recall with ease what their teachers want them to know. They build securely on their prior knowledge to make sense of new learning across the curriculum. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for the next stages of their education.

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better?

The school ensures that staff use agreed and effective strategies to help pupils to learn as well as they can. For example, teachers identify and address any gaps in knowledge that pupils may have in a timely fashion. As a result, staff ensure that pupils keep up with their peers, especially in reading.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children are introduced to high-quality texts in the Nursery Year. Children in the early years learn songs and rhymes that 14 and 15 February 2024

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prepare them well for learning how to read words in the Reception class. The school provides regular training and support to ensure that staff deliver the phonics programme to a consistently high standard. Pupils build up secure reading knowledge as a result. They make the most of opportunities provided to practise reading and become competent readers. Pupils value the wide range of enticing literature that is available in their classroom or in the well-stocked school library. They are keen to try out books that are recommended by their teachers or their classmates.

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Staff are well equipped to identify many of the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Most of these pupils are well supported by staff, which enables them to access the curriculum successfully. Typically, pupils with SEND achieve well as a result. However, at times, the school does not identify some pupils’ additional needs quickly enough. This hinders how well these pupils learn.

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Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils apply themselves well during lessons. Most pupils also behave well on the playground. Staff deal with minor squabbles between pupils, including children in the early years, quickly and well.

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The school places a high priority on pupils attending school regularly. However, there are some pupils who do not attend school as often as they should. These pupils do not benefit from all that the school has to offer.

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Pupils benefit from the many activities that the school provides to support their personal development. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy taking part in a wide range of clubs and other activities on offer, such as ukelele and art club. Through activities such as these, pupils explore and develop their own interests. They also appreciate opportunities to share their talents with the rest of their school and wider community.

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Pupils develop confidence in making a positive difference to the lives of others, including through fundraising for charities. They are well prepared to become active citizens of their local community when they are older.

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Governors work closely with leaders and other staff to improve the quality of education that all pupils experience. The school makes sure that staff workload is not adversely affected when new initiatives are introduced.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For some pupils with SEND, the school does not identify their additional needs in a timely enough manner. This impacts on these pupils’ learning. The school 14 and 15 February 2024

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should ensure that the systems that teachers use to identify the needs of pupils with SEND result in providing the most appropriate support for these pupils quickly and accurately.  Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. These pupils miss out on important learning and all that the school has to offer. The school should review its systems for identifying and supporting those pupils who most need to improve their rates of attendance.

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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). 14 and 15 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one registered alternative provider for pupils.

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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.  An inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  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. 14 and 15 February 2024

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 An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, languages, geography, and art and design. They spoke with the leaders of these areas of the curriculum. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  Inspectors also spoke with pupils about their learning in other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school. Inspectors also scrutinised leaders’ records of pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  An inspector spoke with parents and carers as they brought their children to school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for

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staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graham Hamilton Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 February 2024

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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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