The Highway Primary School

Inspection of a good school: The Highway Primary School The Highway, Orpington, Kent BR6 9DJ

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Outcome

The Highway Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Emma Hodson. This school is part of South Orpington Learning Alliance, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, James Turvey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Robert Sampson. There is also an executive headteacher, Harry Hope, who is responsible for this school and six others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They benefit from the school’s fair understanding and respectful community in which everyone is valued. Staff get to know pupils and their families very well. Staff are quick to spot if a pupil is not quite themselves and ensure that everyone has a trusted adult to speak to if they have any worries. Issues between pupils are rare and are swiftly resolved by staff. Pupils are typically polite and respectful to each other and adults. Pupils are safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils to have a positive experience of school and receive the support they need to access the school’s curriculum. Pupils learn well in a wide range of subjects. Staff provide tailored support for individual pupils to meet their needs. Pupils are delighted when they get a turn to read to Rosie, the reading dog. This helps pupils to settle and prepare well for the school day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides opportunities for pupils to enrich their learning through educational outings, including to local historical sites and museums. Pupils take part in a wide range of clubs, including in a range of sports as well as drama, dance and choir. Leaders check that everyone has the opportunity to participate.

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

The school provides all pupils with a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders provide information and guidance so that teachers know what curriculum content is to be taught 22 and 23 May 2024

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and understand the intended progression of pupils’ learning over time from the early years onwards. In 2023, pupils achieved higher-than-average outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics in Year 6. Nevertheless, leaders identified key aspects of the curriculum that they wanted to improve further. The school has introduced some new programmes for the teaching of most subjects, including early reading, science, physical education (PE), geography and art.

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Leaders thought carefully about the school’s revised curriculum design so that the knowledge and skills they expect pupils to learn are clearly defined. Leaders have taken into account the changing and increasingly complex needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders ensure that the resources and approaches chosen to deliver the curriculum are suitably adapted to meet all pupils’ needs. The revised curriculum has enabled teachers to strengthen their subject knowledge, anticipate and resolve pupils’ misconceptions and deepen pupils’ understanding of subject-specific concepts. The launch of the new schemes of work has been successful, building on existing routines for pupils to revisit and reinforce prior learning and to promote pupils’ use of technical vocabulary. Pupils are in the early stages of developing their understanding of more complex ideas across a range of subjects as

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the delivery of the curriculum becomes established.

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Staff have received training in the new scheme for the teaching of phonics so that the transition from the previous scheme to the new one is working smoothly. Leaders have strong oversight of the quality of provision, ensuring that all pupils benefit from staff expertise, including those pupils who need extra support with reading to help them catch up. Typically, staff have high expectations for pupils’ correct pronunciation of the sounds that letters make. Staff ensure that pupils understand the words they are reading so that they read with expression and develop fluency. Throughout the school, the love of reading is promoted strongly, and pupils are able to choose from a range of high-quality texts. Pupils spoke about the books they are reading currently and why they enjoy them.

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The school promotes pupils’ personal development strongly, often supported by external organisations, charities and guest speakers. Leaders place a strong emphasis on encouraging pupils’ physical and mental health. Age-appropriate coverage of themes such as puberty and consent helps pupils to be well prepared for their next stages in education and life beyond school.

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Pupils are keen to take on roles and responsibilities when they are in Year 6. House captains, sports captains and the school council make positive contributions to the school community. Pupil anti-bullying ambassadors and peer mediators receive specific training to look out for pupils who might need their support and friendship. Leaders are looking to extend similar opportunities for pupils in younger year groups.

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Staff appreciate leaders’ consideration of their workload and consulting with them before making any changes to policy and practice in the school.

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Leaders, supported by the trust, complete a comprehensive and frequent analysis of pupils’ attendance. All absences are recorded, reviewed and followed up as needed. Patterns of attendance and incidences of persistent and severe absence are identified 22 and 23 May 2024

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swiftly. Leaders’ actions to support pupils to overcome barriers to their attendance are purposeful and effective.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s revised curriculum has been introduced this academic year. In some subjects, pupils’ deeper understanding of subject-specific concepts is in early stages of being established. The school should ensure that the implementation of the revised curriculum is embedded so that pupils’ learning and understanding of more complex ideas continue to develop and are secure

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2018.

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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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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 22 and 23 May 2024

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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). 22 and 23 May 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes to the leadership of the school.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with school leaders, including the headteacher, the executive headteacher, the chief executive officer, the chair of the governing body and four other governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, PE and science. 22 and 23 May 2024

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For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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.  The inspector considered the views of parents, staff and pupils in their responses to the online surveys. The inspector spoke to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Amanda Fraser, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 May 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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