Harpur Hill Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Harpur Hill Primary School Trent Avenue, Harpur Hill, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9LP

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Inspection dates: 19 to 20 November 2024

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Outcome

Harpur Hill Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. The school has a safe, caring ethos. One pupil said, ‘We welcome new children into the Harpur family.’ Parents and carers appreciate the work of the staff. One parent, whose comment was typical of many, said, ‘The school is amazing. All teachers go above and beyond to understand the needs of the pupils.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has close links with several organisations around Buxton to enrich the curriculum. For example, the school has worked with the Buxton Opera House outreach team to support intergenerational partnerships. Pupils learned songs from ‘Mary Poppins’ and sang them at a local care home and at the Pavilion Arts Centre.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well in school. They cooperate well with each other. Older pupils say that if they have any minor disagreements, they try and resolve them by themselves. This is mostly successful. However, on occasion, they also ask a teacher to support them to resolve any issues quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well. Teachers have high expectations. Pupils listen well in lessons and work hard across the curriculum. They take care to present their work well. Pupils enjoy reading and could name books that they read at home.

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

Children get off to a great start in the Nursery. Skilled staff promote children’s vocabulary very well. Staff ensure that their language is clear and concise to enable children to respond well. The youngest children can maintain their interest in activities for sustained 19 and 20 November 2024

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periods of time due to the support they receive. Adults encourage children to express their ideas, and then they help the children to realise these ideas in the activities.

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The school prioritises reading and teaches it well. Teachers model clearly the sounds that they want pupils to say. Teachers check regularly that pupils are pronouncing the sounds accurately. Pupils’ reading books are well matched to the sounds they know. Pupils who have fallen behind with their reading are supported well to catch up. Pupils learn to read accurately and fluently.

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Staff teach the mathematics curriculum well. Pupils become fluent in their arithmetic and can recall their times tables. This knowledge helps them to complete their calculations accurately. However, some pupils do not have enough opportunities to reason mathematically. As a result, some pupils do not have sufficient occasions to explain their mathematical thinking and gain a deeper understanding of the subject.

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The wider curriculum is ambitious. In many subjects, the curriculum sets out the knowledge that pupils will learn and when. This ensures that pupils are able to build their skills and knowledge well over time. For example, in art, Year 6 pupils use their knowledge of water colours to paint mythical sea creatures successfully. However, in a few subjects, pupils can, on occasions, struggle to recall some of what they have learned previously. In these subjects, teachers do not routinely provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to explain their ideas. As a result, pupils do not become secure in their understanding as well as they could.

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The school is highly inclusive. The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) early. Specific targets are developed to support the progress for each pupil. The school uses technology and expertise from outside agencies to support pupils with their learning. The work set for pupils is adapted successfully to enable those with SEND to achieve well.

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Pupils attend well. The school teaches pupils to become responsible. For example, pupils take pride in leadership roles, such as house captains, who organise rotas for games at lunchtimes. The school’s offer to broaden pupils’ experiences is comprehensive. For example, pupils are successful in many sporting competitions against other schools, particularly in football.

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The school prepares pupils very well for life in modern Britain. Pupils celebrate diversity. The school council recently organised ‘Odd socks day’ as part of anti-bullying week to reflect how everyone is different. Pupils took part in the Buxton International Festival. They acted alongside actors in the play ‘Land of Might Have Been’, where they learned about different relationships. Pupils know about different religions. They respect how people are different.

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Pupils learn to take care of the environment. They visit a local nature reserve and the Peak Moors to learn about the ecosystems and how to look after them. The school council has banned single use plastics in the school and promotes recycling. 19 and 20 November 2024

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Leaders are successfully driving improvement. Governors are proactive and support and challenge school leaders well. Staff feel supported by the school. Morale is high.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On some occasions, in a few subjects, teachers do not routinely provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to explain their knowledge and understanding. As a result, pupils are not able to explore their learning fully and develop their knowledge and understanding as well as they could. The school must ensure that teachers provide pupils with more opportunities to explain their thinking so that they gain a deeper understanding of their learning.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in February 2019. 19 and 20 November 2024

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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 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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.harpurhill.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a nursery for two-, three- and four-year-old children.  The school governing body manages an after-school club.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 this evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years lead and subject leaders for mathematics, phonics, history, geography and personal and social and emotional education. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 The inspector also spoke with four governors, including the chair of governors and the two vice-chairs. The inspector also held a phone call conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, looked at samples of pupils’ work and listened to pupils read.  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 put pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Martin Finch, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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