Harris Primary Academy Mayflower

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Harris Primary Academy Mayflower Mayflower Road, Chafford Hundred, Essex RM16 6SA

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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Outcome

Harris Primary Academy Mayflower has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive principal of this school is Katie Hanley. This school is a member of the Harris Federation, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sir Daniel Moynihan, and is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lord Philip Harris. There is also an assistant director, Sam French, who is responsible for this school and six others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending this big school with a close-knit family feel. Pupils live and breathe their five core values in the way they work incredibly hard during lessons. They also show them by behaving incredibly well throughout the day. Responsibility is a value that is especially important to pupils. All pupils step up to lead during their time at school. The ‘eco council’ are proud to plant seeds in the allotment to grow vegetables that families use at home.

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What is it like to attend this school?

As soon as children start in early years, they develop a love of learning. The high expectations of ‘Excellence, Every Child, Every day’ underpins all that happens at school. Pupils rise to these expectations whether in class, or when accessing the exceptional enrichment opportunities on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Rich and varied experiences flow through the curriculum. These range from inspirational trips, such as singing at an opera house, to the ‘16 before secondary school’ programme. Pupils gleefully accept what is on offer to them. They are proud to represent their school community in county football competitions or when playing the piano or violin in the school orchestra. This ignites pupils’ ambitions for their future as they become budding musicians, artists, scientists, mathematicians and more. 26 and 27 November 2024

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

The school has crafted a curriculum that is highly ambitious. School and trust leaders meticulously review the impact of this curriculum. This enables them to identify where to further improve the quality of education. High quality training helps staff to enhance their subject knowledge. As a result, staff are experts in how to deepen pupils’ understanding. Leaders’ support helps staff to manage their own workload and wellbeing. Staff value greatly the way the school and trust help them to be the best they can. They love working at Harris Mayflower and feel incredibly well looked after.

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

Teachers make precise checks on learning. They use these checks intelligently to decide what to teach next. This helps pupils to make deep and meaningful connections between what they are learning now and what they already know. Of note is the forensic way staff check pupils’ understanding of subject-specific vocabulary. This helps pupils to secure their knowledge of ambitious language that they then use independently. For example, in Nursery, children happily chat to each other about why using yeast is important when baking bread. The quality of pupils’ discussions is reflected in the exceptional work they consistently produce.

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

A love of reading flows through the school. For children in the early years, sharing a book with staff is a special part of the day. This ignites a passion for literature from a young age. Should any pupil require extra support with reading, they get this promptly. Highly skilled staff help pupils to become confident and fluent readers. The school has carefully chosen the books pupils read so they represent the diverse backgrounds pupils come from. This rich and varied reading diet exposes pupils to a vast array of books and stories. Older pupils especially look forward to getting stuck into a good book during English lessons.

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

The school has established clearly understood systems to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff ably support these pupils to thrive. For example, in the early years staff help children to learn to communicate their wants and needs. Across the school, staff use careful adaptations to their teaching if pupils with SEND need them. For example, the use of resources to support writing helps pupils with SEND to write with flair and accuracy.

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

Pupils are incredibly respectful of each other and adults. During lunchtime pupils from different ages come together to play table tennis or share the climbing frames. Should pupils need a quieter space, they are free to access the allotment to tend to the vegetables and herbs or complete a range of activities on offer.

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

Pupils are grateful for the many different cultures in their school and wider community. The love to learn about those who have different religious beliefs to their own. Pupils know what a healthy relationship is. They understand why respecting others’ personal boundaries is important. 26 and 27 November 2024

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Leaders have carefully managed the growth of the school over several years. This has helped them to continuously improve the quality of education on offer. It has also helped them to maintain the close family feel that exists. This strong sense of community extends to pupils’ families. The school is relentless at providing the support pupils and families need. Parents value being part of the school community and appreciate all that the school does to enable their child to thrive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 outstanding 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 outstanding for overall effectiveness in May 2017.

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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. 26 and 27 November 2024

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1063

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School details

Website www.harrisprimarymayflower.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 May 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has grown significantly since the previous inspection when 334 pupils were on roll.  The school runs early years provision for children from the age of three-years-old.  The school provides before- and after-school care.  The school does not use 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the executive principal, three vice-principals, two special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinators, staff, trustees and local governors, and the primary director and assistant director from the trust.  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 records, attendance records, pupil records, minutes of local governor body meetings, school development plans and school policies.  Inspectors considered responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent

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View. They also took into consideration the online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Laura Hewer Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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