Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery Little Grove Field, Harlow, Essex CM19 4BU

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Outcome

Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery 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 love attending school. They are proud of their school and how it is an important part of the local community. The school is an exceptional place to learn and make friends. Classes buzz with enthusiasm as pupils enjoy the challenge of their learning. Pupils talk animatedly about the books and stories they read through the school’s ‘Reading Door’ programme. They value how staff support them in class. In early years, adults expertly help children to become confident, inquisitive individuals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A range of exciting trips and experiences reinforce the ambitious curriculum. Pupils enjoy the diverse range of sporting opportunities and being one of the ‘Hares’. From ballet and boxing to meeting scientists and performing poetry at the local theatre, there is something extra for everyone. Each opportunity is carefully planned to broaden pupils’ horizons. Pupils talk of how these opportunities inspire them to be ambitious for their futures.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone gets along and achieves well because pupils live up to adults’ very high expectations of them. The school is a harmonious community. Pupils behave exceptionally well. Older pupils support younger pupils with play through their leadership roles. They are excellent role models that bring to life the positive school values.

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

An ambitious, well-planned curriculum sits at the heart of the school’s work. The school continues to evaluate and refine the curriculum to ensure that it is fit for purpose. It offers pupils the best springboard for future success. Since the previous inspection, 4 and 5 March 2025

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achievement has remained consistently high, as shown by pupils’ outcomes in the end of key stage statutory assessments.

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Children get off to a great start in early years. Experienced adults support children very well to learn the important knowledge that is needed for their next steps. As pupils move through the school, they gain and build knowledge incredibly well. Highly skilled staff track pupils’ learning intently. They quickly spot and address gaps in learning or misconceptions. Excellent teacher explanations and modelling give pupils the tools they need to be successful. For example, in mathematics, pupils quickly build fluency with number, so they can tackle more challenging problems. Pupils enjoy this challenge. They know that staff will help them if they get stuck.

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Children in early years enjoy listening to and remembering stories and rhymes. This helps to improve vocabulary and communication. Across the school, pupils meet a variety of interesting and diverse texts and books. These books are of high quality and well matched to pupils’ reading ability. Staff equip pupils with the knowledge and confidence to read well. Highly individualised help and support ensure that pupils who find reading difficult catch up quickly. As a result, a love of reading is central to school life.

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The support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is highly effective. Individual pupil plans identify and highlight the specific support that pupils need. Teachers use this accurate information about pupils’ needs to expertly adapt the curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve very well from their varied starting points.

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Staff are very clear in how they expect pupils to behave. Adults model politeness and kindness. They teach pupils important social skills so that pupils have the tools to manage their emotions. Pupils learn how others may be different from themselves. They say that ‘everyone is kind’ and adults listen to their worries or concerns. Poor behaviour is very rare. Typically, pupils’ behaviour is impeccable. Attendance is high. Pupils want to be at school.

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Part of the school’s ambition is that pupils get the opportunity to do things that ‘are different’ from their everyday lives. Varied opportunities build on pupils’ understanding. For instance, pupils benefit from working alongside local artists. Pupils learn about different careers and other options open to them. Great thought goes into what knowledge and experiences pupils need to understand and take part in the world around them.

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Staff access high-quality training to support them to implement the curriculum well. Despite the recent curriculum changes, workload has been managed carefully. Staff are proud to be part of the ‘Hare Street’ family and care about giving pupils the best learning experiences possible. The expert staff team contributes strongly to the success of the school. Close relationships with the local authority and other organisations enable the school to take advantage of opportunities, such as working with the local library, theatre and art gallery. 4 and 5 March 2025

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New leaders and governors have managed change effectively. The governing body has been strengthened, so it has the capacity to continue to hold leaders fully to account for their actions.

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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 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 14 and15 January 2020.

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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 help and 4 and 5 March 2025

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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been recent changes to school leadership and the governing body. The headteacher joined the school in September 2023.  The school uses one unregistered 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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders, including the school’s special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 4 and 5 March 2025

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 The inspector held a meeting with those responsible for governance, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspector held telephone calls with representatives from the local authority and the school’s chosen alternative provision.  The inspector spoke with pupils on both days of the inspection. The inspector spent time with pupils during breaktimes to observe behaviour and talk with pupils about school life.  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 spoke to staff during both days of the inspection and considered their responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector considered parents’ responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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Inspection team

Damian Loneragan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 4 and 5 March 2025

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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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