Harris Primary Academy Chafford Hundred

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

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The head of academy is Lauren Arnell. 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 an executive principal, Katie Hanley, who is responsible for this school and one other. 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 achieve exceptionally well at Harris Primary Academy Chafford Hundred (‘HPACH’). They love coming to school and attend regularly. From the moment children join in the Reception Year, they rise to the high expectations of ‘excellence, every child, every day’. Pupils work incredibly hard in lessons. Their thirst for knowledge inspires them to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy wholeheartedly the carefully designed enrichment offer. Rich and meaningful experiences permeate all aspects of the curriculum. Events, such as trips to The National Gallery or visiting opera singers, deepen pupils’ knowledge superbly. Wednesday club night is a highlight of the week for many pupils. They look forward to honing their skills in origami, playing chess or learning Makaton. Many of these clubs lead to opportunities to represent the school. Pupils wear their ‘HPACH’ badge with pride when singing in the choir or representing their school in various sporting competitions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s core values underpin all aspects of everyday life. Pupils are proud of the way they influence these values. Kindness is a value the school has recently introduced. This is especially important to pupils. Whether holding a door open for a passing visitor, or helping a younger child during playtime, pupils live this value every day. 25 and 26 March 2025

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

High quality training ensures that staff have an expert understanding of how to teach the school’s highly ambitious curriculum. Staff use checks on pupils’ learning intelligently to identify when to revisit important concepts. This helps pupils to secure the key knowledge they need to access future learning. When staff introduce new content, they guide pupils to make links between what they are learning and what they know already. For example, in mathematics, pupils build on their existing knowledge of fractions when comparing them to decimals and percentages. This helps to further pupils’ understanding. Consequently, pupils have a deep and meaningful understanding of the curriculum. They also consistently produce work of an exceptional quality and many achieve highly.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with precision. Staff are experts at helping these pupils to thrive. For example, staff skilfully check that pupils with SEND understand the ambitious vocabulary they teach them. Carefully chosen resources, such as visual prompts, help pupils with SEND to independently use this vocabulary when they write. Pupils with SEND play a full part in the wider life of the school. For instance, they develop their confidence and represent their peers as members of the school council.

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

The school promotes a culture of reading that runs seamlessly through all aspects of the curriculum. Children learn to read from the moment they enter early years. Carefully chosen activities help children to secure their knowledge of the sounds letters make. They soon move onto blending these together to read new words. The school identifies swiftly any pupil who finds reading difficult. Expert staff help these pupils to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils simply love to read. Children excitedly settle down to a story in the early years. Older pupils value the opportunity to choose a good read to get stuck into. Pupils equally appreciate listening to the books their teachers read and share.

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

Pupils value being a part of their diverse school community. The school ensures that pupils recognise their lived experiences in the curriculum and enrichment offer. For example, the books pupils’ study are carefully selected to represent their many backgrounds. This helps to build the strong sense of respect for differences pupils have. Pupils know that their views and beliefs will be listened to and respected by those who think differently to them. Pupils show these respectful relationships in the exemplary way they conduct themselves throughout the school day. Those who are responsible for the school garden take this role seriously. They freely give their time to tend to the herbs, fruit and vegetables ready to harvest them for other pupils to use during cookery lessons.

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

Leaders at all levels share a relentless drive to continually improve the quality of education. Precise quality assurance checks from the trust provide the school with ways to enhance the provision. This helps leaders to set clear priorities for future school improvement. The governing body is highly skilled. There are rigorous systems in place for checking the information the school gives them. Governors balance well the robust challenge they give alongside the way they support staff and leaders. This results in a shared vision for providing an exceptional education for pupils. Pupils leave ‘HPACH’ thoroughly prepared to excel in their futures. 25 and 26 March 2025

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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 September 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 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, 25 and 26 March 2025

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Website www.harrisprimarychaffordhundred.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides before- and after-school care.  The school does not currently use any 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 Inspectors met with the head of academy, executive principal, the vice-principals, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, staff, the chair of the local governing board, 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 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

Julie Winwood Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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