Harehills Primary School

Harehills Primary School Inspection report

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107925 Unique Reference Number Leeds Local Authority 287959 Inspection number 1 °2 October 2007 Inspection dates Derek Pattinson Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 570 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ian Forster Chair Mrs Lesley Dolben Headteacher 20 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection Darfield Road School address Leeds West Yorkshire LS8 5DQ 0113 2350539 Telephone number 0113 2494970 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 1 °2 October 2007 Inspection dates 287959 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average primary school situated in an area of significant inner city social and economic disadvantage. Numbers on roll are rising and are significantly higher than at the time of the last inspection. A significantly high proportion of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. Nearly half of these are of Pakistan origin. There are relatively few pupils of White British heritage. Well over two-thirds of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. A much higher than usual proportion of pupils join or leave the school at times other than the start of the school year. The school achieved the National Advanced Healthy School Standard and Activemark in 2006 and the Stephen Lawrence Education Award, Level 2 in 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. This agrees with the school's judgment about its performance. It is well regarded by parents and has a high profile within the local community, who value the close links forged with it. All stakeholders work hard and successfully to overcome the significant barriers to learning presented by the school's challenging circumstances. Good quality leadership, good teaching and outstanding pastoral care are all strong features of the school's work and help to promote pupils' good personal development. As a result, the needs of its very diverse and constantly changing school population are well met and children achieve well. Children enter the Foundation Stage with exceptionally low levels of knowledge, skills and understanding for their age. There are a high number of children at an early stage of learning English. Good Foundation Stage provision enables children to achieve well in all areas, especially

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Grade: 2

in speech and language development. However, standards are still well below national expectations when children move into Year 1. Pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language, continue to achieve well as they move through Years 1 to 6. As a result they reach standards in English, mathematics and science which are close to national levels by the end of Year 6. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is a strong leader whose drive, determination and high profile approach ensures that the school is well led. She knows the school very well. Senior leadership and management teams and key subject leaders play a vital role in rigorously monitoring the school's performance in the drive to secure improvements. Consequently, they have an accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses and it has a good capacity to improve further. There is a very supportive atmosphere in school and a high

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Grade: 2

level of team spirit. The governors make a positive contribution to the school's work. Teaching and learning are good. Secure relationships, effective management of pupils, high levels of care and effective support from teaching assistants and other support staff are features of almost all lessons and provide a firm platform for learning. In these good lessons, time is used effectively and work is challenging for all children. As a result, pupils work hard and value learning. However, in a minority of lessons, time is not used to the best effect and pupils are not always clear what they have to learn. On these occasions progress slows. A minority of pupils do not know how to improve because they do not know their personal targets well enough. Pupils enjoy the school's good curriculum, which caters well for their diverse needs. English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) are given good emphasis

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Grade: 2

as separate subjects. However, the school recognises that the development of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills is not yet planned well enough through other subjects to help raise standards further. Speaking and listening skills are not emphasised strongly enough in some classes to help develop children's confidence, initiative and independence. The wide range of visits, visitors and after school activities help to broaden children's horizons. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have good knowledge of the importance of healthy lifestyles and feel safe in school. They contribute well to the school community, for example, through the work of the school council and develop satisfactory skills and qualities to help prepare them for the world of work. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007

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Grade: 2

The overall effectiveness of the Foundation Stage is good. Teamwork is a strong feature of provision. Consequently, teachers, nursery nurses and other adults work closely together to ensure that children have a good balance of carefully planned activities that they either choose themselves or that are directed by the teacher. This helps them to enjoy their learning and achieve well. Children are very well cared for, which helps explain why they make good progress in their personal and social development. Assessment practices are thorough and underpin children's good progress as they move through the Foundation Stage. Children at an early stage of English language acquisition are well provided for and the diverse needs of all children are increasingly well met. As a result, all children make good progress. Links with parents are strongly promoted. The school does all it can to ensure a smooth transition into and from the

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Grade: 2

Foundation Stage. Shared outdoor areas are very well used to extend learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of teaching and learning in Years 1 to 6 so that it consistently enables pupils to have a good knowledge of what they are to learn and of their learning targets. ■ Implement a consistent approach to the promotion of speaking and listening skills to help pupils develop confidence, initiative and independence. ■ Ensure that the skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT are consistently planned in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress in all areas of their work as they move through Years 1 to 6 because of good teaching and provision. This is especially the case for the minority of children who start their school life in the Foundation Stage. The high numbers of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for those who speak English as an additional language achieve well because of the high quality, targeted support, the rigorous checking on their learning and the care taken to match work to their precise needs. Standards in English have been lower than those in mathematics and science for the past two years. However, these successful strategies help explain the improving picture as shown by the latest set of English national test results. These indicate a significantly increased percentage of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 by the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 2

Children respect the range of faiths that others have in the school and those observing Ramadan at the time of the inspection were pleased that the school values their way of life. The school has worked very hard to encourage parents to bring their children to school regularly and on time but a minority do not yet support the school consistently. A 'walking bus' recently introduced by the school is starting to bring about further improvements in punctuality and attendance which is now broadly in line with the national average. Children's attitudes to learning and behaviour in lessons and around the school are good overall - and their attitudes demonstrated during an observed whole school assembly were outstanding. Representatives of the school council summed up their positive view of the school with the words, 'fair, safe, and a happy place to learn'. Children have a good understanding of healthy eating and are very

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Grade: 2

5 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007 pleased with the provision of a water fountain. They regularly enjoy exercise in the school hall and in the playground through a wide range of games and sporting activities. As a result, they develop a positive approach to healthy living. Children are soundly prepared, from very low starting points, for the next stages of their education because of the school's emphasis on the promotion of basic skills. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Grade: 2

Children find most lessons interesting, challenging and enjoyable because work is matched carefully to their needs. Teaching is especially successful when time is used to good effect, teachers give children much encouragement and praise and tasks are demanding to help them enjoy learning. Teaching assistants and other adults contribute well to the quality of their learning by providing high quality support. In a minority of lessons, teachers do not give enough time for children to work on their own and the pace of lessons is not brisk enough. As a result, independence and initiative are restricted and learning slows. Most teachers are skilled at telling children what they must do to succeed in lessons to help them make best possible progress. Teachers usually mark children's work carefully to acknowledge effort and achievement and make suggestions, often linked to their personal targets, to help them move forward. Assessment

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Grade: 2

is good and embedded in the school's work. Effective procedures are in place for assessing and tracking children's progress.

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Grade: 2

The school's good curriculum reflects the cultural diversity of its learners. It is inclusive, creative and provides enjoyment through its variety. Teachers plan and review carefully what is taught to ensure that work matches children's diverse needs. As a result, children gradually develop knowledge and understanding as they move through the school. The school gives strong emphasis to the development of skills in English, mathematics and ICT. However, these skills are not yet planned for systematically across all subjects to help make learning more relevant to the learners. Speaking and listening skills are not promoted well enough in some classes to help children learn. Personal and social development is given strong emphasis and lies at the heart of the school's work. The wide range of visits, such as to Eden Camp, visitors, such as 'Streetwise' representatives, and extended school initiatives, such as the 'Aim Higher' project,

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Grade: 2

help to develop important skills, bring learning to life and contributing to children's enjoyment and achievement. Children benefit from a good range of clubs, such as in sport and music. As well as adding to their enjoyment of learning, these rich experiences help to develop healthy and varied lifestyles.

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Grade: 2

The school provides high quality care, pastoral guidance and support for children. This has a considerable bearing on their well-being and personal development. This is an inclusive school where children are listened to and valued. They feel safe and secure within a welcoming environment. The school works well with most parents, a wide range of other outside agencies and the local community to ensure that children are supported in their learning. The many 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007 vulnerable children with emotional and social difficulties and the many who speak English as an additional language receive high quality care and guidance. The school's arrangements for child protection, the safeguarding of pupils and health and safety are robust and in line with local and national guidelines. Systems for monitoring children's progress and tracking their academic achievement and personal development are thorough and help to identify those who

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Grade: 2

need extra support. However, some children do not know their targets well enough to give them ownership of what they need to do to improve, and, as a result, progress slows.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides inspirational leadership which is reflected in high quality strategic planning and organisation. She is totally focused on school improvement and in particular to raising standards further and improving the achievement of all children through the rigorous pursuit of challenging targets. Her impressive knowledge of the school is reflected in the school's self-evaluation, which is honest and accurate and takes account of the views of staff, governors, parents and children. The emphasis on the development of inclusive and shared leadership and an intensive programme of professional development are strong features of the good leadership and management. The school now enjoys more stable staffing, which helps it to rigorously tackle areas requiring development and to sustain school improvement. Morale is good and there is a strong team approach. The school's work is effectively monitored in

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Grade: 2

depth and this informs its strategic planning well. It also places strong emphasis on ensuring that all children have equal opportunities and do not suffer discrimination. Financial planning and management are of a high standard, thus securing good value for money. Governance is good. The governing body is well led, well informed and works in close partnership with the school. As a result, it plays its part to the full for holding the school to account for what it achieves. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so friendly and talking to the inspection team when we visited your school recently to find out how well you are learning. We very much enjoyed being in your school, visiting your lessons and listening to what you had to say. Many of you told us that you like your school very much and believe that you go to a good school. We are pleased to say that we agree with you! We especially like the friendly atmosphere and the way staff take good care of you so that you feel safe and happy. They organise visits and visitors to help make learning more interesting for you. We saw that most of you work very hard for your teachers and behave well. You know about the importance of having a healthy lifestyle and lots of exercise. We have asked your teachers to make all lessons as interesting as they can and give you more time to work so that you will learn really well and become really good at finding things out for

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

yourselves. We have also asked them to make sure that you know your targets and what you need to do to achieve them! We would like you to have more chances to practise your English, mathematics and information and communication technology skills through work in other subjects too. We have asked your teachers to organise more times for you to talk about your work to help you learn more quickly and become confident speakers. You must always remember to listen carefully when your teacher is talking to you because this is a very good way to learn. These improvements will help make your learning even more interesting than it is now! This is why it is important that you come to school every day and arrive on time. Then you will be able to join in the fun of learning. We were very pleased by the way your headteacher and all school staff work hard to give you a good education. Most of you make good progress in English, mathematics and science as you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

move through the school. This is because your teachers try to make sure that the work they give you is at the right level to help build on what you already know. They also often check carefully on how you are doing so that they can give you extra help if you are falling behind. Thank you for being so helpful when we inspected your school. It was really good to find that all of you are happy and doing well. I am sure you will continue to work hard and help your teachers so that your school becomes even better than it is now. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Harehills Primary School, 1 °2 October 2007

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