Harlyn Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 December 2024

Pupils at Harlyn Primary School benefit from the positive and supportive environment the school provides. Staff know pupils and their families well, greeting them warmly at the school gate every day. This helps to ensure pupils enjoy coming to school and are happy here. Pupils are kept safe and know that they can share any worries they may have with trusted adults who will take them seriously. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. This is because the school has high expectations and well-understood systems for behaviour. Pupils rise to meet these and, as they move through the school, they are clear about what the expectations are. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. Published national results indicate that pupils' outcomes are in line with what is achieved nationally, and in a few subjects above national averages. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well prepared for the next stages of their education. Pupils contribute to the life of the school. For example, they benefit from regular opportunities to work with other year groups and the local community.

What the school should improve

• Some subjects are at an earlier stage of design and implementation. In these instances, the specific knowledge that pupils are expected to learn are not as clearly identified or sequenced. Additionally, there are times where the activities provided do not support pupils to sufficiently learn the intended curriculum in these subjects. As a result, there are gaps in pupils' understanding and they do not build on prior knowledge as well as they should. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum in each subject is carefully designed and sequenced. This should include providing professional development to develop teachers' subject-specific and pedagogical knowledge, enabling them to implement the intended curriculum consistently and effectively.
• The school's systems for overseeing the quality of education are not sufficiently precise. As a result, inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum are not swiftly identified or addressed. The school should develop more rigorous systems for checking the quality of education, as well as providing training for subject leaders so they can carry out their roles effectively.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)