Ofsted has issued an update after returning to Harborne Primary School, one of Birmingham's worst-rated schools, and found that leaders have made positive changes but still have work to do.
Background and Previous Rating
The Station Road school received the worst grade of 'inadequate' in two areas — quality of education, and leadership and management — during a disappointing review last year. Concerns were raised over safeguarding and attendance. It was also rated 'requires improvement' for behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision.
Monitoring Visit Findings
In the 12 months since the poor inspection, Ofsted conducted a monitoring visit and reported that leaders have made positive changes to put the school on the right path. Safeguarding is now considered 'effective'. The new monitoring report stated: "Leaders are aware of pupils with gaps in their knowledge. They have begun to address these for some pupils. For example, some disadvantaged pupils are in receipt of regular additional catch-up support. This is in the early stages of implementation but is beginning to show some positive impact on some pupils’ knowledge and understanding in reading, writing and mathematics."
Ongoing Challenges
Despite progress, the report noted: "There continues to be pupils with significant gaps in their knowledge, particularly those who are disadvantaged. Some of these pupils are not in receipt of additional support to address gaps in their knowledge. This is an area that leaders are prioritising." The leadership of attendance has been strengthened with new policies and procedures, resulting in many pupils attending school regularly. However, Ofsted added: "There is still more work to be done to increase leadership capacity at all levels and stabilise staffing across the school."
