Harper Bell Seventh-day Adventist School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are not benefitting from an acceptable quality of education at this school.

There are ongoing significant staffing changes in several classes. This affects how well pupils behave and achieve. Pupils do not enjoy having different class teachers on a regular basis.

Low-level disruption is evident when lessons fail to interest pupils and when teachers' expectations are too low. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not consistently well supported.

Outcomes in external tests in 2024, done at the end of Year 6, were well below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.

Weaknesses remain in several year ...groups, particularly in reading and writing.

Pupils are happy and have fun at playtimes with their friends. They understand the difference between occasional squabbles and bullying.

They are adamant that bullying is not tolerated in school and that staff quickly resolve minor incidents. Pupils feel safe at school. They understand how to keep themselves safe, including online, because they learn about personal safety in lessons.

Most pupils attend school regularly. The school is rigorous in following up on all absences to ensure that pupils are safe and come to school daily. Pupils enjoy the visits and clubs that staff arrange.

These include exciting trips for those with 'perfect' attendance, as well as clubs including chess, choir and drumming.

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

There has been significant staff and leadership turbulence in the previous 12 months at the school. This has affected pupils' achievement and attitudes to learning.

There has not been an effective enough approach between the governing body, the local authority and the board of the North England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (the NEC board) to work collectively to address these weaknesses in a timely or sustained way.

Overall, the curriculum is coherent and well designed. It provides a solid structure in all subjects for staff to follow.

It defines what pupils need to learn and when. However, the delivery of most subjects is variable. Too often, teaching does not follow the curriculum as intended and gaps exist in the coverage of content.

Lessons do not build systematically on what pupils know and can do. Staff changes have led to a lack of continuity and too few checks on pupils' learning.

The early years curriculum, including phonics, is not implemented well.

Some staff do not have sufficient subject knowledge to teach phonics effectively. There is often no recap or revisiting of prior learning. Consequently, children get off to a poor start in early reading.

Other activities often lack a clear learning focus and children do not build on what they can already do.As a result of the low expectations of teaching and behaviour within some lessons, including in the early years, many children and pupils struggle to focus. This frequently leads to incidents of off-task behaviour.

Reading cafés and daily story time are offered to encourage a culture of reading in the school. Phonic books are appropriately matched to pupils' abilities. The school provides additional support for pupils who struggle with reading.

However, staff do not adapt teaching sufficiently for pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils are not fully included in phonics and reading lessons. This hinders their ability to become fluent and confident readers.

The school has effective systems in place to identify pupils with SEND. However, this provision is not well developed. Despite some recent training, pupils are not well supported by staff to access the content of lessons successfully.

This includes pupils with the most complex learning difficulties, who learn in the school's 'hub'. These pupils do not access the same curriculum as their peers. They do not make the progress they should.

In contrast to the weaknesses elsewhere, the school promotes pupils' personal development well. It provides effective pastoral support to ensure that pupils feel safe. Pupils speak highly of the adults who provide this support.

They have a good appreciation of the diverse society in which they live. Pupils know the importance of treating others equally and upholding fundamental British values in everyday life. Pupils with SEND are better supported in this area of learning.

Senior leaders have recently prioritised attendance and safeguarding. They manage these areas well to help ensure the safety and well-being of pupils. However, leaders' oversight of individual subjects is weak due to the lack of permanent and experienced staff.

Monitoring of pupils' learning across different subjects is, therefore, a challenge. Consequently, the school is unable to provide the support that staff need to develop their expertise.

Governors and the NEC board understand that the school needs to improve.

They have recently engaged with some external support to strengthen the leadership and management of the school and have reviewed the strategic direction needed. However, this has not yet had the necessary impact on achievement and attitudes to learning. As a result, pupils are not receiving the education they need to achieve their full potential.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not been rigorous enough in its appraisal of the curriculum, the provision for pupils with SEND, or the standards of behaviour and achievement. Changes are not being made quickly enough to bring about the rapid improvements needed.

School leaders, governors, the local authority and the NEC board need to work as a collective body to ensure that there is a well-considered, structured approach to addressing these inadequacies. ? Lessons do not follow the intended curriculum. Staff do not revisit prior learning, or support pupils to build on what they know and can do.

As a result, pupils are unable to remember or use much of what they are taught. The school should ensure that staff, including temporary staff, follow the curriculum as intended, identify and address gaps in learning and support pupils to build on from their current knowledge and understanding. ? The school does not have sufficient staff capacity and expertise to provide leadership across the full range of subjects taught.

As such, there is limited oversight of the curriculum and its impact on pupil achievement, and staff do not receive the support needed to improve their practice. The school should ensure that it builds the capacity to develop subject leadership as part of its work to improve the quality of education offered. ? The early years curriculum, including phonics, is not implemented well.

Teachers' subject knowledge is weak and activities during continuous provision lack a clear learning focus. The school should ensure that staff are provided with the support needed to deliver the curriculum effectively, including with phonics, so that children are well prepared for Year 1. ? The school has not considered carefully enough how to support pupils with SEND, so that they can access the curriculum and are fully included in lessons.

Staff do not have sufficient knowledge to be able to assist these pupils as well as they should. The school should support all staff to make the adaptations needed for pupils with SEND, so that they access the full curriculum and are successful in their learning. ? As a result of weaknesses in the school's quality of education, low-level disruption in lessons occurs too frequently.

This creates a further barrier to pupils succeeding. The school should ensure that expectations from staff are heightened. ? The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.