Harlow Fields School and College

Overview

The report describes a school where adults treat pupils with "care and kindness," helping them feel "happy and safe." However, the inspection found that the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership all "require improvement" due to inconsistencies in curriculum planning, teaching resources, and behaviour management.

Strengths

• Adults respond well to pupils’ communication, fostering a "pleasant" and calm environment.
• Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties benefit from "carefully planned activities" informed by external experts.
• Some pupils on formal pathways read confidently, with sixth-form students understanding "accessible versions of classical literature."
• Safeguarding arrangements are "effective," with a "rigorous approach to training, recording and reporting on pupils’ safety."
• Careers guidance is improving through "meaningful employer engagement," leading to appropriate next steps for students.

Areas to improve

• The curriculum and assessment approach "lack clarity," hindering teachers’ ability to deliver lessons and check progress effectively.
• Gaps in essential resources, such as "decodable books," limit the quality of teaching and pupils’ skill development.
• Behaviour management systems are inconsistent, with transitions sometimes failing to support pupils in maintaining calm behaviour.
• Improvement planning lacks "objective, measurable targets," making it difficult to evaluate progress and address staffing and financial challenges.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."