Leeds primary school on 'journey of improvement' after first Ofsted visit for six years
A Leeds primary school has begun a “journey of improvement” after its first Ofsted visit for six years.
An ungraded inspection at Harehills Primary School, located on Darfield Road, found that aspects of the school’s work “may not be as strong” as at the time of the previous inspection, following a visit from the education watchdog on April 1 and 2.
The school was rated as Good overall during its last full inspection in 2015, while it also received an ungraded inspection in late 2019.
During its 2015 inspection, Harehills primary received an Ofsted Outstanding in the categories for effectiveness of leadership and management and personal development, behaviour and welfare. They received a Good for quality of teaching, outcomes for pupils and early years provision.
The education watchdog said: “Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are safe and happy. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils respond well. They are keen to learn.
“The school has recently begun a journey of improvement. It has identified some important priorities to improve the quality of education and published outcomes. However, this is still in its early stages.”
According to inspectors the school introduced a new mathematics curriculum in January 2025, which has helped provide pupils with more opportunities to “apply new knowledge within problem-solving tasks.”
Staff have begun to receive ongoing training to “support them to implement the curriculum.” They are starting to use strategies that help pupils learn and remember.
The curriculum for pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE) is “well designed,” while pupils learn how to keep safe in the community and online.
Focusing on areas of further improvement, the report said: “There is inconsistency in how well the curriculum is implemented. Too often, the focus is on what pupils are doing rather than what they are learning. This means that pupils do not learn the important knowledge that they need as well as they should.
“Sometimes, learning activities are not well matched to the needs of pupils with SEND. Where this happens, pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should.”
Children in early years are “well cared for” and staff have high expectations for behaviour. The positive attitudes seen across school begin to develop in Nursery and Reception.
Relationships between staff and pupils are described as “very positive.” Staff celebrate pupils’ contributions to school life and their achievements. Pupils are keen to learn and achieve.
The school’s governors were described as “committed to supporting the school” on its journey to improve the quality of education.