HARLOW Fields School has been graded as “Requires Improvement” following an Ofsted inspection.

The inspectors came to the Tendring Road school on January 24th and 25th, 2025.

The report states:

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a school where the adults treat them with care and kindness. Pupils
appreciate, for example, how they can signal to adults when they like or dislike
something. Adults mostly respond well to pupils’ communication. By meeting their needs,
adults help pupils to feel happy and safe.

Behaviour is generally calm here. This makes the school a pleasant place to be. Pupils
appreciate that the school introduced new equipment to help them exercise and play at
breaktimes. They enjoy, for instance, taking turns on the nest swing with one or two
friends. The school is working to address gaps in the curriculum, teaching and staff
training. While this progress continues, occasional challenges in these areas sometimes
contribute to poor behaviour. The current systems to manage these behavioural incidents
do not always work as well as they could.

The school wants pupils to achieve their very best. In the past year, it has started working
on improving the curriculum to raise expectations for what pupils will learn and be able to
do. However, some parts of the curriculum are incomplete. This makes it harder for pupils
to learn important ideas. Sometimes, pupils do not remember what they have learned or
develop skills, such as writing or using their own communication method, to share their
thoughts and feelings.

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

Leaders, including governors, actively seek scrutiny and advice to drive improvement.

They have taken steps to address long-standing issues. For example, there is now a

rigorous approach to training, recording and reporting on pupils’ safety. However, while

leaders have focused on urgent financial and staffing challenges, their improvement

planning does not consistently include objective, measurable targets. This makes it harder

to evaluate progress and ensure sustained improvements in areas such as curriculum

development. Consequently, the pace of improvement has been uneven.

The curriculum, including in the sixth form, is under review. Some areas work well. For

example, pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties benefit from carefully

planned activities informed by advice from external experts like occupational therapists.

These activities expand pupils’ thinking, communication and physical development.

However, some curriculum plans lack detail. Staff are getting to grips with a new system

for checking pupils’ progress. These issues can hinder staff’s ability to efficiently plan

lessons that build on what pupils need to learn.

The school is committed to helping pupils on formal and semi-formal pathways become

fluent readers and writers, and this shows. There are pupils who read confidently,

meaning that by the sixth form, they can understand accessible versions of classical

literature. However, staff lack resources, such as the phonics programme’s required

flashcards, to teach letter sounds effectively. Some activities, such as guessing words

from pictures, do not help pupils practise their reading skills.

In the sixth form, students sometimes move between different types of writing without fully mastering the conventions of each one.

This limits their ability to improve their writing step by step.

The school ensures pupils’ education, health and care plans are reviewed on time. Staff
work effectively with the local authority. The school fosters collaboration among staff,
professionals, parents and carers to identify pupils’ needs and decide on the best support.

While curriculum and teaching issues remain, some support, such as physical therapies
including hydrotherapy, is effective in meeting individual pupils’ needs.

Leaders and staff mostly succeed in building respectful relationships with pupils. This
helps them predict and prevent behaviours that may disrupt learning or hinder peer
interactions.

The school has a staff training system for managing behaviour, but its
application varies across the school. Sometimes, staff are unsure when to record incidents
and the process for supporting staff during crises is not fully established. The school plans
to apply successful safeguarding approaches to behaviour management. However, at the
time of inspection, these changes had not yet been put into practice.

The school is improving how it monitors pupils during absences and works to reduce
them. It has introduced measures, such as prompt follow-up calls and meetings with
families, to decide support and encourage regular attendance. These changes are starting
to show positive results.

The personal development programme aims to broaden pupils’ experiences and equip
them with life skills. These include how to cook and to travel safely. While pupils build a
secure understanding of healthy relationships and online safety, other areas of the
programme are currently in development. Careers guidance is improving through
meaningful employer engagement, showing in students going on to appropriate further
education, employment or training.

The school acknowledges the frustrations of some families, particularly those advocating
for their children’s needs. Efforts like inviting parents to volunteer on trips aim to rebuild
trust and strengthen partnerships. Similarly, improving communication with staff is a
priority, ensuring more effective collaboration across the school community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

 The curriculum, including early reading, and the school’s approach to assessment lack
clarity. This hinders teachers’ ability to deliver the curriculum effectively and limits how
well pupils’ progress is checked and supported. The school should define and communicate what pupils need to learn and provide clear guidance on how staff should
check pupils’ understanding and use this information to inform their teaching.

 There are gaps in the resources needed to teach effectively, such as decodable books
and other learning aids. These gaps limit teachers’ ability to deliver high-quality lessons
and restrict pupils’ opportunities to develop key skills. The school should ensure all
necessary resources are available and that staff have the expertise to use them
effectively to enhance pupils’ learning experiences.

 Transitions and activities do not always support pupils in maintaining calm behaviour,
which can lead to moments of dysregulation and disruption. This affects the overall
learning environment and the ability of staff to manage behaviour consistently. The
school should strengthen its approaches to behaviour management, ensuring
consistency in practice and effective support during incidents.

 The school is managing multiple pressing challenges, including staffing and finance,
which can make improvement planning more reactive and limit the focus on setting
objective, measurable targets. This, in turn, makes it harder to evaluate the impact of
actions and demonstrate clear progress in key areas such as curriculum, teaching and
behaviour. To strengthen its approach, the school should set clearer targets and
timescales, ensuring that staff, parents and other stakeholders better understand
priorities and the steps being taken to address them.

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We invited Headteacher Kathleen Faherty to comment. Ms Faherty said:

“I am delighted that Ofsted recognised the many positives at Harlow Fields. Our pupils and young people are happy and safe, and the quality of education is steadily improving.

“Each pupil is celebrated as the wonderful individual they are, and we are immensely proud of them all. While we are disappointed with the ‘Requires Improvement’ grading from Ofsted, we fully understand the areas that need addressing, and we are already working exceptionally hard to make those improvements.

“We are committed to working together with our pupils and families to further enhance our community. It is reassuring to know that Ofsted acknowledged that we are on the right track; we just need more time and support to achieve our goals.

“I would like to stress that I am exceptionally proud of my dedicated staff and grateful for the unwavering support of our Governing Body”.

Editor’s Note

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