Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery Review 2026: Outdoor learning plus top tier outcomes in Harlow

High attainment and high expectations are the defining features here, but Hare Street also puts real effort into making learning feel broader than test preparation. Outdoor education is a core thread, with the Frontier Project (launched in 2024) running from Nursery through Year 6 and using the school’s wooded areas for den building, nature study, and practical problem-solving.

Academically, the school sits well above the England average on Key Stage 2 measures. It ranks 422nd in England and 1st in Harlow for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), which places it comfortably within the top 10% of primary schools in England.

Leadership has also been a recent point of change. Mr Neil Coster joined as headteacher in September 2023, and the most recent inspection (March 2025) found the school had taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous full inspection.

Hare Street’s identity is very local. The school describes itself as part of the community, and that comes through in the way enrichment is organised. Experiences are planned to widen horizons, whether that is performance opportunities through local partners, cultural visits via the school’s Cultural Passport initiative, or sporting festivals across the town.

The values are clear and practical: Caring, Challenging, Respectful, Creative. You see this in the pupil leadership structure, too. Alongside the School Council and Learning Council, the prospectus describes Play Leaders, Sports Leaders, Arts Leaders, and Mental Health Champions, all designed to give older pupils visible responsibilities and younger pupils familiar role models.

The physical setting supports the school’s approach. The site is described as spacious, with large trees, a copse, a field, and multiple garden areas. Outdoor provision includes an outdoor multi-gym, an all-ability climbing frame, a trim trail, and marked playground games. Early Years has separate outdoor areas with climbing equipment, trike space, sand and water play, and garden zones. This matters because it enables a consistent message: physical activity and outdoor learning are not occasional add-ons, they are built into the rhythm of the week.

Hare Street’s current performance profile is unusually strong for a community primary, and it is not narrow. The Key Stage 2 combined measure shows 97.33% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics in 2024. That compares to an England average of 62%.

Depth is also a standout. In 2024, 36% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. Scaled scores reinforce the same story: 110 in reading and 109 in mathematics. Grammar, punctuation and spelling is also notably strong at 111.

The FindMySchool ranking places Hare Street 422nd in England for primary outcomes, and 1st in Harlow. For parents, that translates into a school that is not just above average, but consistently competing with the highest-performing primaries nationally. Families comparing options locally can use FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these results side-by-side.

A sensible caveat is cohort context. Primary outcomes can move a little year to year, particularly where cohorts are smaller or have different needs. Hare Street’s strength is that performance is supported by systems, such as structured phonics and mastery mathematics, rather than being dependent on one exceptional year group.

The curriculum is framed as broad and connected, with an emphasis on making links between subjects and learning through first-hand experience where possible. In Early Years, the school follows the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, and the nursery structure is aligned to funded entitlement, offering 15-hour and 30-hour places for eligible families.

In Key Stages 1 and 2, curriculum implementation is underpinned by named programmes. Early reading uses Little Wandle, which gives clear sequencing, decodable text matching, and consistent teaching routines. Mathematics is built around White Rose Maths, with Mastery in Number supporting fluency in Reception and Key Stage 1. Computing uses Purple Mash, and music is supported through Charanga alongside specialist tuition through Essex Music Services.

A strong marker of subject leadership is the Primary Science Quality Mark. The school states it was awarded the PSQM Gilt Award in September 2024, and the accompanying explanation links that to sustained impact on science teaching and learning, not a one-off project. For parents, this usually translates into better resourcing, clearer progression, and more consistent practical science, particularly in Key Stage 2.

As a primary school with nursery, the main transition is into local secondary schools at Year 7. Harlow families typically look at a mix of community and academy secondaries in the town, including Burnt Mill Academy, Passmores Academy, Mark Hall Academy, and St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School, depending on admissions criteria and travel patterns.

Hare Street’s strongest contribution to transition is likely to be academic readiness and learning habits. High attainment at Key Stage 2 helps pupils access setted pathways and subject stretching early in secondary school, especially in mathematics and reading-heavy subjects. Equally important is the emphasis on pupil responsibility through roles and leadership, which can ease the shift to a larger, more complex school environment.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Essex County Council. For September 2026 entry, the application window runs from 10 November 2025 to 15 January 2026, and offers are issued on 16 April 2026.

Hare Street is oversubscribed. In the most recent admissions data provided, there were 163 applications for 60 offers, which is around 2.72 applications per place. The first-preference pressure is also high, with first preferences running at 1.47 times the number of offers.

The oversubscription criteria follow the Essex pattern: priority for looked-after and previously looked-after children, then siblings, then children living in the priority admission area, followed by other applicants. Where applications exceed places within a category, the tie-break is straight-line distance, with nearer homes taking priority. Parents should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check their precise distance, then compare it with recent local patterns, while keeping in mind that distances vary annually.

Nursery admissions operate separately from Reception. The school publishes dates for the September 2026 nursery intake: applications open on Monday 02 February 2026 and close on Friday 22 May 2026, with responses due by Tuesday 30 June 2026. Children must be three years old by 31 August 2026 for the application to be accepted.

The school positions itself as inclusive and describes a whole-school approach to special educational needs, including meeting needs through a differentiated curriculum and varied teaching approaches. The latest inspection also points to effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with staff adapting the curriculum using accurate information about pupil needs.

Behaviour expectations are high and clearly modelled by adults. The inspection evidence describes a calm, orderly culture where poor behaviour is rare and pupils feel listened to when they have worries. The pupil leadership roles also reinforce wellbeing day to day, particularly the Mental Health Champions model described in the prospectus.

Safeguarding is a clear strength. The most recent inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements were effective, which is particularly important in a school that works with external partners for clubs, enrichment, and some wraparound arrangements.

Outdoor education is one of the clearest distinctive features. The Frontier Project, launched in 2024, is designed to run from Nursery through Year 6 and is explicitly shaped by Forest School principles, adapted into the school’s own model. Sessions include den building, mud kitchen play, bug hunting, habitat building, and themed story sessions. The educational value is practical: pupils build vocabulary, resilience, and collaboration skills in contexts that do not feel like a worksheet.

There is also structured provision beyond the standard school day. Breakfast club is provided by Changing Lives Community Services and runs from 7:15am to 8:30am on weekdays, priced at £3.50 per child per day. After-school clubs run daily until 4:00pm, with booking managed through the School Gateway app and clubs updated half-termly. The school prospectus describes a substantial programme of clubs, including multi-sports, netball, chess, choir, coding, dance, and guitar, alongside outdoor-focused options.

Two further named initiatives stand out. Boots in Nature offers Saturday and holiday sessions based on outdoor play and nature activity, led by a member of staff and using a forest setting. LiveWire at Hare Street formalises links with LiveWire Theatre Company, offering drama, dance and music opportunities across Harlow, and connecting pupils to performance experiences beyond school.

The Cultural Passport is a smaller but telling detail. It encourages families to visit local cultural venues in Harlow, then share reflections back with class teachers. In practice, it is a simple mechanism for widening experience, particularly for families who might not naturally prioritise museums, civic spaces, or local heritage.

The school day for Reception to Year 6 begins with lining up at 8:45am, with registration at 8:55am, and finishes at 3:10pm. Nursery sessions are structured as 8:30am to 11:30am for mornings, and 12:30pm to 3:30pm for afternoons, with full-time running 8:30am to 3:30pm.

For wraparound, breakfast club is on-site, and after-school clubs run to 4:00pm. For later pick-up, the school signposts an external after-school option that collects from Hare Street and runs to 6:00pm at an off-site venue.

On transport, Harlow Town and Harlow Mill stations serve the town, and Harlow Council highlights connections to London Liverpool Street, Cambridge and Stansted Airport. For most families, the daily pattern is likely to be walking, cycling, or short local car journeys, so it is worth checking parking pressures on nearby streets at peak times.

• Competition for places. With 163 applications for 60 Reception offers in the latest dataset, demand is high. Families who are not in the priority admission area or without sibling priority should plan realistically and include sensible fallbacks.

• High attainment can bring intensity. Results are extremely strong. For some pupils this is motivating; for others it can feel pressured if confidence is fragile or support is needed in core subjects.

• Wraparound to 6:00pm is not on-site. Breakfast club is on the school site, and clubs run to 4:00pm, but the later option runs off-site through an external provider. That may be a good solution for some families, but it is a different feel from a school-run setting.

• Nursery entry has a defined annual intake. The school states it has one Nursery intake per year, and for September 2026 a child must be three by 31 August 2026. Families expecting rolling starts should factor this into childcare planning.

Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery combines unusually strong academic outcomes with a clear effort to keep childhood broad, active, and locally rooted. Outdoor learning is not a slogan here; it is structured through the Frontier Project and reinforced by the site itself. Leadership since 2023 appears to have sustained performance while sharpening enrichment and community links.

This school suits families who want a high-expectations community primary, and who value an education that includes arts, sport, and the outdoors alongside strong literacy and numeracy. The main challenge is admission, because demand remains materially higher than the number of places available.