Glebe Primary School, Harrow Review 2026: High attainment, busy intake, and a curriculum in rebuild mode

A large, mixed primary in Kenton, Glebe combines a broad community feel with Key Stage 2 outcomes that sit above the England picture. In 2024, 74.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with 62% across England. At the higher standard, 26% reached greater depth, well above the England figure of 8%. Those headline numbers point to strong potential for pupils who respond well to clear routines and consistent practice.

The context matters, though. The most recent full inspection graded the school as Requires Improvement overall, with Behaviour and attitudes and Personal development graded Good. The improvement agenda is clear and recent: curriculum coherence, reading catch-up, SEND systems, staff training, and communication with families were all highlighted as priorities.

Leadership has also changed. Mr Sash Hamidi has been headteacher since September 2024, after a period as consultant headteacher in summer 2024.

The school’s own language puts partnership front and centre, with the motto making a positive difference together used consistently in public-facing materials. That tone shows up in the way the school describes its community: diverse, ambitious for children, and grounded in a Rights Respecting ethos linked to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Day-to-day culture reads as structured rather than loose. Recent communications emphasise expectations around punctuality, uniform and routines, and the school day timings are set out with precision, from gates opening at 8:35am through to a 3:20pm close of the compulsory day. Behaviour, in the latest official assessment, is typically calm and respectful, with bullying described as rare and dealt with quickly.

The school also places visible weight on enrichment and community events. A notable example is the 90th anniversary programme in 2024, with themed activities and opportunities for former families to reconnect. For parents, this signals a school that wants families in the building for more than just parents’ evenings, while still maintaining firm boundaries around operational matters like admissions (which are managed by the local authority, not the office team).

Key Stage 2 outcomes are the strongest quantitative signal for Glebe.

• Expected standard (reading, writing, maths) in 2024: 74.33%, compared with 62% across England.

• Higher standard (greater depth) in reading, writing and maths: 26%, compared with 8% across England.

• Average scaled scores: reading 106, maths 107, grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) 109.

The profile is not uniformly high across every indicator, which is common in large, mixed-intake primaries. Science is one area where the published measure is lower: 77% reached the expected standard in science, compared with 82% across England.

Rankings provide a second lens. Ranked 3005th in England and 29th in Harrow for primary outcomes, this is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking based on official data, placing Glebe above the England average and comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

These numbers suggest the raw attainment ceiling is there, particularly for pupils who benefit from repetition, explicit teaching and regular retrieval, including in maths and GPS. The improvement focus highlighted in the inspection report is therefore less about ambition and more about consistency: making sure curriculum sequencing, checks for understanding and recall routines work equally well across subjects and classes.

A useful way to understand teaching at Glebe is to separate intent from implementation.

Curriculum intent is described as broad and ambitious, with structured planning across the year. In subject documentation, topics are organised into teaching blocks and framed by inquiry questions, which is a strong model for building knowledge in a coherent way. The inspection report notes that a new curriculum had recently been introduced with the explicit aim of raising expectations and strengthening knowledge and skills across subjects.

Implementation is where the school is working to tighten quality. The latest inspection found variation in curriculum thinking and delivery, with pupils not always supported well enough to secure key concepts over time. Concrete examples given include recall of multiplication tables and number bonds, and the reliability of checks that identify misconceptions early.

Reading is another area with a clear strategy and a clear to-do list. Phonics is taught daily in Early Years and Key Stage 1, and the school states that it uses Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, with nursery focusing on oral blending and language development and Reception and Year 1 following the full sequence. The inspection report supports the direction of travel (a consistent programme, books matched to the phonics pupils are learning), but identifies two operational issues that parents should ask about: how gaps in weaker readers’ phonics knowledge are spotted quickly, and how widely and frequently pupils read to build fluency.

For families, the implication is practical. Pupils who already read regularly at home, and whose families can reinforce phonics and number fluency little and often, are likely to benefit most while the school continues to stabilise consistency across classes.

As a Harrow primary, the main transition point is Year 6 to Year 7. The school’s PSHE approach explicitly frames preparation for secondary as part of its work, including relationship education taught by qualified staff within classroom settings, and opportunities to build independence and resilience through experiences like the Year 6 residential to the Gordon Brown Centre.

Secondary transfer routes are managed through the local authority, and families in Kenton often consider a mix of options, including Harrow schools and, depending on distance and admissions rules, schools in neighbouring areas. Glebe’s role is best understood as readiness building rather than channelling pupils to a single destination: confidence with routines, safe choices online and offline, and the organisational skills needed for a bigger timetable and multiple teachers.

If your child is likely to apply for selective routes outside the immediate area, it is worth asking how maths fluency and reading volume are being strengthened across Year 5 and Year 6, because those fundamentals tend to be decisive regardless of the specific admissions process.

Reception places are coordinated through Harrow Council, and the school is clear that the office does not run the admissions process. Demand is high. In the most recent admissions dataset provided, there were 124 applications for 50 offers, a ratio of 2.48 applications per place, and the route is recorded as oversubscribed.

For September 2026 Reception entry in Harrow, key local authority dates include:

• Applications open 01 September 2025

• Closing date 15 January 2026

• Offer day 16 April 2026

• Accept or decline by 30 April 2026

• Appeals deadline 15 May 2026

The school also encourages prospective families to visit via Monday morning tours (8:50am to 9:30am) with controlled numbers per tour.

Because the last distance offered is not published in the available admissions dataset, families should avoid making assumptions based on nearby addresses. The sensible next step is to use FindMySchoolMap Search to check your exact home-to-gate distance and then cross-check it against the local authority’s published criteria for the relevant year.

Nursery is part of the provision, but nursery and primary admissions are handled through official routes rather than informal progression. The school signposts families to the local authority pathway for nursery applications, and it is worth clarifying, early, how nursery places relate to Reception applications in practice.

Pastoral systems are more explicit than at many primaries, with named strands for wellbeing, safeguarding leadership, and family support. The staff structure published online describes a Pastoral and Wellbeing team, plus a family support worker role that can help with practical issues such as food access, clothing, housing support and navigating school life.

Safeguarding is described as secure in the most recent official assessment, and pupils are reported to know how to raise concerns with staff. The school also references a counselling service as part of mental health support, which can be a significant strength in a large setting where needs vary.

Parents should still expect a school in improvement mode to be actively refining communication. The inspection report highlights that communication with staff and with parents and carers was not consistently clear and effective at the time of inspection. In practice, ask how updates are shared, how quickly concerns are triaged, and what response times look like for learning and wellbeing queries.

Extracurricular life is organised and scheduled, with clubs and wraparound provision sitting alongside whole-school events. The inspection report points to enrichment such as music and drama productions, educational outings, and a range of clubs including chess and football.

The published Spring 1 2026 timetable gives a more concrete picture. Options include:

• Spanish (Years 1 to 6)

• Choir (split into Choir 1 for Years 3 to 6, and Choir 2 for Reception to Year 2)

• Esports (Year 5)

• Glebe Young Speakers (Years 3 to 6)

• Origami (Years 2 to 4)

• Sewing (Years 1 to 2) and Knitting (Years 4 to 6)

• Health and Wellbeing (Years 5 to 6)

• Karate (Reception to Year 6)

• Performing Arts and Dance (Reception to Year 6)

• Multisports and Football, offered in different year bands

Locations like the music room, art room, main hall and green pitch are used for activities, which is a helpful indicator of capacity in a large school: clubs are not confined to a single multi-use space.

The implication for parents is choice and logistics. With clubs spread across year groups and time slots, families who need childcare coverage can combine a structured end-of-day with opportunities that feel genuinely developmental, such as Young Speakers or choir, rather than only sport.

Daily timings are clearly published. Gates open at 8:35am, pupils are expected in the playground by 8:40am, and registration is 8:45am. The compulsory school day ends at 3:20pm, with Reception and Key Stage 1 finishing slightly earlier than Key Stage 2. Morning nursery hours are listed as 8:40am to 11:40am.

Wraparound care is unusually well defined. There is a free breakfast club for Reception to Year 6 starting at 8:05am, plus a paid breakfast option running 7:30am to 8:30am. After school, Junior Adventures Group runs sessions to 6:00pm with full and part session options.

For travel, the school’s own messaging highlights safe drop-off and collection routines, including reminders not to park illegally on nearby restrictions. This is worth taking seriously in a residential area, as congestion can quickly become the most stressful part of the day.

• Requires Improvement context. The school is rebuilding consistency across subjects, with a particular focus on curriculum delivery, reading catch-up, SEND systems, staff training and communication. This may suit families who like clear improvement plans and are willing to work in partnership, but it is not a set-and-forget environment.

• Early years quality is a priority area. Early years provision was also graded Requires Improvement, with missed opportunities for communication and language noted. If you are looking at nursery or Reception, ask what has changed in daily routines, language development, and early reading foundations since the inspection.

• Oversubscription pressure. With 2.48 applications per place in the latest admissions dataset provided, competition is real. Families should focus on the official criteria and dates rather than informal assumptions.

• Large-school practicalities. A capacity of 682 means scale, multiple classes and lots of moving parts. Many children thrive with the social breadth and club choice, but some prefer smaller settings where communication feels more immediate.

Glebe Primary School, Harrow combines above-England attainment measures with a strong enrichment offer and defined wraparound childcare. The school is also in a clearly documented improvement phase, with work underway to tighten curriculum consistency, reading development and SEND practice. Best suited to families in Kenton who want a large, diverse primary with strong Key Stage 2 outcomes, plus clubs and childcare that support working patterns, and who are comfortable engaging actively with a school that is still consolidating systems.