Harrow Lodge Primary School

About Harrow Lodge Primary School

Harrow Lodge Primary School sits in the middle of the pack in Havering when it comes to the headline Key Stage 2 measure, with 67% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. That is just two percentage points above the local authority average of 65%, so the school is performing broadly in line with its neighbours rather than pulling away from them. Its ranking of 24th out of 49 primary schools in the borough reflects this solid but unspectacular position. Where the school does stand out is in reading: 91% of pupils met the expected standard, and 37% achieved the higher standard — both well above the national picture. Maths is more mixed, with 77% at expected and 23% at the higher level, while writing sits at 75% expected and 23% higher. The average reading score of 106 and maths score of 104 suggest a school that gets good results without being among the very top performers in the area.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 was a clean sweep of Outstanding across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That is a remarkable turnaround from its previous inspection in 2016, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall, with leadership and management also at that level. The current headteacher, Lynette Searle, has clearly driven significant change. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 98% of respondents would recommend the school, and 79% strongly agreed that their child is happy there. Strong agreement was also very high for safety (81%), behaviour (73%), and the range of clubs and activities (79%). The school is oversubscribed, with 229 applications for 59 places in 2025/26, and 57 of those 64 first-preference families received an offer.

Harrow Lodge is a larger-than-average primary, with 449 pupils against a capacity of 420, and 28.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals — above the national average, suggesting a relatively diverse intake. Facilities include a forest school, sensory room, gymnasium, ICT suite, and outdoor playground, and the school offers a decent range of clubs from drama and choir to science and eco club. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties, moderate and severe learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs, though the parent view data on SEND support was not answered by any respondents. For families in Havering looking for a well-regarded, oversubscribed primary with strong reading outcomes and a recent Outstanding rating, this is a solid option, though it is not the highest-performing school in the borough.

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