Grange Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching and learning to secure consistently rapid rates of progress for all pupils by ensuring that:

the quality of English and mathematics teaching is consistently high across the school pupils’ targets in English and mathematics are precise across the school.

• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: performance management targets for staff are precise and measurable.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

• The senior leadership team, containing the headteacher and two deputy headteachers, is passionate about pupils achieving their best in a wide range of subjects. They are well supported by other leaders and, together with the staff team, have created a positive culture for pupils. As a result of focused work since the previous inspection, teaching is now good and the good behaviour of pupils continues to prosper.
• Leaders have ensured that the quality of checks on teaching has improved since the previous inspection. A range of information is used by leaders to support the improving quality of teaching, including, for example, checking pupils’ books to ensure that teaching remains good over time. The support and challenge provided by leaders to improve teaching has been effective, and staff, including support staff, are supported to develop their skills so that they increase the achievement of pupils.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities offered to them. As a result, pupils make good progress and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Leaders use the skills of staff well through the ‘university workshops’ and specialist teaching of physical education. The curriculum is enhanced with a plethora of activities, which make learning fun. This includes effective opportunities for pupils to, for example, grow vegetables, run a radio station and organise their own shop. During the time inspectors were at the school, all pupils were involved in a ‘sports and mathematics week’.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a particular strength. The school’s values of living, learning and laughing are promoted through all of its work. The school council and school mayor play an active role in the life of the school. The school goes about preparing pupils for life in modern Britain very well by ensuring that they receive teaching about wider society and democracy.
• Since the previous inspection, the role of all leaders has been improved. They are now having a positive impact on improving the achievement of pupils across the school. Leaders are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their areas of responsibility. They have improved the school experience for pupils and they have good plans in place for future projects. The leaders meet regularly with link governors so that they can be held to account for their roles and ensure that governors are able to make effective strategic decisions.
• The primary school sport funding is used effectively to promote and develop access to, and the development of, physical education for all. The school has a full-time sports coach who is also a qualified teacher. He ensures that pupils get access to effective teaching of physical education and that pupils are able to take part in competitive activity. Some pupils have made significant progress in their skill development and represent the local area in competitive sports fixtures, such as in table tennis, basketball and tag rugby. The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activity, which is very well attended by pupils.
• The additional pupil premium funding is used effectively. There is a wide range of support available to pupils. This includes access to specialist programmes designed for individuals. The funding also supports pupils to access clubs, which they might otherwise not have, including dance and volleyball.
• The majority of parents responding to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and those spoken to during the inspection are positive about the school. They are confident that their children are safe and that their children are well looked after. Most parents feel confident that school leaders respond well to any concerns raised.
• The local authority has provided effective support to help the school to improve, particularly around developing the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics. The local authority representative has helped to monitor improvements since the previous inspection, including regular visits and attendance at governing board meetings.
• Staff performance targets set by leaders to improve the school are not always as effective as they could be. Targets sometimes lack precision and are not easily measured. This results in some of the improvement work of staff being vague.
• The governance of the school

Since the previous inspection, governors have re-organised the governing board so that it is run more efficiently and effectively. The chair of the governing board ensures that governors provide an effective level of support and challenge to school leaders. The headteacher prompted the governing board to make the excellent decision to employ two deputy headteachers and give them sufficient time to support the development of the school. This decision was a key factor in improving the quality of education offered to pupils. Governors have undertaken focused meetings with key leaders to enable them to acquire knowledge of the quality of teaching and learning in the school and to hold senior leaders to account. They ensure that sensible decisions are taken about staff pay rises and promotion. Governors are well informed about important aspects of the school’s work. Governors readily access training, such as financial management, to ensure that they have the up-to-date knowledge to make informed decisions. Governors make sure that the school’s systems for safeguarding are secure and meet requirements.

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school’s safeguarding policies and procedures meet current requirements. Leaders and governors ensure that appropriate checks are made when staff are recruited to the school. Staff are regularly trained in child protection, and pupils are taught how to keep safe. Pupils know whom to turn to should they have any concerns. Pupils and parents are confident that staff will always support them.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

• The positive relationships between staff and pupils means that pupils like being at school and want to learn. Leaders, teachers and support staff all value the opinions of pupils, which helps to design lessons that are effective; this promotes effective learning.
• The questioning of pupils by staff is a strength across the school. The staff are highly skilled in using questioning to inform their checks on how well pupils understand new knowledge. This leads to staff ensuring that the next stages of pupils’ development are matched to their prior understanding.
• Teachers plan effective lessons based on a good understanding of the abilities of their pupils, including the most able. Teachers use their good level of subject knowledge to ensure that topics promote a multitude of new skills, knowledge and understanding. As a result, pupils benefit from a rich variety of lesson activity, which helps to maintain their interest.
• Teachers utilise the skills of teaching assistants particularly well across the school to promote learning. Teaching assistants are directed to support appropriate pupils at necessary times. This work enables pupils who are at risk of not making the progress expected of them to access learning opportunities throughout the school week.
• Teachers enjoy designing a wide range of activities, which engage pupils in a fun school experience. Pupils love the themed days and weeks throughout the school year. Pupils describe these events as exciting and enjoyable. These activities make them want to come to school and learn more.
• The staff team is particularly effective at identifying when pupils may need extra support in their learning. They use their assessments in academic subjects alongside their emotional intelligence to identify pupils at risk. The staff team wastes no time in ensuring that pupils get the support they need quickly.
• Teachers actively encourage pupils to be resilient in their learning. Teachers use focused and consistent language across the school to ensure that pupils challenge themselves to do their very best.
• In the strongest examples across the school, pupils’ learning is effectively promoted by teachers’ feedback and marking being in line with the schools’ agreed policy. This feedback and marking enable pupils to understand the next steps in their learning.
• Where teaching is most effective, teachers demonstrate clear expectations about the behaviours pupils must demonstrate in the classroom. As a result, pupils remain alert and focused throughout lessons and show a tenacity to find out more about the work they are doing.
• Some teaching of English and mathematics in key stage 1 lacks precision. Some tasks provided for these pupils are not pitched at an appropriate level. As a result, pupils do not always make the good progress they could.
• The management of teacher performance does not allow sufficient opportunity for the best teaching practice in English and mathematics to be shared among all staff.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare is good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is strong.
• The emotional well-being of pupils is a high priority for staff. When there are concerns about a child, leaders, teachers and support staff are quick to act and ensure that the child is given the support they need. Pupils become increasingly confident and self-aware as a result of the teaching they receive.
• The staff help pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe from risk in and out of school, when using the internet or when taking part in activities. Children start at a young age learning how to manage risk. In the Nursery, children are supported to learn how to climb down from equipment and stay safe in the busy outside areas. Pupils were observed to be very supportive of each other.
• School leaders have good relationships with local agencies that provide extra help to pupils and their families. Senior staff are proactive in helping pupils and their families to find the support they need. These same staff also challenge services to do their very best in these situations. This is helping pupils deal with issues and ensure that they continue to achieve well.
• The school is very tidy. Pupils are proud of the school and care for the environment. Their books and equipment are looked after carefully and kept neat. This enables them to be successful learners.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils get on well with each other. Pupils behave well throughout the school day and know what is expected of them.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are confident and able to talk about their learning and how staff support them. Pupils are encouraged to try to work things out for themselves before asking for help, and they are helpful towards each other in lessons.
• Pupils know and understand the different types of bullying, including cyber bullying and racial bullying. When spoken to by inspectors, a few older pupils were not as clear about homophobic bullying and what that might mean. Pupils do not have concerns about bullying in the school and are confident they could ask adults for help. The pupil anti-bullying ambassadors are very active, and these pupils take their job extremely seriously. Pupils and staff value this role in the school.
• The school’s behaviour logs show that behavioural incidents are reducing. There have been no permanent exclusions since the previous inspection. Pupils who have challenges with their behaviour are supported and helped to find strategies to deal with them. This has led to significant improvements in the behaviour of some individuals.
• The school works well with pupils and their families to promote good attendance, and this is successful. Attendance continues to improve and is above that found nationally.

Outcomes for pupils are good

• Pupils’ attainment across the school is improving in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils eligible for pupil premium funding make progress and attain at a standard similar to other pupils who attend the school.
• In English and mathematics, the attainment of pupils at the end of key stage 1 is similar to that of pupils across the country. Pupils start to make better progress than expected throughout key stage 2 when their attainment is usually better than most pupils across the country. This improving level of attainment is much improved on recent years.
• The broad curriculum ensures that attainment in a wide range of subjects also mirrors the improving picture in English and mathematics. The school’s commitment to promoting pupils’ achievement in a variety of subjects is to be applauded.
• A careful focus on pupils’ prior attainment ensures that most pupils make good or better progress from their varied starting points, Pupil progress meetings, between teachers and leaders, form detailed discussions about individual pupils and groups previously identified for catch-up activity by the teacher. This work ensures that few pupils fall behind.
• Boys’ attainment is slightly below that of the girls across the school. This has been effectively identified by leaders, and the curriculum has been adapted to meet the needs of male pupils. This curriculum adaptation is raising boys’ attainment effectively.
• Leaders have a focus on improving pupils’ achievement in reading. This work has extended the challenge and range of books that pupils read both independently and in their class groups. Pupils report that they read more frequently and this has increased their enjoyment of books. On a few occasions, inspectors found that younger pupils did not have books that were well matched to their abilities.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well. The highly focused level of support these pupils receive enables them to develop their independence in the classroom. A mixture of small group work and individualised support means that learning activities are highly personalised to meet the needs of the pupil.
• Phonics teaching has improved since the previous inspection through improved teacher training and organisation of the curriculum. Outcomes for pupils in developing their understanding of letters and sounds are now good.
• The most able pupils achieve well. Additional teaching for the most able pupils ensures that increased challenge, especially in key stage 2, results in pupils achieving at higher standards. Higher attaining pupils demonstrate great maturity and are well prepared for continuing their learning independently.
• Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Feedback from one of the secondary schools that pupils go to outlined the positive learning attitudes and resilience of pupils from Grange Primary School.
• On occasion, some pupils in key stage 1 do not always make the good progress that they should in English and mathematics.

Early years provision is good

• Statutory requirements related to the early years foundation stage are met.
• Leaders have ensured that money available to support children in the early years has been well spent. As a result, children make good progress. The outside areas available for children in the early years are exciting and full of opportunities for learning and development.
• Generally, children enter the early years provision with skills and knowledge below those typical for their age. The proportion of children that reach a good level of development is improving each year. Good leadership ensures that staff plan activities that interest and engage children in learning, and this leads to good progress. Children are well prepared for key stage 1.
• Teaching is good in the early years. There is a wide range of activities in both the Nursery and Reception, and staff adapt and support learning well. Staff skilfully turn opportunities into learning experiences, such as the use of outside equipment to build new spaces and engage children in counting activities. Language skills are increasingly well developed and opportunities, such as circle times, are used to develop these skills.
• Teachers use moderation activities with other settings and schools well, to inform their assessments of children’s work. This supports the good quality of planning by staff.
• In Reception, children enjoyed a group activity aimed at developing their counting skills. Good use was made of the exciting resources, including photographs. The teacher’s careful observation and subsequent questioning allowed children to make good progress.
• Children are well supported to be responsible and to behave well. Children are kept safe and learn to manage risk, keeping themselves safe, such as when climbing on apparatus or taking turns to use outdoor equipment.
• Parents are positive about how well their children are doing in the early years. Good-quality communication helps parents understand how they can support their children at home, and this is appreciated by them.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number

112584 Derbyshire 10009085 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address

Primary Community 3–11 Mixed 461 Governing body Gordon Thomas Michael Hannon 0115 973 4956 www.grangeton.co.uk enquiries@grange.derbyshire.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection

11 March 2014

Information about this school

• The school is much larger than most primary schools.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Very few pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for certain groups, such as those known to be eligible for free school meals, is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school website complies with current requirements.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited a wide range of lessons across the school.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteachers regarding the progress the school has made since the previous inspection.
• Inspectors met with a representative from Derbyshire local authority and five members of the governing body, including the chair.
• Inspectors met with pupils in both formal meetings and during break and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors worked alongside senior leaders to scrutinise a range of pupils’ work.
• A wide range of documentary evidence was reviewed, including the school’s self-evaluation, a range of policies, safeguarding records, teaching monitoring records and pupil performance information.
• Inspectors took into account responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, alongside comments made by parents to inspectors before and after school.

Inspection team

Phil Harrison, lead inspector Angela Kirk Janet Satchwell

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector