Southglade Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the teaching of reading further by ensuring that pupils have enough opportunity to apply and practise the skills they have been taught during phonics lessons to other aspects of their work.
• Continue to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school to ensure that: the most able pupils are consistently challenged and extended in their learning increased proportions of pupils make rapid progress in order to achieve higher standards in their learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has gained the respect and commitment of staff since his appointment three years ago. The shared sentiment of staff is that the headteacher leads by example, ‘never asks anything of us that he wouldn’t do himself’, and that he ‘provides a clear direction of travel’. Consequently, staff morale is consistently high and all staff know what is expected of them.
• The headteacher is a determined and caring leader who genuinely values each and every member of the school community. He wants the very best for all of his pupils and makes exceptional demands on himself in order to achieve this. He has not been afraid to make considerable changes to the leadership and staffing structures of the school to bring about the further improvements.
• The headteacher and the governors have created a highly skilled and effective team of leaders. The team is now well established and, as a result, the pace of improvement across the school is accelerating.
• The subject leaders for English and mathematics and each key stage effectively support teachers and teaching assistants across the school. The headteacher and governors ensure that leaders have time dedicated to model best practice in classrooms, observe staff teach and identify targets for improvement.
• These systems began to show true impact last year and have been a key factor in improving the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment throughout the school, but particularly in key stage 1 and the early years. A new leader for key stage 1 and an additional teacher have been appointed to the Year 1 team to ensure that the relatively recent improvements are developed further.
• Senior leaders have a more accurate view of pupils’ progress and attainment than in previous years. They have a strong daily presence in classrooms and now have a well-planned and finely tuned system for checking the quality of teaching and analysing the attainment and progress of different groups of pupils throughout the school. One consequence of this is a more focused approach to providing tailored small-group support for pupils in specific areas of their learning.
• Senior leaders use information about pupils’ outcomes effectively to identify the next steps in improvement for the school, as well as specific targets to improve the performance of individual teachers. Consequently, at the end of last year senior leaders identified the need to improve the level of challenge given to the most able pupils. Since the beginning of this term, senior leaders have been monitoring this important part of the school’s work particularly closely, and have worked alongside teachers to set appropriately ambitious targets for the most able pupils’ outcomes this year.
• The headteacher and the chair of the governing body quite rightly view the staff of the school as the school’s most important resource. The teachers and teaching assistants who spoke with inspectors were emphatic that the increased opportunities for staff training have significantly helped to improve the quality of their work and to raise staff morale.
• A notable strength of the current leadership team is the way in which leaders work with each other. For example, the leader with responsibility for literacy works closely with the ‘pupil premium champion’. Together, they plan and assess the impact of individualised programmes of support in reading and writing for disadvantaged pupils who are at risk of falling further behind.
• Senior leaders also ensure that pupils who join Southglade mid-way through the school year are sensitively yet quickly assessed, in both their academic learning and emotional well-being. Consequently, pupils receive the appropriate level of support, and disruption to their learning and progress is minimised.
• Staff work extremely hard to ensure that all pupils experience a broad curriculum, which is also ambitious and exciting. Pupils enjoy their time in school and have consistently positive attitudes to their learning.
• Leaders ensure that activities to promote the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their understanding of fundamental British values are planned well and of high quality. For example, a recent visit to school by two members of staff from the Houses of Parliament was used as a starting point for the school’s own process for selecting a school council.
• As a result of the high priority that leaders give to this area of learning, pupils at Southglade develop a very clear understanding of the importance of mutual care and respect.
• The school uses the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils who may be disadvantaged in their learning) effectively. The support for pupils is sharply focused and well monitored.
• The physical education (PE) and sports funding is used in a wide range of creative and ambitious ways. The way in which the impact of different activities and programmes of support is checked is now a strength of the school. For example, teachers, in partnership with the sports coach, now assess pupils’ fitness at the start of the year so that they can check the impact of the school’s work on improving pupils’ health and well-being.

Governance of the school

• The governors work in effective partnership with the senior leaders and are viewed by staff and pupils as members of the Southglade team. The governing body has a far more accurate view of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment than at the time of the previous inspection. Governors know the school well because they visit the school regularly and carry out specific activities to gain the views of parents. The current governors are confident to ask informed and probing questions of senior leaders.
• The chair of the governing body has provided effective support and stability to the school during a challenging period of change and development.
• The governing body has been instrumental in ensuring that there is an accurate, effective system for monitoring the impact of different types of support for different groups of pupils. As a result, money has been used wisely and different groups of pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those eligible for pupil premium funding, are making increasingly good progress. The governing body recognise that while they now have a clear view of pupils’ progress in English and mathematics, it is not yet as precise for other subjects.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The headteacher and governors regard safeguarding as the most important part of their work. This is reflected in the strengthening of arrangements for safeguarding since the previous inspection.
• The senior leaders and governors have created a culture in school in which all adults place the safety of pupils at the forefront of their thinking. All staff are now very clear about their responsibilities and of the systems they are expected to follow should they have a concern.
• The leaders use meetings at the start of the school day to update all staff on any new requirements in relation to keeping children safe or any particular current issues in school. The staff told inspectors how valuable these updates are and how they have helped to give staff greater confidence in this important area of their work.
• The senior leaders ensure that accurate records are kept of all aspects of safeguarding, and this ensures that they have a clear oversight of the pupils’ well-being.
• The school leaders with responsibility for safeguarding meet on a weekly basis to discuss any points of concern and to check that the school’s agreed systems are being followed by everybody. The governor with responsibility for safeguarding meets with the school leaders monthly to ensure that the governors also have an accurate view of safeguarding practice in the school.
• The school works in effective partnership with different agencies and shares information in an accurate and timely fashion.
• Concerns raised by a parent during the inspection have been referred to the local authority.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and are proud to have risen to the increased expectations that the current headteacher has brought to the school.
• The creative and exciting range of topics and activities used by teachers and teaching assistants, in both whole-class and small-group settings, excite and motivate pupils in their learning.
• Teachers plan their weekly timetables effectively to make sure that opportunities for the pupils to develop their understanding of geography, history and science are woven into topic activities, as well as taught separately when it is more appropriate to do so. During the inspection, Year 6 pupils proudly told the inspectors about their growing proficiency in speaking languages other than English and how much they enjoy their weekly Spanish lessons.
• An impressive variety of approaches and starting points are used each week in every part of the school to stimulate the pupils’ interest and widen their understanding of the world around them. During the inspection, Year 1 pupils were concentrating carefully on writing about the previous day’s visit to the fire station. Pupils in a Year 6 class were practising their skills in persuasive writing, by writing a leaflet following a visit to Colwick Park.
• The vast majority of lessons are planned carefully and teachers ensure that little time is wasted. The increasingly effective systems for monitoring pupils’ progress ensure that pupils receive the help they need and that the teachers’ planning is generally matched well to the learning needs of individual pupils.
• The teachers are now beginning to plan specific activities to extend the thinking and learning of the most able pupils more effectively to ensure that the pupils are suitably challenged and motivated by their work. During the inspection, inspectors saw evidence of this increased challenge and ambition in both key stages 1 and 2, but most consistently in key stage 2. There is still more work to do, especially in key stage 1, to ensure that a greater proportion of the most able pupils achieve the higher standards of which they are capable.
• English and mathematics are taught well across the school. The teachers and teaching assistants told inspectors that they feel more confident in their work because of increased opportunities for training and the way in which leaders work alongside them in classrooms to model best practice.
• The teaching of phonics has improved since the previous inspection. However, across the school, but especially in the early years and in key stage 1, the pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise their skills in spelling out individual words and applying the phonics skills which they have been taught in more formal lessons and group times. As a result, some pupils struggle when they are reading unfamiliar words during other classroom activities and when reading by themselves.
• For the most part, in the early years and in key stage 1 and key stage 2, teachers take great pride in their work and the vast majority of activities which they plan and prepare for pupils are of an increasingly high standard. This pride is also reflected in the attractive and welcoming learning areas that are provided for pupils to work and play in across the school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The overwhelming response of parents who completed the inspection survey or spoke to inspectors was that their children are very well cared for at school and that they make good progress in their learning.
• A daily breakfast club provides an essential service for many families and ensures that children who attend have a nourishing and welcoming start to their school day.
• There is a strong culture of learning together and an increasing ambition throughout the school. The vast majority of pupils work hard and are not afraid to take risks in their learning. As one pupil told an inspector: ‘In our school teachers teach, learners learn, teachers learn and learners teach!’
• Pupils have a clear understanding of how to seek help if needed but also of their individual responsibility in helping everyone to stay safe and happy. Displays throughout the school effectively remind the pupils of how to stay safe when using computers and of the rules of basic road safety.
• Families are welcomed into school to learn alongside their children. This contributes to a strong sense of community and support. During the inspection, a nutritionist led a cooking activity with parents and their children. The parents attending the group were eager to tell the inspector how beneficial the weekly sessions were in helping them establish routines for healthier eating at home.
• The school ensures that thorough assessment of risk and careful planning with professionals from health agencies enables the safe inclusion of pupils with medical needs or special educational needs and/or disabilities, in the full range of learning and cultural activities.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The pupils understand what is expected of them and pupils of all ages talk confidently about the RESPECT code of conduct in school. Even the youngest pupils were able to explain what this means. They are also very clear about the importance of being kind and, in the words of one pupil, ‘If you mock someone, it stays with them forever, like creases on a piece of paper’.
• The teachers and support staff accurately record instances and patterns of poor behaviour. As a result, although such instances of poor behaviour do still occur, leaders and staff respond quickly and records show that they are reducing over time.
• The leaders and governors are relentless in their determination to ensure that all pupils attend school punctually and regularly. The leaders are proud of the improvements made but recognise it as an area where even more work is needed.
• The leaders and governors have created a skilled and dedicated team of staff who are responsible for monitoring and improving the rates of attendance across the Nursery and the school. The school uses a creative range of incentives to reduce absence and to support and celebrate pupils’ regular attendance. The pupils were eager to tell inspectors about ‘Bonnie the attendance bear’, the weekly attendance chart in the school hall and class certificates. These strategies, alongside a clear system for analysing the daily attendance records of every child in the school, are contributing to the improving rates of attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The pupils make strong progress from their individual starting points during their time at Southglade Primary School.
• There is strong evidence from the pupils’ work and from the school’s forensically detailed current tracking systems, that between 2015 and 2016, the pace of pupils’ progress across the school accelerated. However, it is still the case that outcomes for pupils are stronger in key stage 2 than in key stage 1 and the early years.
• In July 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the national phonics check was in line with the national average for the first time in three years.
• However, the school’s own information for the last academic year, as well as the limited national data which is currently available, indicate that the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standards in reading and writing overall, by the end of key stage 1 at Southglade, was still below that achieved nationally.
• The leaders recognise that while Reception children and key stage 1 pupils make good progress during their literacy lessons, they need more opportunities to experience success in applying these skills to other aspects of their school work.
• The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standards in reading and writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 in July 2016 was just above the national average in reading, in line for writing and well above the national average for mathematics. However, the governors and leaders know that not enough pupils achieved the higher standards, of which some were undoubtedly capable.
• Currently, pupils are being challenged more effectively than in the past and it is clear that the performance of the most able pupils is starting to improve. However, it is too early to see the long-term impact of this work.
• The disadvantaged pupils make increasingly strong progress at Southglade, not least because leaders carefully assess pupils’ needs and carefully monitor the impact of additional levels of support. The school is consistently determined and successful in overcoming barriers to learning for all pupils. For example, when pupils join the school part-way through the school year, leaders ensure that high levels of support are immediately and sensitively put into place. As a result, while pupils may not catch up in terms of national expectations, they do make impressive progress from their individual starting points.
• Equally so, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good and in some cases outstanding progress. The creative ways in which leaders and staff work in partnership with other professionals (such as physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists) and families are fundamental to this success.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader’s quiet determination and skill have brought about far-reaching changes and have improved the quality of teaching, learning and assessment throughout the provision.
• The early years leader has introduced much more accurate systems for tracking children’s progress. As a result, the children who may be at risk of falling behind in their learning are now quickly identified and individual and group activities are planned to meet their specific needs.
• In 2016 the proportion of children at Southglade who reached the expected levels in their learning by end of their time in the Reception class, although still below the national average, was significantly higher than in previous years.
• Generally, the children enter the Nursery with skills below those typical for their age. This is particularly so in relation to their communication and personal and social development. They make good or better progress during their time in the early years, not least because the staff take time to assess their needs and plan activities which interest and excite the children.
• The early years leader, alongside other senior leaders in school, works closely with the staff who work in the separately run provision for two-year-olds, which was set up in the grounds of the school Nursery last year. It is clear that this partnership between the two organisations is beginning to have a positive impact and that more children are starting Nursery with a greater self-confidence in their early play and self-help skills.
• The early years leader successfully models the skills required of all members of the team. As a result, more staff are using questions increasingly skilfully to extend the understanding and thinking of all children, but particularly the most able.
• The leaders and governors ensure that all children, from the moment they start at Southglade, have access to a wide range of high-quality books. Daily story times are used to capture the children’s interest in stories and different authors, and to develop their confidence in beginning to tell and write their own stories.
• The early years teachers and teaching assistants teach most aspects of phonics well. The children enjoy the daily group sessions in which they learn how to recognise, read and write letters and simple words. However, the children need more help in applying these skills when they are reading unfamiliar and new words when looking at books or reading instructions by themselves.
• The children are cared for extremely well and their behaviour is good. The staff manage a skilful balance of keeping the children safe, while also encouraging them to think for themselves and try new activities and challenges.
• The staff place high priority on involving parents in every aspect of their children’s learning. The staff involve parents in identifying the next steps for the children’s learning and regularly share information about how they can help their children make progress in their early reading and number skills.
• Within just a few weeks of starting Nursery, children start to learn how to share, tidy up, to be kind and to try their best. These skills greatly support their readiness to move happily into the Reception class and on into Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 131005 Nottingham 10001061 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 461 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr Brian Grocock Peter Smalley 0115 915 5763 www.southgladeprimary.co.uk/ admin@southglade.nottingham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Southglade is larger than the average-sized primary school with a Nursery class.
• A nursery provision for two-year-olds has operated on the school premises since 2015. It is managed by a separate provider.
• The majority of pupils are White British, with a small number from minority ethnic backgrounds and a very few who are at early stages of learning English.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority, is well above the average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average.
• The proportion of pupils entering or leaving the school at times other than the usual times is above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed lessons in every class, accompanied sometimes by senior leaders. They looked at pupils’ work and checked pupils’ behaviour at playtimes, dinnertime and as they moved around the school throughout the day.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior and middle leaders, a representative from the local authority and four members of the governing body.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s development plan and self-evaluation, minutes of meetings of the governing body, records and policies relating to safeguarding and information for tracking pupils’ attendance, progress and attainment.
• Inspectors spoke with staff and checked the responses on Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke informally to a number of parents and carers as they arrived at school.

Inspection team

Clare Cossor, lead inspector Dorothy Martin Fiona Parr Cheryl Lodge Sarah Chadwick Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector