Green Street Green Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop middle leaders to become effective in raising the quality of provision and standards in their areas of responsibility.
• Improve teaching, learning and assessment so pupils make even better progress in mathematics by:
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills to problem solving
  • ensuring that staff plan activities that provide greater challenge for the most able, and accelerate their progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Staff, governors and parents are very supportive of the rapid improvements brought about by the interim head of school, contributing to a happy and vibrant learning community.
• Leaders check the quality of teaching and learning very closely through formal and informal observations. Weaker teaching has been eradicated and, after a dip in outcomes, pupils are now making stronger progress.
• Leaders have improved the teaching of writing and mathematics through training to improve teachers’ subject knowledge. They have followed up training initiatives with rigorous checks on the quality of teaching and effective feedback to help teaching staff to improve their work.
• Work has been done to develop the roles of subject leaders. As a result of help with planning and preparation, teachers’ planning has become accurately focused on pupils’ differing needs. However, inconsistencies remain in middle leadership because of the lack of shared understanding of the potential of this role in school improvement.
• Leaders’ analysis of pupils’ progress and attainment is very effective. This is based on the work that has been done to ensure that teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work are accurate. Teachers have tested their judgements across their own school and with other schools in the multi-academy trust. As a consequence, leaders and staff act quickly and with confidence where underperformance is identified. This has led to significant impact on pupils’ progress across the whole school.
• The curriculum is creative and provides pupils with rich learning experiences. In addition, it looks to develop their wider skills and qualities through a variety of enrichment activities. The curriculum provides excellent opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, through a wide range of activities including visits to the theatre and art museums, pupils learn to appreciate the arts. The curriculum also promotes British values and prepares pupils for the next stage in their learning.
• Leaders have effective systems in place to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The highly effective leadership of the additional resource provision for speech and language enables all pupils who attend this provision to make rapid progress.
• The extra funds for physical education and sport have been invested in external competitions and development of teaching skills. This enables sports coaches to come into school and work alongside teachers in lessons so as to improve their skills over the long term. This has increased pupils’ participation in football and cross country and has improved teachers’ confidence in teaching tennis and gymnastics, for example.
• Leaders make good use of funding for disadvantaged pupils, providing extra support for the individuals who need it. This ensures that they catch up quickly. Personalised programmes have enabled disadvantaged pupils to achieve in line with or above other pupils nationally.
• The multi-academy trust provided well-targeted support at a time when the school needed to make improvements very quickly. The trust improvement partner and the executive headteacher carry out rigorous checks on pupils’ progress and attainment. The executive headteacher proactively links schools together so that they can learn from each other. Staff have benefited from a range of training programmes that have helped them to develop their skills and expertise.

Governance of the school

• Members of the local governing board have a very good understanding of the strengths of the school and the areas it is working to develop. The board draws from a wide range of expertise among its members, including in education and finance. Therefore it is able to provide challenge as well as support to help the head of school to develop and improve the school further.
• Members of the local governing board are also involved in specific aspects of school life through its committee structure. They are also regular visitors to the school, with governors observing lessons to gain insights into the quality of the teaching and learning.
• Governors analyse information on the progress of groups of pupils, including those eligible for additional support through the pupil premium. There is also close scrutiny of the impact of the physical education and sport funding on pupils’ participation in sports and the development of staff skills.
• The members of the local governing board are highly effective in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities, including ensuring that all safeguarding requirements are met.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All leaders, including governors, place a strong emphasis on pupils’ welfare.
• The staff are vigilant to make sure that pupils are and feel as safe as is possible.
• Leaders work closely with other agencies to support pupils’ welfare. The designated safeguarding lead works proactively with children’s services and external agencies to protect pupils. Detailed records are kept and stored securely.
• Appropriate checks are made on the suitability of adults working at the school.
• The school has appropriate risk assessments in place for on-site and off-site activities. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and can talk about examples such as crossing the road safely and staying safe when using public transport.
• All of the parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire said that their children are safe and praised the quality of care provided by the school. A number of parents described the effective way the school has dealt with parents’ concerns. One parent commented, ‘They only have the best interest for all the children and make it a happy, safe and fun environment to learn’.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers’ knowledge of their pupils is strong. They use this knowledge, including assessment information, to provide activities that challenge pupils and support their learning needs well. Consequently, current pupils make good progress that is at least in line with that of other pupils nationally.
• The teaching of reading and writing is effective. Teachers use detailed questioning, both in lessons and with small groups, to maintain pupils’ concentration and to challenge them to deepen their thinking. Younger pupils benefit from high-quality teaching of phonics. Reading has improved because pupils use their phonics skills well to work out unfamiliar words. They have a secure understanding of the sounds that letters and letter blends represent. Pupils’ work and school assessment information show that standards in writing are also improving.
• Good examples were observed of the development of pupils’ mathematical skills, including reasoning. However, some teaching gives insufficient emphasis to the application of skills in problem solving, and work in pupils’ books showed that the most able pupils are insufficiently challenged and are not making the progress of which they are capable.
• There is good teaching of pupils who have SEND. They are given work that is tightly matched to their skills and abilities so that they make good progress from their starting points. Additional adults are effective in the support they provide to these pupils, asking skilful questions to support and challenge them. This is also evident in the additional resource provision, where high levels of staff expertise are used to excellent effect to support learning.
• The school’s assessment information is used effectively in planning the teaching and support for pupils who qualify for pupil premium funding. Evidence in these pupils’ books shows that they typically make good progress in a range of subjects. The differences between the progress of these pupils and that of others nationally are diminishing.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders have created a safe and caring environment where pupils are helped to respect each other and get along together. Pupils build friendships well and show genuine concern for each other. Staff are very careful to ensure that everyone is included and nobody is discriminated against. Pupils and staff get along very well together to create a very harmonious school.
• Pupils are confident learners who value their education. They want to do well. Their positive attitudes contribute to the good progress they are making.
• The school’s work to promote resilience and resourcefulness helps pupils learn. This was exemplified in classes where pupils showed determination and perseverance in completing their work, using the teaching prompts and displays to support their independence.
• Support for pupils’ learning was particularly evident in the additional resource provision. Pupils were taught a ‘life skills’ lesson that focused on how body language can be interpreted in different ways. This was immensely useful for these pupils, who find difficulty with verbal communication.
• Leaders consider the needs of different groups of pupils carefully to promote their well-being. They provide very effective support for individual pupils’ emotional and personal development, working as closely as necessary with a range of external agencies. Parents appreciate the support that their children receive.
• Pupils are clear about the different forms that bullying can take and how to keep themselves safe online. They say that there are very few incidents of bullying. They know how to report bullying should it occur and are sure that adults would deal firmly with those involved.
• Pupils are reflective about the world around them and demonstrate empathy and concern for others. Pupils are tolerant of different views. For example, as one pupil commented, ‘Our religious education days help us learn about different religions so we understand each other better’. Incidents of racist or homophobic comments are rare.
• Staff provide good pastoral care to promote pupils’ welfare effectively. Parents are appreciative of the school’s friendly, caring ethos.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They apply themselves very well to tasks set and work together to share their ideas and learning. They are polite and courteous to all adults and each other. Their attendance and punctuality are above the national average.
• Pupils behave well. Incidents of poor behaviour in lessons are extremely rare. Consequently, classrooms are calm places of learning. Pupils’ behaviour at lunch- and breaktimes is also good. They cooperate with one another well and demonstrate respect for others. Older pupils often help younger pupils, modelling the school’s expectations of how to behave.
• All members of staff who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire say that pupils’ behaviour is good. They feel well supported by leaders in managing behaviour and follow the school’s clear procedures well.
• Leaders record and monitor behaviour carefully. Leaders make their high expectations known to staff and pupils. The school follows up incidents of poor behaviour with pupils and parents.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Inspection evidence, including the school’s assessment information, shows that current pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• In 2018, provisional results show that pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 was above the national average. The progress made in reading was stronger than in writing and mathematics, but progress from starting points was good overall. An exception to this generally positive picture was the fall in the proportion of pupils working at a higher standard in mathematics. This issue is being addressed with current pupils through regular assessment and targeted support.

• At the end of key stage 1 in 2018, the proportions of pupils achieving and exceeding the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics were above the national average.
• In 2018, the proportion of pupils in Year 1 who met the expected standard in the phonics screening check was slightly above the national average.
• Pupils eligible for additional support through the pupil premium make rapid progress. As a result, they are now achieving as well as others in English and mathematics across the school.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders have a clear vision for early years, with a good understanding of the strengths of provision and plans in place to address identified areas for development.
• Most children make good progress and their attainment is broadly in line with national averages by the end of Reception. These outcomes represent good achievement.
• Teaching in early years is good. Children enjoy the opportunities provided both indoors and outdoors. These are enhanced by activities and a curriculum specifically planned to interest the children.
• Additional adults help children’s learning very well. For example, they help children new to the school to quickly catch up with phonics and early writing skills.
• Leaders use additional pupil premium funding well to provide resources and support for the small number of eligible children. This enables them to overcome any barriers to learning and catch up with their peers.
• Children have very positive attitudes to learning and eagerly share their learning with visitors and each other. Established classroom routines help them to behave well, for example when moving from adult-led learning to free-choice activities.
• Safeguarding arrangements for early years are effective. Well-established routines and thorough risk assessments ensure that children are safe and well cared for.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about their children’s start to school and they value the opportunities that they get to contribute to their children’s learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 144504 Bromley 10058823 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 402 Appropriate authority The board of trustees Chair Head of school (interim) Telephone number Website Email address Sheik Khan Sarah Morgan 01689 852781 www.greenstreetgreenprimary.co.uk admin@greenstreetgreen.bromley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• In May 2016, the school converted to academy status and became part of the South Orpington Learning Alliance and a local governing board was appointed. The current interim head of school was appointed in July 2018.
• Green Street Green Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school. The school accommodates an alternative specialist provision for pupils who have speech and language needs in the speech and language unit.
• The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEND is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classrooms, and observed intervention groups.
• School leaders took part in joint observations with inspectors and attended all inspection team meetings.
• Meetings were held with school leaders, teachers and groups of pupils. Inspectors met with two members of the local governing board, including the chair.
• The inspectors worked in partnership with the school’s senior leaders when analysing information about the school. The inspectors looked at pupils’ outcomes, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, minutes from local governing board meetings, the school development plan, and monitoring and evaluation records. Behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding were also checked.
• The inspectors walked around the school with pupils to find out more about their work from displays and extra-curricular activities. Inspectors interviewed groups of children from across the school to determine their views on behaviour and safety.
• Inspectors spent time in the playground at playtime, observed behaviour in the lunch halls, listened to pupils read and looked at work in pupils’ books, alongside senior leaders.
• Inspectors took into account the views of parents by analysing the 138 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as speaking informally to parents during the inspection.
• Inspectors took into account the views of 51 staff who responded to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Danvir Visvanathan, lead inspector Rosemary Keen Teresa Davies

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector