Gretton Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that any remaining shortfalls in pupils’ progress in English and mathematics in any year group are further diminished by:
  • continuing the successful work to develop resilience seen in early years so that older pupils are also more often able to achieve well when faced with challenges
  • checking that pupils’ writing skills are consistently applied when they write in a range of subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, governors and leaders are ambitious for pupils and have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas to improve. They work well as a team to ensure that the school moves forward. They lead by example and are unafraid to tackle difficult issues as they arise. For example, teachers are held firmly to account for the progress their pupils make.
• The headteacher is committed to making sure that staff receive good-quality professional development and that there is a strong culture of sharing best practice within school. Teachers and teaching assistants receive regular time together to understand the progress pupils are making and plan their next steps. The positive learning ethos contributes to high staff morale and strong professional support for one another. Staff and pupils alike share the school vision of ‘working together to be our very best’.
• Pupils are well prepared for their future lives and British values are taught throughout the curriculum. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils care for each other and this is encouraged. For example, Year 6 pupils become ‘big friends’ to pupils in the Reception class.
• Additional funding is used effectively by leaders to ensure that disadvantaged pupils have the extra support they need to meet the expectations for all pupils. A learning mentor provides specific targeted guidance and pupils appreciate this. Pupils who have special needs and/or disabilities receive a wide range of additional support according to their specific needs. These pupils are successfully included in activities. Leaders ensure that a wide range of external advice is drawn upon and the impact of support for pupils is carefully checked and adapted if needed.
• Pupils enjoy their learning as the curriculum is well organised and each term includes a range of activities, experiences and visits, including those to the local area and community events. There are also a wide range of sporting activities, after-school clubs and competitions, including cross-country running, circuit training and dance. Leaders use the additional funding for sport well.
• An education adviser from the local authority provides leaders and governors with a useful annual check on the school’s performance. Leaders and governors value this support and challenge.

Governance of the school

• Governors are experienced and have a breadth of skills and knowledge. They use this well to provide appropriate challenge to leaders. For example, following the recent set of disappointing outcomes in Year 6, governors scrutinised the headteacher’s detailed analysis of the results. They have continued to check the actions that have been put in place following this analysis.
• Governors are very proud of the school and are ambitious for pupils at the school. They are committed to ensuring that the school continues to improve. Governors manage finances effectively. They ensure that resources, including information technology, are up to date in order to support pupils’ learning fully.
• During the inspection, the vast majority of parents expressed views that they were extremely happy with the school. A small number expressed concerns about some aspects of how the school is led and managed. Governors are aware of the areas of concern and continue to work to ensure that parents can voice their opinions appropriately.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The designated leader for safeguarding ensures that her training is broad and kept up to date. She also ensures that staff have the safeguarding updates they should have. Leaders are not at all complacent regarding safeguarding and constantly review and improve practices and procedures. For example, leaders commissioned an external audit to check all safeguarding procedures. The small number of recommendations have been put into place.
• Leaders are robust in their action to ensure that all pupils are safe. They liaise effectively with a range of stakeholders as needed, so that the best possible support can be given

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching is at least good across the school and pupils’ attitudes to learning are strong. Teachers have high expectations and plan activities that provide pupils with opportunities to take some responsibility for their individual learning. Pupils respond to this well and are motivated to succeed. Well-targeted guidance and support for pupils ensure that they are able to make good progress whatever barriers they may face. Teachers intervene quickly to provide extra teaching as needed.
• Teachers work effectively with teaching assistants and together they have good subject knowledge and a solid understanding of pupils’ learning needs. In reading sessions, pupils are given specific roles to help them to contribute effectively to discussions about the books they are reading together. Pupils enjoy this approach and it motivates them to read more. During mathematics lessons, pupils often apply the skills they learn as they solve problems. This helps pupils to be secure in their understanding in a range of mathematical concepts.
• Staff promote equality of opportunity. Everyone is expected to work hard, to contribute positively and to try their best. Pupils rise to these expectations.
• Parents receive detailed information about how pupils are progressing and homework is regularly set to support further learning. Pupils receive detailed feedback during lessons as teachers carefully assess their understanding. This helps pupils to learn from their mistakes and understand their next steps. The approach is beginning to help pupils to acquire a more resilient attitude towards their learning tasks.
• Pupils enjoy their writing and have well-developed skills, writing maturely and confidently with a wide vocabulary. When they are writing across a range of subjects, however, teachers’ expectations are sometimes not quite high enough and, as a result, pupils’ writing is not as well developed as it could be. This means that chances to improve writing skills further are missed.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are extremely confident, self-assured learners. They have excellent attitudes towards their learning and high levels of motivation to try their best. Pupils have high aspirations and appreciate teachers’ work to involve them in their learning tasks.
• As well as this confidence, pupils show a high level of tolerance and respect for others and listen to other pupils’ ideas. The school has a family atmosphere and the level of care is high. A typical comment from pupils was ‘our school is like a second home, everyone is really welcoming and kind.’ Pupils understand what bullying is, but they were unanimous in agreeing that it rarely, if ever, happens and, if it does, adults very quickly sort it out. Indeed, school records confirm this to be the case. Pupils appreciate access to a learning mentor and know that an extra ‘listening ear’ is there for them if they have any problems.
• Pupils are given good information about how to keep fit and healthy and they enjoy a wide range of sporting activities.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They move around their learning spaces and about the school with care. Younger pupils develop positive behaviours early on, due to the careful guidance they have. Older pupils contribute well to the organisation of the school. For example, pupils quickly helped to organise the room after an assembly, with very little need for guidance from teachers.
• Pupils attend well. A very small number of pupils do not attend as regularly and this is due to them having medical conditions. The school supports these families well.
• Behaviour during lessons is very good. Pupils appreciate the good-quality teaching they receive. Pupils show respect for adults and listen carefully to instructions.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Current pupils are making secure progress in a range of subjects from their different starting points. Leaders ensure that, through careful analysis of pupils’ progress, pupils are given any extra support they need to do well. Work to improve pupils’ ability to deal with areas they find more challenging is starting to improve pupils’ resilience.
• Most disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make strong progress due to the individual adaptations made and the extra resources used to support their learning. The most able pupils do well and generally reach higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils enjoy their reading and can talk enthusiastically about poems they know and authors they enjoy. A large majority of pupils in Year 1 achieve the expected standard in the national phonics screening check.
• In 2016, Year 6 outcomes did not match previous outcomes. Pupils’ progress, particularly in mathematics, was below what was expected when compared to national figures. Leaders and teachers have responded to this robustly. An individual targeted approach to secure better progress is now in place and pupils’ books show that current progress is secure.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children enjoy a very successful start to their time at the school. The head teacher, supported by governors, has ensured that the Reception class is resourced very well. Children arrive with skills that are broadly in line with those typical for their age, except in the area of personal and social skills, where they can be below what is typical. Successful adaptations are made to the curriculum to ensure that children make good progress in these weaker areas.
• Teaching is of high quality and learning is skilfully planned to engage children and to ensure that they make rapid progress. Staff have created an inspiring environment that invites children to learn and develop their skills across the wide range of learning areas. Children quickly absorb the rich vocabulary that is on offer through high-quality interactions guided by staff and through the stimulating environment that is full of interesting items, pictures and words. As an example, following an activity where vegetables were sorted in different ways using a wide range of words to describe their features, children happily weighed vegetables in the ‘garden shop’.
• The outside area has been improved and children are able to develop their physical and social skills particularly well as they take part in imaginative play situations. For example, children worked successfully together to make a castle for a giant in the large sand area. More imaginative play inside included boys creating their own register where they checked to note who was here today. Other children explored a cave using torches.
• Staff know children very well and make changes whenever needed to ensure that each child develops a positive, resilient attitude towards their learning and makes the progress they can. As a result, children, including those who are disadvantaged, leave their first year well prepared for learning in Year 1 and this success has been sustained over several years. The early years leader is ambitious for children and reflects well on what works and what could be further improved. She readily seeks advice from external agencies
• Parents are very happy with the continuing information they receive about how their child is progressing. Many reported that the transition into school is effectively organised by the headteacher and staff and that, as a result, children settle quickly and start making progress straight away. Staff also ensure that the environment is safe and that children are cared for well.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137854 Gloucestershire 10033161 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 Academy 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 96 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Dee Chadwick Jackie Kelly 01242 602 679 www.gretton.gloucs.sch.uk/ admin@gretton.gloucs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school converted to become an academy in 2011.
• The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• Children start school in the Reception class and attend full-time.
• The school meets the current government floor standards.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is much lower than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is just below average.

Information about this inspection

• During this inspection, observations of learning in all classes were carried out on learning walks alongside the headteacher. The inspector also scrutinised a wide range of pupils’ books, again alongside the headteacher and other leaders.
• Key school information and documents were scrutinised, including the schools’ self-evaluation, the development plan, information that the school uses to assess pupils’ progress and a range of documents relating to safeguarding, including risk assessments and an external safeguarding audit.
• A meeting was held with two members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspector also met with a local authority education adviser who helps the school in its self-evaluation.
• Pupils’ views were gathered throughout the inspection, including at a meeting with a group of pupils and in discussions with a wide range of pupils during lunchtime play.
• Parents’ views were gathered at the start and end of each day. The inspector also spoke to a small number of parents on the telephone in order to hear their views.

Inspection team

Tonwen Empson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector