Glendale Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Sharpen leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that subject leaders monitor more rigorously how well pupils, including the most able, write in all subjects
  • developing a more effective outdoor provision in the early years.
• Improve teaching further by:
  • ensuring that pupils in key stage 1 make better progress in writing so more pupils, and in particular the most able, attain the standards they are capable of
  • making expectations of teaching assistants’ work with pupils clearer and deploying teaching assistants appropriately in all year groups.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher is well regarded by her staff team. Staff recognise her effective work in securing improvement, notably during this academic year. They share her ambition for the achievement of pupils and the Glendale community. Parents and carers are very supportive of the leadership team.
• There is strong capacity for further improvement. The headteacher and deputy headteacher empower leaders at all levels by encouraging them to identify strengths and weaknesses in the school’s performance and then to do something about improving weaker areas. Leaders identify training needs well through considering areas that need improving and listening to staff views. They organise appropriate and effective training.
• Leaders are accurate in their evaluation of school performance. They debate each other’s views openly and come to agreed conclusions. They are less secure about how well different groups of pupils, notably the most able, are progressing in writing. This is because they are not clear about which aspects of teaching are more or less effective.
• Leaders are clear about the purpose of the curriculum and its impact on learning. They provide pupils with opportunities to broaden their understanding of the world. Leaders and staff together have designed and implemented sequences of learning through key stage 1 that enable pupils to acquire knowledge from a wide range of subjects taught.
• The two-year planning cycle ensures that pupils learn about a wide range of cultures and faiths. Pupils’ learning is enriched through visiting places of worship and by listening to visitors representing different communities and faiths. This work is effective in supporting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Leaders evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum well in terms of how well pupils attain academic standards. Their evaluation is yet to incorporate other aspects, such as pupils’ attitudes to learning and their well-being.
• The leader who coordinates the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is very effective. Since her appointment two years ago, she has ensured that pupils’ progress in both academic and social development is monitored closely. In light of this information, teaching is modified to be the most effective for individual pupils. As a result, these pupils make strong progress.
• The leaders responsible for mathematics and for the early years have a good grasp of the aspects of teaching that need to improve further. They ensure that their written improvement plans are implemented to good effect by staff. The most pressing area for improvement is the outdoor area used by children in the Reception classes. Monitoring of the provision to develop pupils’ writing is less effective.
• Since the appointment of the headteacher, the local authority representative has visited the school less frequently. This is because the local authority recognises how Glendale has improved. It is confident that the school will continue to improve.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is spent well. Leaders set out to use the funding to increase pupils’ physical activity and improve the teaching of PE. Both aims have been achieved. School council members have spent some of the funding on new equipment for their playground and have designed its layout with new paint markings.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors and leaders have developed a strong working partnership. They have struck an effective balance between support and challenge and effectively hold leaders to account for the school’s performance. Governors are seen as partners in school improvement, and the headteacher welcomes and encourages challenge from governors.
• Governors have developed processes which enable them to glean helpful insights into the school’s work. These include individual governors visiting school to explore specific work, for example, how pupil premium funding is used. Other governors are kept informed by reading written notes provided by the governors who visited.
• Senior leaders provide governors with helpful information about the quality of teaching. Governors attend termly meetings in which leaders and teachers discuss pupils’ progress rates. This enables governors to listen to staff views.
• Governors carry out their statutory duties appropriately. They are aware of the importance of preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. They promote equality well by ensuring that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities ensures that they make similar rates of progress to all pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Through assemblies and taught topics, pupils learn about tolerance and respect. They show such qualities in their learning and play with other pupils and staff.
• The headteacher has made it clear to staff why they need to be vigilant. Safeguarding aspects are discussed frequently during weekly staff meetings. This has helped embed the culture of vigilance in Glendale.
• Parents and staff acknowledge the school’s focus on keeping children safe. They understand why leaders prioritise support for pupils’ emotional well-being and mental health.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers ensure that pupils learn well across a range of different subjects. They plan sequences of lessons effectively, using the two-year planning cycle to balance the introduction of new learning with revisiting previously taught content. As a result, pupils acquire new knowledge well and secure previous learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils are taught well, both in lessons and during intervention sessions. The mathematics leader, in particular, articulates well what successful intervention sessions should look like.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are taught well. Teachers and teaching assistants know what they need to do to help each pupil overcome their own barriers to learning. This is helping these pupils make strong progress in their learning.
• Teachers’ questioning is effective. Where it is at its best, initial questions probe pupils’ understanding. Teachers consider pupils’ responses and then ask subsequent questions to check that pupils have secured their understanding of specific concepts.
• Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure. Teachers refer to this when planning sequences of learning. They ensure that pupils have sufficient time to secure their understanding and, if necessary, revisit previous learning, for example when learning about time in mathematics.
• Staff in the early years use their secure knowledge about strengths and weaknesses in children’s learning to plan activities which motivate and challenge children. For example, children capable of learning more complex words in phonics lessons are given harder work.
• Leaders expect teachers to understand and use pupils’ achievement information to inform their teaching. Pupils and staff refer to learning targets which have been agreed between themselves. Teachers use this information to ensure that lessons challenge pupils well, including the most able pupils, in most subjects.
• This year, teachers are helping pupils make more frequent use of their phonic skills when reading about different topics. This helps pupils develop a wider vocabulary. As a result, teaching and outcomes in reading have improved.
• The teaching of mathematics is effective. Pupils learn successfully how to calculate using efficient methods. Lessons include tasks which require them to explain their thinking. Such activities prepare them well for learning in key stage 2.
• The teaching of writing is not as effective as that seen for reading and mathematics. This is because pupils in key stage 1 who are capable of attaining high standards are not given work which requires them to apply more complex grammar and punctuation to their writing. As a result, these pupils are not challenged as well as their classmates.
• Parents expressed very positive views about teaching and their children’s attitudes to learning. One parent stated, ‘Their class teachers … have been extremely approachable and efficient … They have given our children the necessary skills to achieve well throughout their time … Teaching motivates children to learn and enjoy school.’ These comments are typical of parents’ views.
• Pupils are encouraged to read at home with their families. Homework has a strong focus on reading. Teachers are able to track the frequency with which parents read with their children through their monitoring of pupils’ reading records.
• Teachers are responsible for the deployment of teaching assistants in lessons. The extent to which pupils benefit from their work with teaching assistants varies from class to class. Teaching assistants are not sufficiently well enough informed about what is expected from their work with pupils. For example, when pupils write, they are not consistently helped to seek out grammar and punctuation errors and subsequently correct these.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Glendale is an inclusive school, where all pupils and families are welcomed. Leaders work together well to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils, including those who have physical difficulties or disabilities, are well cared for.
• Pupils look out for each other in their learning and play. They cooperate well with each other and with staff, showing respect for others’ viewpoints. This contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Pupils’ physical and emotional well-being is provided for well. Pupils are encouraged to express their views about their learning and play. The school council is often consulted about decision-making in school. As a result, pupils become confident learners.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep healthy. This year, pupils are physically active more frequently during the day. Coupled with topics in lessons which explore healthy eating, this encourages pupils to adopt healthy lifestyles.
• Pupils stated that, if bullying incidents do occur, including any related to their learning and play online, staff deal with these well. They know that their well-being is a priority for the school and that the mentor is always available if they wish to talk something through.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Overall attendance rates have improved this academic year because different groups of pupils are attending more often. Last year, pupils entitled to free school meals and those who have SEN and/or disabilities did not attend as well as other groups. Both these groups have improved attendance rates so far this year.
• Pupils conduct themselves well around school. This includes during before- and after-school clubs and at break and lunchtimes. Pupils rarely disrupt lessons. During the inspection, staff were quick to respond to any incidents of low-level disruption. Pupils and parents are confident that staff deal with any poor behaviour effectively.
• Very occasionally, pupils show less positive attitudes to learning in lessons. This mostly occurs when teaching does not challenge pupils sufficiently well.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Last year, attainment at the end of Year 2 was similar to outcomes in reading and writing seen nationally. In mathematics, an above-average proportion of pupils attained the standards expected for their age. However, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching the nationally expected standards was below average.
• This year, a greater proportion of children in the early years are on track to meet the early learning goals than last year. This means that children are being well prepared for transfer to learning in Year 1.
• Over the past three years, a greater proportion of pupils reached the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check than nationally. This level is being sustained this year.
• This year, pupils are making good progress relative to their starting points in all year groups. A similar proportion of Year 2 pupils are attaining expected standards in reading to last year. Owing to improved teaching, a greater proportion of Year 2 pupils are demonstrating high-level reading skills. However, fewer Year 1 pupils are on track to achieve expected standards than in Year 2.
• In mathematics, pupils in both Years 1 and 2 are achieving similarly well to last year’s pupils. The teaching in mathematics continues to be effective.
• This year, pupils in both Years 1 and 2 are not making as good progress in writing as in reading and mathematics. Fewer pupils, including the more able who are capable of attaining high standards, are making good progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils are making similar rates of progress to their classmates in all subjects, including writing. Typically, disadvantaged pupils have more ground to make up in their learning than their peers. This year, they are catching up more quickly than in previous years.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making good progress. This is due to effective leadership and teaching. The leader for the provision for this group of pupils ensures that teaching staff teach specific skills well and that learning tasks are matched well to individuals’ needs.

Early years provision Good

• The leader of the early years has clear ideas of the quality of provision she wants in the early years. Together with her staff, she reflects on what is going well and the changes that need to be made in order to secure further improvement. Parents and staff recognise that the early years is well led and that children learn effectively.
• The youngest children come to Glendale from a wide range of settings. When they first enter the Reception Year, they demonstrate variable skills and knowledge. Typically, children have more gaps in their communication and language skills than in other areas of learning. Parents talk to staff about their children’s learning, which helps staff clarify what they need to do to enable children to make good progress.
• A new assessment system has recently been introduced. Staff use this well to both capture and reflect on children’s achievements in different areas of learning. This year, children are making strong progress.
• Staff meet in school and with staff in other local schools to check that their judgements about children’s performance are accurate. They work with the local authority and other providers who provide sessions led by personnel experienced in this area.
• Teaching is effective. Staff from all three classes plan activities together. This ensures that children in each class receive similar learning experiences. Activities are adapted for each group of children, as their needs are different. For example, sometimes in activities adults lead the learning, whereas at other times children take the lead.
• Children develop secure phonics skills. The teaching of early reading is effective. Funding is used to provide disadvantaged children with additional reading support. This helps children to catch up with other pupils and to be well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• In the outdoor learning environment, adults do not engage with children as well as they do inside. This is owing to a number of reasons, most notably teachers’ lack of specific planning as to how best to use the large outdoor space and clarify specific roles for teaching assistants when they lead learning.
• The early years leader ensures that all welfare requirements are met. A variety of procedures helps to ensure that children are kept safe. For example, staff carry out risk assessments in both the indoor and outdoor environments. Children behave well and are well supervised by adults.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125595 Warwickshire 10042906 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 265 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Elizabeth Hancock Louise Hopkins 02476 349672 www.glendale.warwickshire.sch.uk parents.glendale@welearn365.com Date of previous inspection 9 October 2014

Information about this school

• Glendale is similar to the average-sized primary school.
• The headteacher was appointed in January 2017.
• The majority of pupils are White British. There are no other significant groups.
• Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is similar to the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who receive support for SEN and/or disabilities is similar to the national average. The proportion of pupils with a statement of SEN and/or disabilities or an education, health and care plan is below average.
• The early years is made up of three full-time Reception classes. Pupils in key stage 1 are taught in single-age classes.
• Pupils from Glendale can attend a before- and after-school club. It is overseen by the governing body.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in every year group. They visited 17 lessons, one of which was observed jointly with the headteacher.
• Before- and after-school clubs were observed as part of this inspection.
• Meetings were held with pupils, staff, the chair of the governing body and other governors and with a representative from the local authority.
• The inspectors met frequently with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about their reading. They listened to higher- and lower- ability pupils read.
• The inspectors examined work in pupils’ books from a range of subjects.
• The school’s child protection and safeguarding documents and procedures were scrutinised.
• The inspectors looked at a range of documentation to support school improvement, including minutes of governors’ meetings and attendance information.
• The inspectors took account of 26 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and 20 responses to the staff survey. They spoke with parents at the start of the school day.
• Inspectors reviewed the school’s website.

Inspection team

Jeremy Bird, lead inspector Derek Gardiner Anne Potter Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector