Glynne Primary School

Glynne Primary School Cot Lane, Kingswinford, DY6 9TH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well. All groups make good progress from their individual starting points, regardless of ability or background, and test results at the end of Year 6 are above average.  Teaching and learning are good across the school, because teachers have high expectations and teach interesting lessons. Some teaching is outstanding.  Pupils enjoy being at school, and feel very safe and well looked after.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school, and this makes a good contribution to their learning.  The school provides pupils with a stimulating and interesting range of subjects. Such high- quality experiences develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness very well.  Leaders and managers have made sure that the school has continued to improve since the last inspection. Their thorough checking on the quality of teaching has led to marked improvements in teaching and learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governors’ good awareness of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement helps them to continually question its performance while providing the right support.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teachers have not yet had sufficient opportunity to share their own excellent teaching skills with their colleagues, to make teaching and learning even better across the school.  Some marking does not show pupils exactly how to move on to the next level in their work.  Sometimes adults are not used well enough to support pupils’ learning in lessons.  Some parents would like more information about the learning and progress their children make.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons. Eight of these observations were carried out together with senior leaders. In addition, inspectors listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, a representative of the local authority, the Chair and Deputy of the Governing Body, and senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors talked to a small number of parents at the start of the school day and took into account their views wherever they could. They took account of the 48 responses to the online (Parent View) questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at many documents, including: the school’s own information on pupils’ current and recent progress; planning of work in different subjects; evidence of leaders’ checking on teaching and learning quality; and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding of pupils.

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Inspection team

Steve Nelson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sharona Semlali Additional Inspector Helen Blanchard Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  The vast majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding available to the school to assist particular pupils) is below average.  The governors manage ‘wraparound’ care provided in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by:  sharing more widely the skills, expertise and best practice found in the school  making full use of support staff who are assisting groups, so that all pupils progress at the same high rate  improving teachers’ marking so that it is more sharply focused on telling pupils what they need to do to move on to the next level in their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve communications with parents so that they are more regularly informed about the progress their children are making.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement in Key Stages 1 and 2 has improved since the last inspection and is now good. In 2012 Year 6 pupils achieved above-average test results in English and mathematics.  The majority of children join the school with skill levels that are in line with those expected for their age. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly in developing their communication, reading and personal and social skills. Children eagerly explore the exciting activities available and enjoy their learning. They enter Year 1 as confident and enthusiastic learners.  Pupils make good progress in lessons. In a typical Key Stage 1 mathematics lesson, pupils made rapid progress in independently finding objects in the classroom and estimating their length accurately.  The school has narrowed the gaps in achievement between all pupils and those for whom it receives extra funding (the pupil premium). It does this by carefully providing extra adult

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The achievement of pupils is good

support and specialist one-to-one tuition where necessary to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This is because teachers and other adults support them very well in lessons and provide work and learning materials best suited to their learning needs.  The majority of pupils passed the Year 1 phonics (linking letters and sounds) test, showing good progress. The school promotes reading well. Pupils regularly participate in book quizzes and some have trained as lunchtime librarians. Pupils say they enjoy reading and can discuss and give opinions about what they have read.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching observed during the inspection was consistently good, and some was outstanding. Pupils’ workbooks and their progress records confirm good teaching over time. However, opportunities are not always taken to share the best teaching practice found within the school.  Regular checking of pupils’ work means that teachers know exactly how well pupils are doing. They have high expectations of work and behaviour, and plan demanding tasks to make sure pupils make good progress in their learning.  Teachers make very good links across different subjects so that pupils are excited by what they are learning. In a Year 6 English lesson related to the current topic about ancient Egypt, pupils enjoyed writing a persuasive letter to the Pharaoh asking him to release the slaves.  Teachers encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own learning by encouraging them to mark their own and other pupils’ work. Marking in books and verbal feedback is helping to

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The quality of teaching is good

improve the standard of their work. However, it does not always tell them the next steps they need to take in order to improve their work and move on to the next level.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage benefit from a good balance between activities led by adults and those that they themselves choose. Coupled with lots of opportunities for speaking and listening, and hands-on learning play areas, this means children make good progress in all areas of their learning. They are able to work and play inside and outside in equally stimulating surroundings. The good-quality ‘wraparound care’ is appreciated by parents.  The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good, in an atmosphere where they are valued. Skilled adults have high expectations and set work suitable for their needs, so that they make good progress.  Early reading skills are taught well, and as a result children make good progress in recognising

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The quality of teaching is good

letters and sounds. For example, in a Year 2 phonics lesson, pupils made good progress in reading and spelling words such as stopped, listened and landed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is a happy, harmonious community where pupils say they feel safe. They have good attitudes in lessons and show an eagerness to learn. Most parents, pupils and staff agree that behaviour is good. Pupils are polite and courteous and get on well with each other.  Pupils are proud of their school and carry out responsibilities eagerly and sensibly, such as preparing the hall for assemblies, assisting lunchtime staff and acting as playground buddies.  Pupils sit on the school’s Rights Respecting Schools committee (following the UN convention of Children’s Rights). They regularly discuss different ways of embedding these values in school and how to make sure the rights for children in other countries are recognised, for example for the children in the link school in Gambia.  Pupils are aware of the different types of bullying such as emotional and internet bullying, and know that to keep themselves safe they should never give out personal information on the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

internet. Pupils trust staff and are confident that they will listen to their problems and act on their concerns.  Attendance is above average, and is actively promoted through attendance certificates, assemblies and ‘Attendance Dog’ being awarded to the class with the best attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides very clear direction based on an accurate assessment of the school’s work. Good plans to improve teaching and learning and raise achievement across the school have successfully led to improvements in these areas since the last inspection.  Very good procedures for checking the progress and attainment of all individuals and groups of pupils help to make sure they all perform equally well, with no hint of discrimination. A detailed school improvement plan outlines the correct areas to improve, and what needs to be done to achieve this.  The headteacher makes good use of information from the checks on teaching and learning to develop teachers’ skills and improve teaching. Targets set for teachers are closely linked to pupils’ achievement and shows their skills have improved. Teachers’ pay levels are determined by how successful they are in helping pupils to achieve well.  Pupils talk enthusiastically about the content of subjects and topics they are studying, such as

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The leadership and management are good

‘Into the woods’ and ‘Storms and shipwrecks’. The school provides excellent opportunities for pupils to take part in performing and sporting activities. For example, they put on a ‘Midsummer Madness’ musical evening and compete in athletics, dance festivals and gymnastics competitions.  Pupils have frequent opportunities to reflect on and appreciate their own skills and the skills of others through celebrations and achievement certificates awarded in assemblies. Pupils make their own ‘Class Charters’ identifying rights and responsibilities. This is successful in increasing pupils’ confidence and helps develop their understanding of spiritual, moral, social and cultural matters.  The responses to the online survey (Parent View) indicate that the vast majority of parents believe the care for their children is good or better, and the school is managed well. However, a number of parents indicated not enough information is given to them about the progress their

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The leadership and management are good

children make.  The local authority gives measured support as necessary. It has worked well with the school to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and contributed effectively to its improvement.  The governance of the school:  Governance is good because the governing body is trained well and fulfils its duties effectively. Governors make sure money the school receives is spent carefully. This includes insisting that the pupil premium is spent well on additional staff help, when it is needed, to make sure eligible pupils achieve as well as other pupils in the school. The governing body knows the strengths and areas for development in the school. Governors have a good understanding of the pupils’ progress compared to other pupils nationally. They are supportive while challenging the school to improve pupils’ achievement further. Governors make sure that teachers hit the targets they are set to improve their practice in the classroom before approving any increase

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The leadership and management are good

in their pay. The governing body fulfils all its statutory duties and ensures that national safeguarding requirements are met.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103832 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 400663

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 470 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Hales Headteacher Sue Cameron Date of previous school inspection 14 October 2009 Telephone number 01384 816960 Fax number 01384 816961 Email address scameron@glynne.dudley.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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