Grenoside Community Primary School

Grenoside Community Primary School Norfolk Hill, Grenoside, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 8QB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Leadership and management are inadequate. Senior leaders are not effective in measuring pupils’ progress accurately for key groups of pupils. As a result, Pupils’ achievement and the school’s overall performance have declined sharply since the previous inspection. Senior leaders’ actions to address this are inadequate.  Subject leaders are not given the time or opportunity to check on the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ progress. Consequently they are unable to help teachers make effective use of pupil performance information in order that they can plan work suitable to the needs of all pupils.  Targets in the school’s development plan and those set as part of teachers’ performance management do not focus sharply enough on securing a measurable impact on pupils’ progress.  Not all pupils reach the standards of which they are capable.  Teaching requires improvement because it is

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

variable across the school and not enough is good or better. Teachers do not always make sure that work is matched to the needs of all pupils. For some pupils it is too difficult and for others it is too easy.  Teachers’ expectations are insufficiently high to make sure that pupils reach the highest standards of which they are capable. The quality of teaching has declined since the previous inspection.  Governors do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities and are not sufficiently knowledgeable about how the school is performing because they rely too heavily upon the information given to them by the headteacher.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school environment is spacious, well maintained and provides a good climate for learning.  Teachers are enthusiastic, energetic and keen to develop their practice.  Pupils enjoy school, are well-behaved, caring and like many of the opportunities it has to offer.  Enrichment and creative learning opportunities help pupils to gain a breadth of skills and knowledge.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 part lessons taught by eight teachers, made one shorter visit to a lesson and attended an assembly.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff, pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and parents. Telephone conversations were also held with a representative of the local authority and a parent.  Inspectors took account of the 72 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), the school’s own survey of parents’ views and other information received from parents. They also considered a small number of letters received from parents. Inspectors spoke with some parents, at their request, during the first day of the inspection. Staff questionnaires were also taken into account.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documents, including the school’s evaluation of its performance, the school’s development plan, information on pupils’ progress and attainment, records relating to safeguarding, attendance and behaviour, minutes of meetings held by the

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Information about this inspection

governing body and samples of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Rosemary Batty, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mark Colley Additional Inspector Mary Lanovy-Taylor Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 Grenoside is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives extra funding from the government through the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is the extra funding a school receives for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in the care of the local authority and the children of parents serving in the armed forces.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and supported through school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to be good or better in order to ensure at least good achievement for all groups of pupils by:  ensuring teachers have consistently high expectations of what pupils should achieve  matching work to meet the needs of all pupils so that all achieve as well as they should  providing pupils with sufficient opportunities in lessons to learn for themselves  making sure teachers always make clear through their marking what pupils need to do to improve their work and give them sufficient opportunities to reflect and act on this advice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve the quality of leadership and management at all levels to be at least good in order to rapidly improve the school’s performance by making sure that:  all leaders are sufficiently skilled and effective in monitoring the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress throughout the school  leaders help teachers to better understand how to use performance data to ensure teaching accurately matches pupils’ learning needs  subject leaders are given sufficient time and opportunity to check the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in their subjects and report their findings regularly to the governing body  the school’s development plan contains clear, measurable targets for success that are reported regularly to the governing body  teachers’ performance targets are closely linked to outcomes for pupils within a rigorous system of performance management that is closely monitored by the governing body

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 an external review of governance is carried out to find out how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved  governors have a good understanding of data about pupils’ performance so that they can hold school leaders fully to account for this  leaders address concerns parents have about their child’s performance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage with higher levels of skill than are typical for their age. By the end of Reception they achieve what is typical for their age in reading, writing and mathematical skills. In Key stage 1 most pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, attaining levels above what is expected for their age.  The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards in the phonics (letters and sounds) screening check in 2012 was below what might be expected for their ages.  Although they leave in Year 6 with above-average standards, progress is variable between different groups of pupils and some groups do not make as much progress as they should. As a result, not all pupils achieve the standards of which they are capable, particularly the more-and less-able pupils, as well as those known to be eligible for free school meals and some pupils who

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

have special educational needs. This is because leaders have not ensured all teachers have a clear understanding of how to use pupil performance information so that pupils are given work at the right level to help them achieve as well as they should.  The number of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is small. They do not make the progress expected of them throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has identified that this is an area for improvement and has taken steps to track these pupils, but has not fully evaluated the impact of its improvement strategy.  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those supported through school action make variable progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because how they are supported is not always carefully checked and teachers’ planning does not always use assessment information well enough to prepare appropriately challenging levels of work for

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

these pupils.  Expectations of what more-able pupils should achieve are low: this was reflected in samples of pupils’ work and in some lessons observed. Although the number of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 at the end of Key Stage 2 is typically above the national average in both English and mathematics, the school has chosen not to enter pupils for the Level 6 tests at the end of this key stage.  While pupils who have a statement of special educational make good progress, other pupils with special educational needs do not always make as much progress as they should because teaching does not meet their needs well enough.  The school has identified that pupils known to be eligible for free school meals have not made sufficient progress in the past. In 2012, the attainment of Year 6 pupils known to be eligible for free school meals was six terms behind other pupils in English and five terms behind other pupils

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in mathematics. Inspectors were provided with no clear evidence that these wide gaps in performance are set to narrow in 2013.  The school has worked on improving reading in the school. New books that inspire and motivate pupils have been bought for use in guided reading sessions. The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters and combinations of letters make) is more structured which is helping most pupils to learn to read more rapidly. However, the needs of more-able pupils are not always met because they are expected to participate in full-group phonic lessons that are too easy for them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because there is too much variation in its impact on pupils’ achievement across subjects, year groups and key stages. Not enough teaching is good or better. This can be seen through examples of pupils’ work as well as in lessons observed during the inspection. For example, marking differs considerably in both quality and consistency. Much of it celebrates what pupils can do but they are not always given the opportunity to improve their work using the marking advice given. Hence, it does not enable pupils to make consistently good or better progress.  Senior leaders have not ensured that subject leaders and teachers make good enough use of pupil progress information. Therefore teachers’ lesson planning does not always take account of pupils’ differing starting points consequently, pupils’ work is not always tailored to their specific needs.  Teachers sometimes teach lessons that inspire pupils and enable them to make good or better

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

progress; some phonics teaching observed in Key Stage 1 was outstanding. However, teaching of this quality is not evident across the school. Samples of pupils’ work show that pupils are often given the same work to complete, regardless of their ability so it is not sufficiently well matched to their learning needs. As a result, it is too hard for the less-able pupils and fails to challenge the more able. Pupils with special educational needs and those known to be eligible for pupil premium funding are not well supported to help them make rapid gains in their learning because support for their needs is not sufficiently well targeted. The school has identified this issue during its checking on the quality of teaching over time, but has not taken swift and effective action to address it.  Some lessons lack pace and pupils spend too much time listening to teachers rather than being engaged in independent learning. Pupils’ progress is slow as a result. The school’s own

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

evaluations have also identified this, but no improvements have been shown in lessons.  Some teachers pose questions that challenge, are searching and inspire pupils to think about how to respond to them creatively. At the other end of the spectrum, other teachers pose questions that require short answers and little thought by pupils.  Inspectors observed examples of good and outstanding teaching in the school. For example, in one Year 3/4 mathematics lesson, pupils were asked to declare the possibility of the Queen’s birthday falling on a Thursday this year. One boy explained how he used his mathematical knowledge to calculate his answer. Other pupils were also able to use calculation skills well. This demonstrates that the school’s focus upon calculation is having an impact in some classes. The strategy has yet to be fully evaluated. However, the teaching of mathematics is variable across the school with missed opportunities for pupils to apply their skills, particularly in problem

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

solving.  In some lessons, teachers plan with precision, make sure that the pace is brisk and that pupils can learn how to improve their work. For example, when preparing for a piece of story writing in one English lesson, pupils explained what the best features of the text should include. They then studied an example of work produced by a pupil from the same class, identifying how the work could be improved and what they could weave into their own writing. Discussion with a ‘talking partner’ helped individual pupils improve their work further. As a result, pupils made excellent progress and produced high quality pieces of writing. This effective teaching is the result of the school’s recent drive to improve spelling, punctuation and grammar in Key Stage 2. However, the quality of this practice is inconsistent because it is not always tailored to the needs of pupils by taking into account their current knowledge and skills. The full impact of this initiative has yet

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a great sense of curiosity and relate very well to visitors because of their advanced social skills and command of language. They are a credit to the school which has worked well to make sure that it is a happy working community.  Pupils feel safe in school and are able to explain how the school keeps them safe through its procedures. They know how to avoid potential dangers including those relating to the internet.  Relationships between pupils are very positive. Older pupils have a great sense of responsibility towards younger pupils, which is commendable. Relationships with pupils and adults are good and set a positive climate for learning throughout the school.  Pupils are appreciative of all the enrichment activities that the school has to offer. These include sport, creative pursuits, visits, clubs and specialist input from visiting theatre groups.  Behaviour is good in both the classroom and around the school. In classrooms, pupils show good

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

attitudes to learning even when lessons lack pace or challenge.  The school’s provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of learning is good because these features, along with the school’s expectations of behaviour, are interwoven into learning. The school has several strong links that helps it to foster good relationships with the local community, for example making a carnival float.  Attendance is above the national average and has improved over time as a result of the school’s positive actions.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leaders are not demonstrating the capacity to maintain the successes achieved in previous years. As a result, the school’s effectiveness has declined since the previous inspection and some groups of pupils no longer achieve as well as they should. In both English and mathematics, published data in 2012 show attainment has fallen relative to the national picture at both Key Stage 1 and 2 since the last inspection. Similarly, pupils’ progress between Key Stage 1 and 2, judged outstanding in 2009, was broadly in line with the national average in 2011 and 2012.  The school is over reliant on the headteacher to provide key pupil information. Consequently not all subject leaders are sufficiently skilled in monitoring performance in their subject area, or knowledgeable enough to plan strategically for improvement. Teaching and therefore pupils’ progress are not improving quickly enough.  The school development plan identifies improving the progress of some groups of pupils as a

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The leadership and management are inadequate

priority, based upon last year’s national test results at Key Stage 2. Pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium in particular were identified. However, leaders actions have not brought about an improvement for groups such as this. Leaders’ evaluations of whether the pupil premium funding has led to an improvement in the quality of education and progress for the pupils it is intended to support are weak.  Senior leaders have not taken successful steps to deal with the less effective aspects of teaching identified through their monitoring and evaluation.  Assessment data about pupils currently attending the school has not been analysed in enough depth, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and those known to be eligible for free school meals. Therefore, leaders are not able to judge whether or not previously identified areas of weakness in the achievement of these groups have been addressed successfully or if

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The leadership and management are inadequate

further action is required to accelerate their progress. School leaders do not check carefully that they are promoting equality of opportunity well for all pupils.  Teachers are not sufficiently involved in analysing data to help them develop clearly prioritised plans that will make an impact upon improving pupils’ progress. Therefore, there are many missed opportunities to accelerate the learning of some pupils. This situation is caused, in part, by an over-reliance upon the headteacher to provide key information relating to pupils’ performance.  Not all leaders are sufficiently skilled or knowledgeable to plan strategically for leading improvement in the area for which they are responsible.  Subject leaders do not have enough opportunity to fulfil their roles effectively. They are restricted in their ability to bring about improvement because they lack the time and direction to monitor the quality of teaching and learning effectively. They have not been given sufficient

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The leadership and management are inadequate

opportunities to participate in self-evaluation or contribute to improvement even though most are eager to develop their skills further and make a difference to the pupils’ education.  Where priorities have been set in the school development plan relating to pupils’ progress, they have been linked to teachers’ performance management targets. However, targets for pupils’ progress are insufficiently detailed and there was some confusion among teachers interviewed about how much progress pupils are expected to make in each year group.  Parents’ responses in the on-line questionnaire indicate that they have some concerns relating to the leadership of the school. These views are well founded in the light of the inspection findings. Responding to the concerns of parents was an area for improvement identified in the last inspection. Leaders have not addressed this effectively as almost one third of those who

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The leadership and management are inadequate

completed the Parent View questionnaire do not feel the school responds well if they raise a concern.  The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers.  The school is well maintained. Health and safety requirements are met and safeguarding requirements are robust.  The governance of the school:  Governors are keen to support the school in every way. However, they have a limited understanding of how to interpret school data and therefore do not know how best to question leaders and challenge them about the progress of some groups of pupils. They rely too much upon the judgements of the headteacher to guide them. They have received reports that present the positive aspects of the school’s progress overall, but these reports do not always fully explain the lack of progress of some groups of pupils. Most statutory duties are met, including the performance management of the headteacher, but the reporting of how the

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The leadership and management are inadequate

pupil premium funding is used and the school’s policy for pupils with special educational needs are not clearly communicated.

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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 107051 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 412217

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 333 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair J Moore Headteacher Colin Fleetwood Date of previous school inspection 28 June 2010 Telephone number 0114 2467380 Fax number 0114 2577718 Email address headteacher@grenoside.sheffield.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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