Greenfield Primary School

Greenfield Primary School Gwendoline Drive, Countesthorpe, Leicester, LE8 5SG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 and make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school.  Teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teachers create an atmosphere in lessons which encourages pupils’ enthusiasm for learning.  The way subjects are taught is interesting and exciting. The large number of musical and sporting activities promotes a healthy lifestyle and these give pupils the chance to work with those from other schools.  Behaviour is good in and around school. Pupils are considerate and polite, to adults and to each other.  Pupils feel safe in school and know how to stay safe in different situations.  The headteacher and senior leaders rigorously track how well pupils are learning. They make sure that any in danger of falling behind are helped to keep up. They carefully check the quality of teaching and have ensured that it is consistently good or better, so achievement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

has improved.  Governors are very supportive and visit the school regularly to see how well it is doing. They ask the senior leaders challenging questions, successfully holding them accountable for improving the school.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is particularly strong. The school builds pupils’ confidence to express their views in a thoughtful and appropriate way while respecting the views of others.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 While most teachers give pupils clear guidance as to how they can improve their work, this is not consistent in all classes. Pupils are not always given the opportunity to act on this advice.  Occasionally, more-able pupils lose focus in lessons when teachers explain work that they already understand.  Subject leaders have not had the opportunity to develop skills to analyse how well pupils are doing in their subjects or to use this information to drive improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 31 lessons or parts of lessons, eight of which were seen together with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff, three groups of pupils, the Chair and Vice- Chair of the Governing Body, one other governor and a representative from the local authority.  Informal discussions were also held with parents.  The inspectors took account of the 76 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire Parent View, the school’s own questionnaires for pupils and parents, individual communications from parents and the 31 completed staff questionnaires.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s checks on its performance, its analysis and tracking of pupils’ progress, records of behaviour and safety, school improvement plans, records relating to classroom observations and the management of staff performance, safeguarding arrangements and records of meetings of

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Information about this inspection

the governing body.  The inspectors also looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and checked information on attendance.

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Inspection team

Susan Hughes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Bates Additional Inspector Denise Dalton Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or are looked after by the local authority, is below average.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of such pupils supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The headteacher leads two other local schools in addition to Greenfield Primary School.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that more is outstanding by ensuring that:  all teachers give pupils helpful guidance as to how they can improve their work and make sure that pupils act on the advice  all teachers make sure that more-able pupils have opportunities to make good progress throughout the lessons.  Strengthen leadership and management by providing more opportunities for subject leaders to analyse pupils’ progress and use the information to increase achievement in their areas of responsibility.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start in the Reception classes with skills lower than those typical for their age. They make good progress and leave with skills at least typical for their age, and some stronger. Personal, social and emotional skills are particularly well developed and children are articulate and confident by the time they start Year 1. In 2013, the proportion of pupils who reached a good level of development was above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the most recent national screening check at the end of Year 1 on pupils’ knowledge of phonics (the sounds that letters represent in words) were above average. During the inspection, pupils showed that they could use these skills well to read and write unfamiliar words.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils continue to make good progress through Key Stages 1 and 2. Standards in reading and mathematics for pupils currently in the school are well above average. While standards in writing are slightly lower, they are still above average and pupils’ are making good progress in this subject.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, results of national assessments showed that the overall progress of Year 6 pupils, since they left Key Stage 1, required improvement. This was because of weaker teaching and progress earlier in their time in Key Stage 2, when they fell behind. Their rate of progress improved in Year 5 and they made outstanding progress during their time in Year 6. This made up a lot of the ground lost previously, but did not enable them to eliminate all the weaknesses in their knowledge and skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils make good progress in most classes. Occasionally, however, they do not make the rapid progress they are capable of. This is because there are times in the lesson when they are waiting for work which will help them develop new skills and move forward in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Year 6 pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium in 2013 attained just above other pupils in mathematics but were three terms behind in reading and two and a half terms behind in writing. Eligible pupils currently in the school, however, are making better progress than other pupils. This means that, as they move through the school, gaps between their attainment and that of their classmates are steadily closing. For pupils currently in Year 6, there is no difference in attainment between eligible pupils and others.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make equally good progress to other pupils. They are well supported by additional adults and teachers both in the classroom and in small groups as needed. Their progress is carefully tracked to make sure the support continues to be effective as their needs change.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teachers develop a positive atmosphere so pupils are successfully encouraged to ‘have a go’ at new skills and view any mistakes as learning opportunities. Pupils respond well to this and enthusiastically try new tasks and talk confidently about their learning. For example, Year 1 pupils used coins to see how many ways they could make different amounts of money. They discussed the options with classmates to find all the variations while developing their mathematical vocabulary.  In the Reception classes, teachers provide a good balance between activities that are led by adults, opportunities for children to play together and work on their own. This means that children can practice the skills they have learnt earlier with an adult while playing games or exploring. During the inspection, some boys excitedly listened for animal sounds in the dark room and then used their phonic skills to list the animals heard. Other children used number

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The quality of teaching is good

skills to score their skittles game or work the cash till in their imaginary zoo.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who are entitled to support from the pupil premium, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are all helped to make good progress. Well-briefed adults are sensitive to their particular needs and follow the good examples that teachers set in asking questions which develop learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Sports are taught well throughout the school. Some of the new primary sports funding is used to employ coaches who work alongside teachers. This means that pupils receive high quality coaching, while teachers learn new techniques that they can use in their own teaching. Pupils enjoy sports activities and have been very successful when competing against other schools.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons, teachers constantly check pupils’ understanding and build on this. They ask searching questions and encourage pupils to explain their answers which helps them develop their thinking and learning. Occasionally, however, some more-able pupils lose focus if the teacher is explaining what they already know and they are impatient to do more challenging work which helps them make more rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers give pupils clear guidance as to how they can improve their work. They then make sure that pupils have the opportunity to act on the advice. However, this is not consistently done in all classes. Some advice is clearer than others and sometimes teachers do not ensure that it is acted upon.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Leaders ensure that clear procedures are in place and staff are rigorously checked prior to appointment. Pupils know how to use the internet safely and told inspectors about visitors to school who taught them road and fire safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Adults set a good example to pupils in the courteous and sensitive way they speak to them. Pupils respond well to these good role models and enter into discussions maturely and with respect for others’ feelings. For example, Year 6 pupils sensibly discussed the difference between legal and illegal drug usage.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This is true in lessons and around school. They are pleasant and polite and play happily together on the playground. In lessons pupils readily help each other and show concern if anyone is troubled. Pupils who are new to the school say that it is a friendly place and they quickly settled in.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils who find behaving well difficult are well supported. The clear system of rewards and sanctions which are consistently followed by staff helps them improve their behaviour over time. There are few disruptions to lessons and pupils feel that overall behaviour is good in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including emotional and cyber bullying. They say there is some occasional bullying but it is always sorted out, even if it takes a little while sometimes. Pupils were adamant that there was always someone they could go to if they had any concerns and they know they would be taken seriously.  Pupils say they enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in their good, and still improving, attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is ably led by the energetic and enthusiastic headteacher and his leadership team. Senior leaders rigorously check how well pupils are doing to quickly identify and help any who are in danger of not making good progress. Some subject leaders, however, have not had the opportunity to develop skills of analysing achievement patterns across the whole school in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 The appraisal system for checking teachers’ performance, introduced last year, has contributed to the good teaching across the school. Individual targets are used by the headteacher and the governing body to measure whether pay rises and promotion are justified by results. Staff say they are able to refine their skills and learn new ones through regular training opportunities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has formed strong partnerships with other schools, especially those who share the same headteacher. This helps staff share expertise and learn from each other while giving pupils opportunities to work with those in other schools. The school promotes equality of opportunity well and makes sure that no groups of pupils achieve less well than others.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills effectively in different subjects. For example, they consistently remind pupils about the importance of grammatical accuracy, whether writing a historical account or recording a scientific investigation. The school has already started teaching parts of the new curriculum which is due to be introduced in September 2014.

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The leadership and management are good

 Music, art and sports play an important part in pupils’ learning. Most pupils have the opportunity to learn an instrument and, during the inspection, steel drums were being taught. Pupils’ art work is displayed around the school and shows well-developed skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good use is made of the additional government funding for sports and physical education to improve pupils’ physical well-being and skills. For example, additional sports clubs and organised games at lunchtime are run by specialist coaches, and are well attended.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural education supports pupils in developing self-awareness and respect for others. It gives pupils confidence to formulate well-structured discussions and ask pertinent questions. For example, when Year 5 pupils talked about objects that are precious to them, a pupil suggested more thinking time to make sure they were mentally well-prepared. They listened intently and asked each other thoughtful questions.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided appropriate checks to make sure that pupils achieve well. Prior to the 2013 Year 6 results, it assessed the school as not needing additional support and has re- established that pupils continue to make good progress and achieve well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are very supportive and understand the strengths of the school and how it can improve. They visit regularly to check for themselves how well pupils are doing and ask senior leaders challenging questions to make sure that no groups of pupils are being left behind. Governors talk to pupils regularly about their learning and to hear their views of the school. They make good use of data to check how well pupils are making progress.  Governors manage the school’s finances effectively and know that the pupil premium is helping eligible pupils to achieve well. They understand how the new primary school sports funding is used to extend physical education opportunities. Governors appreciate how the new appraisal system has contributed to the good teaching. They make sure that teachers’ pay rises are linked to the progress that pupils make and that teachers have high quality training

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities.  Governors make sure that national requirements for safeguarding and child protection 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 132226 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 443897

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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 524 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Smith Headteacher Colin Bowpitt Date of previous school inspection 20 April 2010 Telephone number 0116 2773584 Fax number 0116 2781365 Email address office@greenfield.leics.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 and 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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