Greenfield Primary School

Greenfield Primary School Shaw Street, Greenfield, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL3 7AA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Outstanding leadership by the headteacher and other senior leaders over the last few years has rapidly improved achievement and the quality of teaching. Staff are highly committed to do their best for the pupils in the school.  Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. They make rapid progress and gain very high standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils with disabilities or special educational needs and the most able make rapid progress and their attainment is outstanding.  Pupils for whom there is additional funding (pupil premium) reach standards as high as other pupils in the school and make exceptionally good progress.  Teaching is inspiring and of the highest quality. It is never less than good and often outstanding.  Marking of pupils’ work is of a high standard and helps pupils to make rapid progress. However, occasionally mistakes in pupils’ spelling are not picked up and addressed.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 An excellent foundation for learning is laid in the early years for children to thrive exceptionally well and rapidly develop new knowledge and skills. Inspiring activities capture the children’s imaginations.  The rich curriculum fosters a love of learning in the pupils. They enjoy the challenges presented through a range of interesting topics, which are further enriched by stimulating visits and visitors and a variety of clubs and activities after school.  Pupils’ outstanding behaviour is a major strength of the school. Pupils are polite, respectful and caring towards each other and adults. They feel safe and secure in school.  The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. The high standard of care and expectation of their conduct and effort fosters a sense of pride in themselves, the school and the community.  The governing body are highly effective in the way in which they carry out their duties. They provide

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

strong support for the headteacher and staff in the school. The school is well placed to thrive in the future and reach even higher standards.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed nine lessons including one observation carried out jointly with the headteacher. The inspectors also observed small group work and listened to pupils reading. They observed pupils as they arrived for school and at break and lunchtimes.  The inspectors carried out a review of pupils’ work.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff, members of the governing body, the School Improvement Partner and a representative from the local authority.  A wide range of documentation was reviewed including systems for tracking pupils’ progress, safeguarding arrangements, policies, a record of the school’s lesson observations and pupils’ work in their books.  Pupils’ views of the school were gathered through informal discussions with individual pupils in lessons and at break and lunchtimes. Discussions were also held with representative groups of pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

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Information about this inspection

 Sixty-five responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were considered alongside the school’s most recent questionnaire and one email from a parent.

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Inspection team

Elisabeth Fenwick, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Greenfield Primary School is a smaller than average primary school.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British Heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club managed by a private provider.  There is an on-site nursery managed by the governing body but this provision was not part of this

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Information about this school

inspection.  The school has achieved a number of awards including the Green Flag Award for their Eco work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils use their spelling skills accurately in English and other subjects across the curriculum by:  making sure that mistakes are picked up in marking and time given to pupils to correct these  encouraging pupils to check their spellings carefully, using dictionaries where necessary  senior and middle leaders regularly checking, during monitoring, that spelling is consistently of a high standard in pupils’ books and other work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Outstanding leadership by the headteacher and other leaders in school has resulted in rapidly rising standards so that pupils’ attainment and progress are well-above average. The senior team along with middle leaders have the skills to sustain the high levels of achievement and personal development.  Middle leaders give good support to the senior team and take responsibility for a range of subjects, such as English, mathematics, science and computer technology. They are highly effective in their monitoring of pupils’ progress in the different subjects and ensure that all pupils are achieving as well as they can.  The provision for pupils with disabilities and special educational needs and for disadvantaged pupils is managed exceptionally well to the benefit of those pupils.  The school tracks the progress of all pupils meticulously and if any pupils are falling behind immediate help is given to ensure they catch up quickly. Therefore, all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The management of staff performance is rigorous. Staff training is carefully linked to the needs of the school ensuring that there is a continuous focus on improving standards.  Pupils benefit from an outstanding curriculum which engages them in thinking creatively and critically as they study different topics. The topics are chosen carefully to capture pupils’ imaginations. A wide range of clubs and after-school activities, as well as educational visits, provide pupils with the chance to explore different things beyond the basic curriculum. Provision for computer technology is excellent. Pupils are given opportunities to develop their skills further through after-school clubs.  The partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive timely and informative reports about their children’s achievements in school and are welcome at any time to talk with staff. The school website is very informative.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Highly effective use has been made of the primary school sports fund to enable pupils to learn new skills in a wider range of sports. An expert sports coach is working with staff and pupils to develop skills in sports they are less familiar with, for example street dance.  Pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Every opportunity is taken to teach pupils how to value and respect each other and this is reflected in their exemplary behaviour. The pupils have a strong sense of community and show pride in their school as well as pride in their wider community. They have a good understanding of British and other cultures.  The local authority monitors the school through reports from an external School Improvement Partner. The support given by the School Improvement Partner is highly effective.  The governance of the school:  Governors are outstanding in the way in which they carry out their duties in supporting the school. They

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The leadership and management are outstanding

hold special responsibilities, including links to curriculum subjects. They have an excellent understanding of the performance of the school, including through analysing data. Their monitoring of the school is highly effective and they rigorously hold the school to account.  Governors visit the school regularly and make regular visits to classrooms. They have a very good overview of the quality of teaching in the school.  The governors take safeguarding extremely seriously and ensure that all statutory safeguarding requirements are met.  They take an appropriate role in determining teachers’ progression through the pay scales and also in managing the performance of the headteacher.  The governors manage the finances extremely well and do everything they can to make sure that pupils have the resources they need to achieve the highest possible standards. The funding for supporting disadvantaged pupils is spent appropriately to enable these pupils to access all parts of the curriculum

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and catch up academically if they need to.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They are always polite and respectful of others. Relationships are exemplary and pupils show empathy and consideration for each other. They have a mature, confident approach when talking to each other and to adults. The majority of parents are of the opinion that pupils are well behaved.  Attendance is very high. Pupils say they love being at school and enjoy the work they are given. They are clearly motivated by targets that are set for their behaviour, such as ‘Good to be Green’ where they receive a certificate for being well behaved all week. Pupils feel valued and appreciate the help they are given by their teachers. They take a pride in themselves and their school and always make an effort to do their best.  Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities, such as being on the school council or part of the Eco School work.  They understand about different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying, racist name calling or making

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

fun of others for their choice of lifestyle. They report that bullying hardly ever happens but when it does it is sorted out quickly. They say that they feel safe at school. They are aware of the risks of using the internet and know how to keep themselves safe from harm.  The school’s work to keep the pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and often have visitors such as the Community Police Officer to talk to them. Parents are confident that their children feel safe at school and are looked after well.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The consistently good and often outstanding teaching over time is the reason why pupils achieve so highly and make rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics as well as in other subjects of the curriculum.  Pupils enjoy learning. They respond extremely well to their teachers’ high expectations of them. In lessons, teachers constantly make sure that all pupils understand what is being taught. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions and say when they do not understand something. Teaching assistants are highly effective in their support of pupils experiencing difficulties in their learning.  Stimulating learning activities are closely matched to the ability of pupils because staff regularly check on their attainment and tailor activities to individual needs. The most able pupils and others are challenged in their learning and an excellent work ethic is evident in every class.  The approach to teaching literacy is very successful. Pupils are confident readers and love books. They are

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

heard reading often and benefit from skilled volunteers who also give time to listening to them read.  Pupils benefit from clear and to the point teaching about grammar, punctuation and spelling so that by Year 6 they are competent writers and can apply their skills to writing in other subjects.  Marking is constructive and helpful in improving pupils’ work; however, occasionally it does not pick up on simple spelling mistakes or follow-up when the same mistakes are being made over time. Pupils do not always check their work carefully enough.  Great emphasis is made on developing pupils’ skills across the curriculum. The creative approach to teaching pupils about different periods in history or science, for example, stimulates enthusiasm and excitement. Pupils learning about dinosaurs were keen to share what they had found out. Other pupils talked about how they could compare life in Britain at the time of the Romans and life in Britain today.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Excellent use is made of educational visits to support learning in the classroom. Pupils in Year 1, learning about space through a topic on ‘aliens’, were looking forward to a visit to Jodrell Bank. Pupils also have opportunities to extend their skills and confidence by taking part in a wide range of after-school clubs and activities, such as computing, band, singing, chess and sports. Many of the clubs are so popular there are waiting lists.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 From their starting points, the vast majority of pupils make rapid progress and exceed expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment at the end of Year 6 is very high. Pupils also achieve highly in other subjects, such as computing.  Younger pupils’ learning about letters and sounds is very secure so that by the end of Year 1 the vast majority of pupils reach the standard expected for their age in the national screening for phonics (the sounds that letters make). By the end of Year 2 standards in reading, writing and mathematics are typically above average.  Progress continues to be rapid through Key Stage 2. The unpublished 2014 results for Year 6 are significantly higher than previous years particularly at the higher levels (Level 5 and Level 6). Robust tracking data held by the school shows that pupils currently in Year 6 are already working at similarly high levels.  Pupils have excellent reading skills and clearly enjoy reading widely. They love talking about the books

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

they have read and are already developing strong preferences for different types of books. Reading skills are highly developed across the school.  The school ensures that all pupils achieve equally well. The most able pupils achieve exceptionally well and the proportion of pupils exceeding the national expected levels for their age is increasing rapidly. During the inspection, the unpublished results showed that a high proportion of pupils in Year 6 in 2014 gained the highest Level 6 in mathematics.  Pupils with disabilities and special educational needs are given excellent support, which enables them to make very good and often exceptional progress.  The small proportion of disadvantaged pupils makes the same rapid progress as their classmates. Teachers are very aware of their needs and track their progress carefully. The extra support they are given is highly effective and, as a result, they achieve as highly as other pupils. In 2013, these pupils were

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

just over two terms behind all pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. They were three terms behind other pupils in the school in reading and mathematics and two terms behind in writing. The 2014 results show that these gaps have been closed and all pupils reached at least the expected Level 4 at the end of Year 6 in reading and writing. Almost all the pupils reached this level in mathematics.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children enter the Reception Year with skills and abilities which are broadly typical for their age. They quickly develop excellent skills in speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics so that the evidence from records over time indicates that by the start of Year 1 most children have reached good levels of development for their age with a good proportion exceeding them. Children with disabilities or special educational needs, and the most able, make as much progress as other children.  The teaching in the early years is outstanding. Teachers know the children well through accurate assessments and provide children with exciting activities, which help to develop their curiosity and imagination. They are confident in their learning and know what they want to do. A small group of children were observed confidently arranging a set of number tiles in order from nought to 10. They made

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The early years provision is outstanding

their own decisions about how to order the numbers and were extremely pleased when they achieved it.  Children have excellent attitudes to learning. They listen well and concentrate for long periods of time. They show excellent skills in early reading, writing and number. Many of them are already confidently counting up to 10 and 20 with support, as well as starting to count in 10s to 100.  The children have developed excellent relationships with each other and the adults supporting them. They are confident with the daily routines and show a good knowledge of days of the week and months of the year. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.  Excellent partnerships with parents have been developed. Parents are welcomed into the classroom and are given lots of information about their children’s progress.  Leaders in the early years are highly effective. They consistently provide the very best start for the

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 105667 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 449135

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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 167 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ceri Davies Headteacher Mike Wood Date of previous school inspection 27 June 2011 Telephone number 0161 770 5525 Fax number Not applicable Email address info@greenfield.oldham.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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