Greenhead Church of England Nursery & Primary School

Greenhead Church of England Primary School Greenhead, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 7HB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Not enough pupils make fast enough progress as they move through the school, particularly in writing.  The quality of teaching in phonics (the sounds that letters make) has not been good over time because of inconsistent classroom practice.  Sometimes, teachers set work in mathematics that is too easy for the older pupils and they do not make enough progress as a result.  Teachers have not provided enough opportunities for pupils to correct and improve their work for themselves so that they make more rapid progress.  The indoor and outdoor areas in the early years do not provide enough opportunities for children to use their new skills in reading, writing and number. Consequently, children do not make good progress.  Leaders do not check effectively on the progress made by children in the early years. This is because there are insufficient examples of children’s work in their learning journals.  Senior and middle leaders do not monitor the work

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

of the school regularly or rigorously enough. As a result, achievement is not consistently good.  Senior leaders’ judgement of the school’s performance requires improvement. They do not judge the impact of the school improvement actions with sufficient rigour.  Governors have not held the school to account well enough for its performance.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching assistants are deployed well. They support the learning of identified pupils effectively. These pupils make good progress.  The school provides very well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils look after each other well and know right from wrong.  Pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay safe, especially when using modern technology.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They enjoy school, work hard in lessons, want to learn, and care for each other very well.  There are very effective transition arrangements between the on-site nursery setting and the school. As a result, children settle very quickly into the Reception class.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. It was subsequently deemed a section 5 inspection due to the extent of concerns relating to leadership and management, particularly governance.  The inspector visited six part-lessons, four of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also visited a range of other lessons for short periods, including groups that support the development of pupils’ reading and phonic skills.  Meetings were held with school leaders and four governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. The inspector also spoke to two representatives from Northumberland local authority and a representative from the Church of England Diocese of Newcastle.  The inspector spoke formally to a group of pupils on the second day of the inspection and informally to pupils in lessons and at various times during each day.  Questionnaire returns completed by seven members of staff were taken into consideration.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector scrutinised a range of pupils’ workbooks and information about pupils’ current progress in lessons. A number of documents, including the school’s improvement plan, attendance records, information relating to the work the school does to keep pupils safe and minutes of the governing body meetings were also reviewed.  Too few parents completed the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) for their responses to be taken into account. However, the inspector considered responses to the school’s own parental survey and spoke with parents informally at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Belita Scott, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Greenhead Church of England Primary School, together with Henshaw Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Herdley Bank Primary School and Whitfield Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, is part of the West Tyne Federation of Schools. All of the schools in the West Tyne Federation have the same governing body and the same headteacher.  The school recently converted from a first school to a primary school and now has pupils in Year 5.  The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for support through pupil premium funding, has risen year on year and is now broadly average. Pupil premium funding is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible to receive free school meals and for those who are looked after by

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Information about this school

the local authority.  All pupils are of White British heritage.  Children in the early years attend full-time provision in the Reception class.  There is an on-site pre-school facility, Greenhead Pre-school and Rainbow Nursery. It is subject to its own inspection and was judged to be outstanding at its most recent inspection. The report can be found at: http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management at all levels by:  measuring the impact of the improvement actions the school has carried out when completing the school’s self-evaluation  including sharp targets and timescales in school improvement planning  improving the monitoring skills of senior and middle leaders so they have a sharp understanding of the attainment and progress of individual pupils and groups of pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to accelerate progress in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 by:  planning more opportunities for pupils to write at length  providing more opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills to solve problems and carry out investigations  celebrating pupils’ work in writing and mathematics through high quality display.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the provision in the early years by:  making sure that the information about what pupils can do is accurate and up to date  urgently remodelling the indoor environment to ensure that children and adults are safe at all times  ensuring that there are plenty of opportunities for the children to undertake number work and mark- making in the indoor and outdoor environments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s leaders have failed to ensure that achievement is good enough in writing in Key Stage 2 and in phonics in Key Stage 1.  The school’s judgement of its own effectiveness requires improvement. It describes the improvement actions that have taken place. School leaders do not evaluate the impact that these actions have had on the progress that pupils make and the standards they reach.  Leaders do not have an informed view of the progress that children make in the early years. They are hampered by the quality of children’s learning journals, which have few examples of children’s work. This makes it difficult for leaders to make accurate evaluations of their progress.  Leaders have taken effective action to improve the teaching of phonics following the steep decline in standards in 2014.  Middle leaders understand their areas of responsibility. Their expertise in monitoring the work of the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

school is improving because of the good quality training they have received from the local authority.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively so that by the end of Key Stage 1, disadvantaged pupils reach standards that are above the national average for all pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. It prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain, especially through the provision of educational visits to a range of geographically and culturally diverse places. However, in mathematics, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use their skills and knowledge to solve problems and carry out mathematical investigations. In writing, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to write at length.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Good relations are fostered and discrimination in all its forms is rejected. Pupils have a sound understanding of

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The leadership and management requires improvement

democracy through their school council elections. They show respect and tolerance in every aspect of school life in accordance with the school’s mission statement of ‘Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.’  The primary school physical education and sport funding has been used effectively to employ a specialist coach, purchase equipment and widen the range of sporting activities on offer both in school and after school. As a result, participation rates have increased.  The local authority has an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Officers have provided recent training for senior staff new to role in the monitoring of teaching and have monitored provision in the early years.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding and child protection are effective and meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has an inaccurate view of the quality of teaching in some areas of the school. This

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The leadership and management requires improvement

makes it difficult to hold staff to account.  While governors understand the need to link teachers’ performance and pay progression, this is not carried through in practice. Teachers’ performance management arrangements do not include any measurable targets, particularly in relation to the progress made by the pupils they teach.  Governors have carried out a small number of monitoring visits to the school. Although a recent initiative, they are much better informed about what is going on and have provided challenge to the school. For example, they have challenged the standard of handwriting in Key Stage 2.  Governors have accessed recent training in relation to the school’s data. They are knowledgeable about the standards reached in the early years and Key Stage 1 through published data and about the standards reached in Year 4 through the local authority’s data.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in lessons and are eager to learn. Pupils told the inspector that occasional incidences of pupils talking at inappropriate times in lessons or talking over the top of the teacher are tackled immediately by the staff.  Pupils behave well during morning break and at lunchtime. They organise the equipment for team games and make sure that everyone has a friend with whom to play. Similarly, the dining hall is a well organised venue for lunch and for talking to friends.  Pupils are very welcoming to visitors and are eager to engage in conversation. They are polite, respectful and considerate to their friends and all of the adults in school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  The school meets all safeguarding requirements. Leaders go the extra mile to involve a wide range of professionals to support the families and the children in the community.  Pupils have a very thorough knowledge of e-safety and know how to keep themselves safe when using modern technology. Pupils told the inspector that they feel safe in school and that school prepares them well for life outside of school.  Pupils are knowledgeable about the forms that bullying can take. They assured the inspector that the very occasional incidences of name-calling are dealt with immediately by school staff.  The indoor early years environment is overcrowded and some of the furniture is very large. As a result, sometimes doors are opened onto pupils and staff who are sitting in the classroom. Similarly, because of the size and placement of the furniture, teachers find it difficult to give individual attention to all of the

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Safety

pupils working in the information and communication technology suite.  Pupils are eager to attend school and arrive punctually. Attendance, which is broadly average, is improving.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of phonics in the early years and Key Stage 1 requires improvement because a significant proportion of pupils did not reach the expected standards in the Year 1 phonics check in 2014. The lower ability pupils do not recognise the common ‘tricky’ words such as ‘where’, ‘went’ and ‘was’. They find it difficult to read words such as ‘like’, ‘sage’ and ‘love’.  Similarly, the teaching of writing requires improvement because progress slows in Key Stage 2. Teachers do not expect enough of their pupils. Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to write at length.  Pupils do not get enough opportunity to use their knowledge and skills to solve mathematical problems and carry out mathematical investigations. Although teachers plan work for pupils of different abilities, the older pupils told the inspector that their work in mathematics is sometimes too easy.  Teachers mark work diligently. Following advice from the local authority, their marking is having a more

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

immediate impact on pupils’ progress. Pupils have more frequent opportunities to improve their work and appreciate the time allocated to make their green pen corrections.  Teachers use questioning effectively to judge pupils’ understanding in lessons. They track the progress that pupils make and intervene effectively when pupils are in danger of falling behind.  The work that pupils complete is not celebrated effectively. There are very few examples of pupils’ written work in English and mathematics on display.  Teaching assistants make a very positive contribution to the attainment and progress of pupils. They use their skills effectively to support pupils during individual and small group intervention work.  Pupils present their work very neatly in mathematics. Governors recently identified that the pupils’ presentation in written work requires improvement and, as a result, the pupils are practising their

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because progress is inconsistent across key stages and across subjects.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1, which had been broadly average over time, increased dramatically in 2014. However, improvement is not consistent across the school. The first Year 4 cohort in the school reached broadly average standards in reading and mathematics but failed to reach the expected standard in writing.  The very small number of disadvantaged pupils make at least expected progress and achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics from the end of the early years.  The most-able pupils in Year 4, the oldest year group in 2014, made expected progress in reading, more- than-expected progress in mathematics and much less-than-expected progress in writing.  The very small proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs make good, but

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

small steps, of progress because their individual needs are met through well-targeted support.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 There are highly effective transition arrangements between the on-site nursery and the Reception class. Children from both settings work together on a regular basis throughout the school year. The nursery provides the school with an accurate assessment of each child’s skills and capabilities on entry to the Reception class.  Children generally enter Reception with skills and capabilities that are typical for their age. Progress in the early years is inconsistent. Children made below average progress in 2013 and above average progress in 2014. Therefore, children’s readiness to start Year 1 is inconsistent.  Achievement is also inconsistent across areas of learning in the early years. Children consistently achieve less well in the prime areas of learning of literacy and mathematics than they do in other areas.  There are not enough opportunities for the children to use their developing skills in number, reading and

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Early years provision requires improvement

writing in the indoor and outdoor environments.  Leaders find it difficult to judge the progress that the children make in the early years at different points during the year because there are so few entries in the children’s learning journals and in their files of work. This is despite a recommendation from the local authority during the autumn term to increase the amount of information in the children’s journals.  Children behave extremely well in the early years. They look after one another and have empathy for those around them. They like to attend school and, during the inspection, one child was overheard to say ‘I want to work hard all day.’  The indoor environment is overcrowded and sometimes unsafe. Furniture, particularly seating, is often placed too near doors which open inwards. Children and adults are at risk of being hurt.  Parents are happy with the provision, the individual attention that their children get and the ease with

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Early years provision requires improvement

which their children settle into school life.

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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 122284 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 464003

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 40 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Sharp Headteacher Judith Reay Date of previous school inspection 15 September 2011 Telephone number 01697 747347 Fax number 01697 747347 Email address judith.reay@northumberland.gov.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

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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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