Glenmere Community Primary School

Glenmere Community Primary School Estoril Avenue, Wigston, LE18 3RD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy 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 Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Outstanding leadership at all levels has been effective in making rapid improvements to teaching and pupils’ achievement, and motivating pupils to develop outstanding behaviour and attitudes to learning.  Pupils make outstanding progress from their starting points and reach high standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is outstanding because teachers use their excellent knowledge of what pupils already know to plan work which is highly challenging for pupils of all abilities.  Teachers use excellent questioning skills to confirm pupils’ understanding and to challenge them further. Teachers give feedback during lessons which helps to deepen pupils’ understanding.  Teachers’ thorough and careful marking helps pupils to understand how to improve their work.  A stimulating range of topics across all subjects gives pupils excellent opportunities to apply their reading, writing and mathematical skills in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

investigations and in solving problems.  Pupils’ outstanding behaviour and attitudes enable them to concentrate and persevere in all lessons and this supports their learning extremely well.  Pupils are exceptionally happy in school and say that they feel very safe because they trust adults to help them. Staff are trained well to identify any concerns and are very effective in keeping pupils safe.  There is an exceptionally calm, purposeful and happy atmosphere in all areas of the school based upon respect, tolerance and thirst for learning.  Pupils, staff and parents express a very high level of satisfaction and confidence in the work of the school.  The school’s partnerships within the multi academy trust and the teaching-school alliance have successfully supported its very rapid development. The high-quality training provided for all staff ensures pupils’ outstanding achievement.  Governors’ extensive training enables them to have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

an excellent understanding of the school’s strengths and areas to develop. They are very skilled in checking the school’s work and ensure that teaching and achievement are outstanding.  Provision in the early years is good because teachers use accurate assessment to plan exciting activities indoors and outside which help most children of all abilities to make good progress. However, teaching in the early years is not yet outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 15 lessons, two of which were jointly observed with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They also visited an assembly and examined the quality of work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school, and at break and lunchtimes. They had informal discussions with pupils and met with the school council.  Inspectors took account of the 18 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as the school’s own survey of parents’ views. Inspectors also took account of the 18 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors met with some parents and carers, the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other school leaders and a group of governors. The lead inspector spoke by telephone to the lead teacher for the teaching-school alliance.  Inspectors looked at school documents, including: information about pupils’ achievement; records of

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Information about this inspection

behaviour and attendance; records of monitoring; academy self-evaluation; plans for improvement; and information relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lynne Bradbury, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Children attend full time in the Reception class.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils – those supported through the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is extra government funding to support the education of those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average.  Glenmere Primary School converted to become an academy school on 1 July 2013. When its predecessor school of the same name was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The executive headteacher is also executive headteacher of the partner school, Longmoor Primary School, in the Glenmere Multi Academy Trust. He is a National Leader of Education.  The Chair of the Governing Body is a National Leader of Governance.

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a teaching school alliance.  There were staffing difficulties, particularly affecting Year 1, in the school year 2013/14.  Pupils transfer to the secondary school at the end of Year 5.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in the early years in order to accelerate children’s progress further by:  using the best practice within the school to help staff in the early years to plan activities which challenge pupils of all abilities appropriately.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The executive headteacher has established drive and urgency for improvement. His actions have led to a school culture where outstanding teaching and excellent behaviour are raising levels of achievement for all pupils.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders and governors rigorously check pupils’ progress to identify strengths and what needs to improve. They use this information to plan robust steps which result in very rapid further improvement. For example, they have established expectations that pupils’ skills will be applied in investigations and solving problems to stretch the thinking of pupils of all abilities. The rapid rate of pupils’ progress confirms the success of such developments.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior and subject leaders undertake a full range of monitoring activities including observing teaching and learning, scrutinising books and helping teachers to analyse assessment information. The outcomes of these activities enable leaders to plan appropriate training and improvement for all staff, which lead to pupils’ high achievement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 In the early years, leaders continue to support further improvement so that pupils’ good achievement on entry to Year 1 can be further improved. School leaders are developing systems to ensure that the best practice in school, challenging pupils of all abilities, is used to support this process in the early years.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Provision for pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is evident in all aspects of school life. The school’s values are very high priorities and reflected in pupils’ personal development. Pupils’ respect, tolerance and care for others is evident throughout the school day. Their interest and thirst for learning make an exceptional contribution to their progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Assemblies and topic lessons encourage pupils to reflect upon British values of fairness and right and wrong. There are many opportunities for pupils to support vulnerable people through charities, and to understand and work with people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain and show high levels of respect and tolerance of the views of others.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Vibrant displays and the exceptional quality of work in pupils’ books demonstrate pupils’ enthusiasm for the wide range of topics which combine subjects into a rich curricular experience. Pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics skills are applied and developed in stimulating situations. For example, Year 1 had to write and rigorously improve sentences about how they had reached the ‘Caribbean island’ set up in the middle of the classroom.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils greatly value the extra opportunities offered through visits, clubs and sporting activities which help them to develop healthy lifestyles and attitudes to fitness. These opportunities have a great deal of prominence on the school website.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The outstanding progress made by all groups of pupils in all Years 1 to 5 and the good progress of children in the early years demonstrate the school’s excellent commitment to equal opportunities. The extra teacher and cover supervisor resourced through the pupil premium funding ensure that disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress. Leaders do not tolerate any form of discrimination.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Sports coaches paid for by the sports funding ensure that staff are gaining improved skills in teaching sport. Pupils have high-quality sporting experiences within the school day and after school. Football, cricket, gymnastics and dance raise pupils’ awareness of the importance and enthusiasm for developing such skills. Consequently, they gain greatly in health and physical well-being.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Parents, staff and pupils express a high level of pride and satisfaction with the work of the school and pupils’ achievements. Parents are welcomed as partners in their children’s learning and this has a positive impact upon relationships at all levels and pupils’ attitudes to work.  Leaders and governors ensure that all staff are well trained in protecting pupils. Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and are highly effective in keeping pupils safe.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Partnerships across the multi academy trust and the teaching school alliance give support for the further development of leadership in the schools, and to improve curricular provision. These successful partnerships also ensure that staff across all these schools analyse and agree the accuracy of the assessment of pupils’ levels of achievement from the point of entry to leaving the school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governance is highly effective. Governors judge the work of the school for themselves and have undertaken extensive training so that they can hold leaders to account for pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching.  They use rigorous monitoring systems to measure staff performance against ambitious targets for pupils’ achievement through appraisal arrangements. Decisions on progression in pay are based upon these analyses.  Governors use finance to support school development plans which are carefully managed and monitored and identify areas for improvement based on their accurate analysis of the information on pupils’ progress. Governors carefully monitor the impact of extra funding, such as the pupil premium funding.  The governing body ensures that safeguarding procedures are highly effective in keeping pupils safe and meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They demonstrate a consistent thirst for learning which helps them to make exceptional progress. They concentrate, persevere and work alone or in teams to a very high standard. They take a great deal of care with their work and present it extremely well.

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Behaviour

 Relationships between staff and pupils in all classes are warm and supportive, and give pupils the confidence to do their very best. Pupils are very proud of the happy atmosphere in classes and greatly appreciate the rewards for good work and effort.

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Behaviour

 Pupils follow the staff example to treat everyone with great respect. They are sensible whether in school or playing in the playground and take care of the environment and school equipment. The pupils are proud of the responsibilities they have for the smooth running of the school and for helping others. They support others in their reading and playing on the playground, organise books, assembly and resources, and vote responsibly for those who represent them on the school council.

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Behaviour

 During the inspection, there were no disruptions of any kind to lessons. Pupils and the school’s records confirm that this is how school usually is.

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Behaviour

 Teachers use praise and rewards well to encourage pupils’ positive attitudes and to help them feel proud of their achievements.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are extremely enthusiastic about the stimulating range of activities in their topic work and talk about how they use their basic reading, writing and mathematical skills to investigate other subjects. They are keen to take part in many sports and clubs outside lessons including, football, rugby, athletics, gymnastics and the ‘booster’ groups in holidays.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Safeguarding processes are highly effective in keeping pupils safe and meet statutory requirements. Policies and practices are reviewed regularly in order to keep pace with changes in technology and the local area. They are implemented rigorously and checked regularly by governors. Every member of the school staff is highly committed to ensuring that these policies protect all children and particularly the most vulnerable. The school makes appropriate checks on all visitors and new members of staff.  Pupils say that they feel very safe at school, know how to keep themselves safe, and trust staff to help if they need it. They understand the different forms that bullying can take, including those which involve mobile phones and the internet. They insist that bullying does not happen in their school but, if it did, they know that staff would deal with it very urgently and successfully. Pupils are very experienced in sorting

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Safety

out problems among their friendship groups – with a high degree of success.

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Safety

 Pupils say that staff check very carefully that pupils do not use unkind language or talk about others who are different in some way.

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Safety

 Attendance is broadly average. Strictly applied policies ensure that any pupil who finds difficulty attending school is supported to improve their attendance.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Staff use their excellent understanding of what pupils already know to plan work which challenges pupils of all abilities exceptionally well. This enables pupils to make outstanding progress particularly in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Staff quickly identify any pupils at risk of falling behind by using the evidence of their work and the school’s system to measure progress. They give these pupils urgent support so that they catch up very quickly and build confidence in their own ability.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers challenge pupils of all abilities in solving problems and investigations across a range of subjects. Staff use questioning extremely skilfully to determine pupils’ understanding and to challenge them further or to give them extra support.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers set homework which encourages pupils to practise and apply their skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils respond very positively and enjoy researching topics and produce excellent work.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Staff make the curriculum extremely interesting and use the rewards system very well. As a result, pupils work hard, are extremely well behaved, enthusiastic and proud of their excellent work.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers ensure that pupils know the targets to be attained for each subject and use these to check their progress. Consistently high-quality marking by all staff helps pupils to know what they have achieved and how to improve their work. Teachers ensure that these areas are addressed and are followed up in pupils’ next piece of work. This practice is very effective in raising standards.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 All staff have very high expectations of themselves and their pupils. Staff encourage pupils to judge the quality of their own work and to assess what they have achieved so that they know what needs to be improved. This effective practice gives pupils an exceptional understanding of the process of learning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 All staff give a very high level of nurture and support to pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. They praise and encourage pupils who work very hard in response. Pupils talk with great enthusiasm about their lessons and the fun they have in learning. They find it very difficult to decide which lessons they like best, as teachers combine a wide range of subjects into enthralling topics.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants make an outstanding contribution to pupils’ achievement because they are well trained. They use their excellent skills to support pupils to develop specific skills, contribute to the care for all pupils and give particular attention to extending the learning of disadvantaged pupils.

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is outstanding

 Pupils, including the most able, make outstanding progress and reach high standards as they move through the school. ln 2014, pupils at the end of Year 2 attained levels in line with those nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. As staffing has stabilised and development work has been extended with partner schools, achievement has improved extremely rapidly. Current high levels of attainment in Years 1 and 2 are reflected in their workbooks, particularly for the most able pupils.

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is outstanding

 By the time pupils leave at the end of Year 5, they attain standards above those usually found at that age and pupils of all abilities make outstanding progress from their starting points. High levels of achievement are evident in workbooks across all subjects, and in lessons observed in Years 1 to 5.

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is outstanding

 In 2014, Year 1 pupils attained levels below those nationally expected in the Year 1 phonics (letters and the sounds they make) check. However, as the teaching of phonics has improved greatly, their progress since this point shows that their reading and spelling has improved extremely rapidly.

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is outstanding

 Pupils enjoy greatly the wide range of reading opportunities in all classes, and have a wide range of favourite authors and types of books. Reading skills are applied throughout the school in researching topic areas across many subjects and using their understanding to create fact files and extended writing.

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is outstanding

 Pupils are making outstanding progress in writing because teachers use highly stimulating and exciting subjects for pupils to write about and encourage pupils to extend, improve and correct their own and each other’s work. Pupils use a wide range of appropriate vocabulary, accurate spelling, and produce well- structured and punctuated pieces of writing which are presented with great care. For example, a Year 3 class used the story of an ant to explore the school playing field and to write how it would feel to be an ant.

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is outstanding

 In mathematics, pupils apply their skills to explore and investigate the world around them and to deepen their understanding. For example, Year 5 books showed how the most-able pupils worked extremely confidently and successfully on translating shapes and co-ordinates, while those who find mathematics more challenging worked on understanding the properties of shapes. In Year 2, some pupils used coins to make 10 and 20 pence, while some showed excellent understanding of high level work and made £125 from notes of various denominations.

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is outstanding

 Assessment information shows that the most-able pupils make rapid progress. Their workbooks show how they are stretched and challenged through investigations and addressing challenging problems leading to extremely high standards. They reach very high standards by the end of Year 5, and information about their progress in the high school shows that pupils from this school have been among the top performing pupils in the Year 6 national tests.

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is outstanding

 The school’s assessment information is used well to identify any pupils who are at risk of underachieving, and they are supported with highly effective extra help. Pupils’ levels of achievement are analysed and agreed by staff from a large group of schools to ensure that they are a reliable basis for the next steps in learning for teachers to promote.

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is outstanding

 There are very small proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. They make outstanding progress because teachers use results from their assessments rigorously in order to adapt their tasks when necessary.

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is outstanding

 There were too few disadvantaged pupils in 2014 to report their attainment and progress at Key Stage 1. However, disadvantaged pupils currently in school are making rapid progress in each class, often overtaking their classmates and other pupils nationally.

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is good

 Children join the Reception class with knowledge, skills and understanding which are a little below what is typical, with weaknesses in speech and language, but this fluctuates from year to year.

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is good

 Good teaching ensures that children make good progress. Provision, teaching and achievement in the early years are not yet outstanding as there is not always enough difference in the way in which children of different abilities are challenged.

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is good

 Teachers use their good knowledge of what children already know and plan exciting learning activities indoors and outside with a particular focus on the development of children’s speaking and listening skills. Currently, they do not ensure that the most able are sufficiently stretched, and the least able appropriately supported at all points of the lessons.

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is good

 Leaders use the outcomes of their rigorous checks on children’s progress to identify areas where staff training and improvement is needed. As a result of this good leadership, children’s attainment in the current Reception Year has improved to be much closer to that found nationally. This means that most pupils are ready to enter Year 1 with a good level of skills and knowledge and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The new early years leader is being supported well by senior leaders so that achievement is rising rapidly, but systems established need time to embed further.

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is good

 Children in the early years, as in the rest of the school, are kept safe, secure and are well cared for. Children develop excellent relationships during this year and show a very high level of respect and tolerance for others around them.

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is good

 Parents are welcomed as partners in their children’s learning and in assessing their progress. These relationships support the children’s good progress.

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is good

 Children’s behaviour and attitudes to learning in the early years are exceptional, and contribute well to their good achievement. They build trusting relationships with adults and other children.

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is good

 Phonics are taught well so that children develop their skills quickly and apply these to their reading and writing. Children’s mathematical skills grow out of the environment around them as, for example, in a lesson where children learned to double numbers by matching spots on a ladybird.

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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 139855 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 449968

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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 Academy converter Multi Academy Trust Age range of pupils 4–10 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 163 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Garner Headteacher Peter Merry (Executive Headteacher) Date of previous school inspection 16 September 2009 Telephone number 0116 2882228 Fax number 0116 2881685 Email address head@langmoor.leics.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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