Greatworth Primary School

Greatworth Primary School Helmdon Road, Greatworth, Northamptonshire OX17 2DR

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Standards at Key Stage 2 are not strong enough, given the starting points of the pupils.  Leaders, teachers and governors are too accepting of poor progress from a very small minority of pupils. As a result, too few pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2, particularly in mathematics.  Leaders and governors do not evaluate standards of achievement or the impact of additional support rigorously enough. Consequently, they are unable to determine the impact of additional support for a pupil who has fallen behind or the precise effect of additional funding such as the sports premium.  The school’s marking policy is not consistently applied. As a result, pupils do not always have the opportunity to respond to teachers’ feedback and improve their work.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ behaviour and in some classes the implementation of the school behaviour policy is

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This is a school that requires improvement

inconsistent. Consequently, the behaviour of a small minority of pupils is inappropriate, interrupting teaching and slowing pupils’ progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher provides strong leadership. She and the staff are committed to providing the pupils with a good all-round education within a caring environment.  Standards at Key Stage 1 are good and all of the pupils met the national standard for phonics.  Early years provision is good. The children settle into the Reception Year class quickly and make good progress because staff know them well, have high expectations and provide a stimulating curriculum that meets their needs.  School leaders identify those pupils who are at risk of falling behind early and provide them with additional support.  Pupils are friendly and caring. They play together well at playtimes and look after each other. Pupils’ behaviour is good around school, when they are on trips and when there are visitors to school. They are confident, sensible and well mannered.  Leaders and teachers provide the pupils with a broad curriculum which provides pupils with

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The school has the following strengths

opportunities to broaden their experiences.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the number of pupils making good progress in mathematics and reading in Key Stage 2 by: ensuring that leaders and governors rigorously track the progress of all pupils and evaluate the impact of additional support and class teaching on the progress of those pupils who need to catch up improving the standard of all teaching to that of the best ensuring teachers have high expectations of all pupils ensuring that teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour for learning and that they apply the school behaviour policy consistently ensuring that teachers apply the school marking policy consistently so that pupils have the opportunity to respond to teachers’ feedback.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to that of the best by ensuring that the headteacher and senior leader are able to work regularly alongside teachers, modelling good teaching and providing coaching.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: school leaders and governors rigorously track and evaluate pupil progress regularly school leaders and governors rigorously evaluate the impact of support provided to pupils who need to catch up governors monitor and evaluate the implementation and impact of the school development plan in terms of improving standards of pupil achievement and teaching governors fulfil their statutory duty to meet the requirements for the school website.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders track pupil progress regularly and know those pupils who are not making sufficient progress or who are at risk of falling behind. However, they are not sufficiently rigorous in their evaluation of the progress of these pupils and what needs to be done to ensure they catch up.  Leaders use the pupil premium funding to support those pupils who are at risk of making insufficient progress. This is an appropriate course of action. However, they are not rigorous enough in evaluating the impact of the support and as a result some pupils do not catch up.  The headteacher and senior teacher know the school well. However, the evaluation of some key pupil progress information was missing from the school self-evaluation summary and as a result, improving progress across Key Stage 2 does not have a high profile in the school development plan.  The headteacher is clearly passionate about the school and leads by example. She has established a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

culture in which leaders and teachers are committed to doing their best for the pupils. She is a dynamic and knowledgeable leader who motivates the staff. However, she does not spend enough time in classes monitoring standards and coaching teachers. As a result, teachers’ expectations and management of pupil behaviour have slipped and the pupils’ attitudes to learning have declined.  The headteacher’s judgements of teaching and learning are accurate and her feedback to teachers following lesson observations was effective in developing teachers’ understanding of their practice. However, she spends insufficient time on this activity.  School leaders have implemented a new curriculum that fulfils statutory requirements and provides opportunities for pupils to improve their skills in English in all topics. They have worked hard to improve the opportunities for pupils to use their mathematics in other subjects and this needs to be broadened

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

further.  The school promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The residential trips and visits to the school’s partner farm clearly excite and motivate the pupils, who were keen to share their experiences such as naming the sheep or planting crops. Links with a special school also provide powerful learning opportunities for the pupils and challenge stereotypes.  Leaders and governors use sports premium funding appropriately to provide pupils with greater opportunities to play sport. However, they have not evaluated the impact thoroughly enough.  Leaders have worked hard to address the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection report, providing professional development for teachers including coaching and courses. However, this has not resulted in improved progress over Key Stage 2.  The culture of the school has pupils’ well-being and safety at its core. Pupils told the inspector that they

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

felt safe and well looked after. They explained how the adults keep them safe and how they teach them to stay safe in the outside world and online.  The governance of the school Governors do not monitor standards and outcomes in enough detail. They evaluate published performance information with the headteacher but do not evaluate the progress that children are making in the school now. Governors are not sufficiently involved in monitoring the implementation of the school development plan or the evaluation of the plan’s impact on outcomes for pupils and standards of teaching. Governors do not monitor the school’s compliance with statutory duties in relation to the school website well enough. Governors are committed to the school and determined to ensure that all pupils will make good progress. Governors have taken appropriate action to rationalise the headteacher’s performance management across the two schools and to hold her to account. They were clear about the governors’ role in the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

performance management of teachers and the relationship between teachers’ performance and pay.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour for learning are inconsistent and the school behaviour policy is also inconsistently applied. In the classes where teacher expectations are too low and teachers do not follow the agreed policy, poor behaviour disrupts teaching, interferes with learning and slows progress.  Leaders have introduced a new assessment system to reflect the new curriculum. Teachers assess pupils’ learning regularly and accurately against those typical for their age at all key stages and this informs their teaching. However, the implementation of the school’s marking policy is inconsistent across the school and pupils are not always given the opportunity to respond to teachers’ feedback, and this slows their progress.  Teachers’ lesson plans are effective and support pupils’ learning. Teachers use assessment data effectively to ensure that pupils are appropriately challenged. They also give pupils the opportunity to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

select their own level of challenge and this has given the pupils a greater understanding of how to move on their own learning.  Where teaching is good, teachers ensure that their teaching and the support pupils receive from support staff meet pupils’ needs and move their learning on. Teachers enable pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding. They provide clear explanations and use questioning and modelling to good effect. Teachers and support staff monitor pupils’ learning and intervene to address misconceptions and enable pupils to make progress.  Reading is taught effectively at Key Stage 1 and in the early years and as a result pupils attain above the national figure in the phonics assessments in Year 1 and Year 2.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Teachers teach pupils about other cultures, religions and beliefs, including exploring communities, such as China Town, when

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

pupils visit cities such as Manchester. Teachers also provide pupils with opportunities to practise democracy and explore British values.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  All groups of pupils are safe and feel safe in school at all times. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe including when using the internet. They trust school staff to take prompt and effective action to address their concerns.  Pupils understand the different types of bullying and agree that bullying is rare. They also agree that school staff deal with any occurrence of bullying or inappropriate behaviour promptly and effectively.  Leaders and teachers provide pupils with the opportunity to meet and interact with people from across the community, such as when pupils served senior citizens from the local community with a Harvest Tea or when they learn alongside pupils from Frank Wise School.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  The attitude of some pupils to learning in some classes is poor. Their low-level disruptive behaviour interrupts teaching and distracts their classmates. Consequently, the progress of pupils in the lesson slows.  The behaviour of pupils around school and at breaktimes is good. Pupils are friendly and engaging, happy to talk politely, and respectful. They move around the school in a sensible and orderly manner. In the playground they play well together in their friendship groups and across all age groups. Pupils look out for one another and playground buddies provide support to pupils who need some help or a friend.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. Attendance is good and absence is below the national average. School leaders work hard to support challenging families to improve attendance.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Over the past three years, standards in Key Stage 2 have not been strong enough, given pupils’ achievements in Year 2. The progress made by pupils in this time has been below the national average in reading and writing and significantly below in mathematics. Progress in writing improved in 2015.  Standards in Key Stage 1 are good. Overall attainment has been above the national average for the past three years in reading, writing and mathematics and overall attainment was significantly above the national average in 2015.  All the pupils attained the expected standard in phonics (letters and the sounds they make) in 2015. This is above the national average.  Pupils make good progress in reading in Key Stage 1. They read widely and often, including to their parents.  In 2015 there were 10 pupils in Year 6 and in 10 in Year 2. Consequently, it is not possible to report on the attainment and progress of groups of pupils as the numbers are too small. However, any difference in

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

performance between the groups and all pupils is not related to the characteristics of the group but to how the school is meeting, or not, the needs of the individual pupils.

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Early years provision is good

 Good leadership and management have secured good outcomes for children in all areas of learning. The quality of teaching over time is good. The teaching and support children receive from early years staff is responsive to their needs. Early years staff work effectively with parents and as a result children enjoy coming to school and engage in their leaning.  The children have settled into school well and are eager to join in with all the activities. They show high levels of engagement, curiosity, imagination and concentration. They listen to adults and follow instructions well.  Children in the early years are very well behaved, demonstrating high levels of self-control, cooperation and respect for each other.  Children in the early years make good progress in relation to their starting points. Consequently, at the end of Reception Year, more children attain a good level of development than nationally. Children are well

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Early years provision is good

prepared for Year 1.  Early years assessments are accurate and regularly monitored. Children’s progress is tracked effectively, enabling staff to respond to their needs and to provide a stimulating environment and a well-organised range of educational experiences across all aspects of early years.  Safeguarding and child protection policies are in place and safeguarding is effective.

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School details

Unique reference number 121822 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10005660 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 61 Appropriate authority Local authority Chair Mrs Lisa Roberts Headteacher Mrs Fiona Toman Telephone number 01295 711456 Website www.greatworthschool.co.uk Email address head@greatworth.northants-ecl.gov.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17–18 May 2012

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs is below average and too small to report on.  The large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. A very few come from minority ethnic groups. No pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding (additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils) is much lower than average and too small to report on. Currently no pupils receive free school meals.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher is also the headteacher of a neighbouring school. She provides training to school middle leaders in the area.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed six lessons or parts of lessons taught by three teachers.  The inspector looked at pupils’ books, listened to pupils read and talked to them about their work.  The inspector met with the headteacher, a senior teacher who is also the coordinator for special education needs, the leaders for English and mathematics, and three members of the governing body.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Parents’ views were taken into account, including 30 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View.  The inspector listened to the views of staff and evaluated the five staff questionnaires that were received.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including information about safeguarding, the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, the most recent data on pupils’ achievement, and information relating to teaching, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Derek Myers, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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