Glasshouses Community Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Lynn Tee Headteacher Glasshouses Community Primary School Glasshouses Harrogate North Yorkshire HG3 5QH

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Short inspection of Glasshouses Community Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 18 January 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in June 2012.

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Short inspection of Glasshouses Community Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your determined leadership has brought about improvements to teaching and learning and you have provided a steady hand during recent staffing changes. Working alongside a skilled and equally determined governing body, you have unified your team of effective and enthusiastic teachers and teaching assistants who push each other on to make further improvements. You have identified the strengths and current priorities for the school accurately. You detail the necessary actions to address these priorities in the school development plan, although you recognise that some of the targets you set could be more precise so that governors can keep a closer check on the impact of your work.

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Short inspection of Glasshouses Community Primary School

You, your staff and governors have raised your expectations of pupils and the standards they can reach significantly. This is helping current pupils in every year group to achieve well. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved through sharing good practice and high-quality professional development. Leaders keep a close eye on the quality of teaching and their feedback to teachers is helpful. You recognise that this could be even more effective if leaders focused their checks more precisely on previously identified areas of weaker practice. You have ensured that refinements to the tracking of pupils’ progress lead to accurate analysis of their progress so far, and identify whether pupils are on course to reach the standard expected for their age. Pupils’ personal development and excellent attitudes to learning remain key strengths of your harmonious and inclusive school. It is characterised by a strong

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Short inspection of Glasshouses Community Primary School

family ethos and sits at the heart of the local community. Pupils are proud to attend, with rates of attendance just above average. Pupils develop good citizenship skills, and are keen to take on responsibilities through ‘class monitor’ roles, or through the active school council that prides itself on raising funds for needy children in Africa. Pupils feel safe and grow in confidence. They respect and listen attentively to each other and to adults in school. The school is well ordered, bright and tidy. You have been innovative in changing and expanding the inside and outside learning environments of the charming old school building to secure the very best learning opportunities for all pupils.

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Short inspection of Glasshouses Community Primary School

You have successfully tackled the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Because teaching is better, pupils’ progress and attainment in writing have improved. Most pupils in each year group are on track to reach standards expected for their age by the end of the year, and are making strong progress. Ensuring that the most able pupils are sufficiently challenged is an area you are continuing to address. Teaching seen during the inspection, and analysis of work in books, indicate that pupils are usually given appropriately challenging work. However, at times, the most able pupils would benefit from tasks which are designed to make them think more deeply about their learning.

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Short inspection of Glasshouses Community Primary School

You have undertaken the role of designated safeguarding lead effectively, working alongside the designated governor for safeguarding. You have carried out a thorough audit of safeguarding in school and all policies, records and procedures are of high quality and up to date. Records of incidents of concern are meticulously kept, and the school takes seriously any allegation of bullying. The very few behaviour incidents that have occurred are recorded carefully, actions listed and pupils monitored. All staff are trained appropriately and have access to well-written policies and guidance. As a result, their understanding of their responsibilities for safeguarding is very strong.

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Short inspection of Glasshouses Community Primary School

Pupils say they feel safe. They have regular teaching on behaviour, bullying and e- safety. The vast majority of parents state that their children are safe in school. The culture of keeping pupils safe, putting them at the heart of the inclusive, family- centred Glasshouses school community is deeply rooted and the ethos of care and nurture is tangible.

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Inspection findings

 You have taken determined and rigorous actions to address the dip in pupils’ progress in the end of Year 6 tests, in 2016. You have been ably supported by the governing body. The steps you have taken to address recent issues of underperformance have been rapid and effective, and are now having a very positive effect.  Recent appointments and skilful deployment of both teachers and teaching assistants have significantly strengthened the teaching team and its effectiveness. Targeted high-quality training undertaken by staff, including in core subject leadership, is leading to still further improvements in the quality of teaching. Senior leaders monitor the effectiveness of teaching regularly, but do not always focus sharply enough on any previously identified weaker aspects.  Your school development plan is linked accurately to school priorities. However, measures explaining the intended outcomes are not specific enough for leaders

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Inspection findings

and governors to fully evaluate the impact of actions taken.  The refined tracking system is enabling teachers to set challenging and aspirational targets for individual pupils. Current assessment information shows clearly that most pupils are taking significant strides in their learning, with an increased proportion of pupils in Year 6 on track to achieve a high score in statutory assessments.  Pupils are attentive in lessons, know their next steps to improve and have largely excellent attitudes to learning. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary.  Classrooms provide a positive learning environment and there is a real buzz of excitement to succeed. Teaching assistants have a very positive effect on pupils’ learning and progress. They are skilled at intervening, supporting and ensuring that all pupils work hard.  Relationships across school are strong and respectful, between adults and pupils

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Inspection findings

and between pupils. Activities in classrooms are imaginative and engaging and pupils describe their lessons as fun and interesting, as well as hard and challenging.  Work in pupils’ books is presented very well, and handwriting is mostly neat and legible. Pupils are given many opportunities to write at length, and use a range of different genres in English. For example, an atmospheric picture stimulated pupils’ curiosity and imagination and enabled them to use expressive language when writing the setting for a story.  Pupils’ enjoyment of mathematics is evident in their eagerness to learn and the copious amount of work in books. Teachers’ excellent use of materials and apparatus enables pupils to understand number patterns and calculations. For example, pupils in Year 1 were able to understand the function of the ‘equals’ sign in a number sentence through the use of an equal balance on scales. Older

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Inspection findings

pupils are becoming proficient in their reasoning and problem-solving skills because teachers often require them to explain or justify their answers.  Many strategies are accelerating the progress pupils make in their learning, including for the most able pupils. Open-ended activities are prompting pupils to think for themselves, be creative and apply themselves to tasks. However, teachers do not carefully target activities specifically to challenge and stretch the most able pupils often enough.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should:  evaluate their actions to improve teaching and learning more accurately and precisely by: – setting specific and measurable targets in plans to improve the school – focusing reviews of teaching more sharply on the improvement of any weaker aspects  make sure that teachers more consistently challenge and stretch the most able pupils to achieve as well as they can.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you and your teaching team. You and I observed English and mathematics lessons in every class. I met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. I spoke to pupils about their work and their views of the school both in lessons and in meetings. I listened to pupils read. I considered the views of parents from school surveys and from the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. The views of staff were gathered from discussions. I scrutinised pupils’ work in books. A range of documents were considered relating to safeguarding, governors’ meetings, external evaluations of the school, performance management, the school’s development plan and self- evaluation, the curriculum and pupils’ achievement.

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