Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

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

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Loretta Sheppard Headteacher Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School Chippenham Road Bestwood Park Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG5 5TA

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

Following my visit to the school on 9 February 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 2013.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Leaders have a clear vision that is understood and shared by all staff and governors. You have high aspirations for pupils’ success, which all pupils and staff strive to meet. You are uncompromising in your drive for school improvement, a view that is appreciated by all. You have created a culture where all pupils and staff feel valued and there is a collaborate sense of ‘team spirit’. You have restructured the school leadership team and are very ably supported by senior leaders who are equally determined that pupils should succeed. Senior leaders have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are determined to make improvements where required. Leaders have taken swift action to address underperformance seen in 2016 outcomes with clear strategies and tangible processes, for example by the implementation of a new whole-school approach to

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

reading assessment. The leadership team demonstrates the capacity to drive further improvements because you understand what needs to be done and are committed to ensure that it has a positive impact on pupils’ progress.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

You have created a culture where all pupils matter. Staff know pupils well as individuals; they understand their skills, traits and needs. This enables staff to identify potential barriers to learning, difficulties in pupils’ understanding and to ensure that they provide the means to support pupils’ success. You have introduced the ‘sparkle’ (self-motivated, polite, ambitious, resilient, kind and caring, learners, enthusiastic) motto which permeates all aspects of school life. Pupils regularly refer to these characteristics in their learning and understand how they help them to develop as successful, happy learners.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

Governors are committed and knowledgeable. They encompass a variety of skills which they use well. Governors are fully involved in life at the school. For example, they visit classes to listen to pupils read and also participate in leaders’ monitoring activities, such as pupil progress meetings. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and hold leaders to account over areas which require further improvement. They have a detailed understanding of how additional funding is spent and the impact it has on pupils’ progress. Governors thus offer an appropriate balance of support and challenge and are effective in their role.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

Pupils are confident and articulate. They are very positive about all aspects of school life, are happy and enjoy coming to school. They feel that their teachers care about them and that they want them to do well. Pupils say that most of their work is challenging and they like lessons where they are stretched, for example in mathematics. Pupils appreciate opportunities to take on leadership roles, such as ‘class ambassadors’ and ‘learning leaders.’ They are extremely proud to be part of the school.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

You have taken effective action to address areas identified as in need of improvement at the time of the last inspection. Teachers plan activities that are open ended and encourage pupils to develop their independence and further their learning. For example, pupils in Year 4 were carrying out investigations in a mathematics lesson. You have developed the use of ‘talk partners’ in all year groups which supports pupils to both develop their reasoning skills and to practise their speaking and listening skills.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

Since the last inspection, leaders have undertaken considerable work to further improve the quality of provision in the early years setting. Leaders have developed the physical environment which is rich and vibrant, offering a wide range of learning opportunities. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development is above the national average and continues to rise. Children are safe and happy and they enjoy coming to school. They are well prepared to make the transition to key stage 1.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

Leaders have identified areas in need of further improvement. For example, you recognise that the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standards at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 is below the national average. You have ensured that this remains a priority for school improvement.

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

You have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are effective. All staff are appropriately trained and embrace their shared responsibility in ensuring pupils’ safety. Processes for making referrals are straightforward and understood by all. Records are meticulously kept. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they have learned about potential risks posed by the internet and clearly explain how to use it safely. Pupils are kind and considerate to others. They are supportive of the school’s ‘friendship table’ in the playground, where pupils sit if they feel sad or lonely and explain that no one is left there for long before someone makes friends with them. Pupils recognise the difference between teasing and bullying and say that although incidents of bullying are extremely rare, they have confidence that any that occur would be dealt with appropriately and swiftly. Pupils understand about diversity and

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Short inspection of Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

have an inclusive attitude, as one pupils said, ‘Everyone’s welcome here, even if you’re different.’

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Inspection findings

 You have correctly identified reading as an area in need of further improvement. In 2016, progress in reading was below the national average at key stage 2. Following these results, leaders undertook a detailed analysis and identified specific areas of weakness in pupils’ reading skills. This information has been used to devise a new reading strategy that you have implemented across the whole school.  Leaders have revised the strategy for assessing pupils’ attainment in reading and ensured that resources are appropriately used to support pupils’ progress. For example, all books have been reassessed and assigned to curriculum standards. This means that teachers are able to ensure that pupils are accessing reading materials that will challenge them and support them to make progress towards achieving the higher standard in reading.  The English leader is leading work on a ‘shared reading’ approach, an interactive

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Inspection findings

means by which teachers model effective reading skills such as the use of inference and prediction, areas where pupils have previously underperformed. This approach uses texts which are more challenging than those that pupils would be able to access independently, which supports their skill development.  The importance of regular reading is promoted across the whole school. Children in the early years setting are rewarded to read at home through the ‘red ted’ initiative, where they can earn stickers through regular reading activity. Children enjoy swapping their collection of stickers for a teddy bear and the proportion of children who regularly read at home has increased significantly. Older pupils are also encouraged to read at home and leaders’ tracking indicates that those pupils who regularly read with their parents make more rapid progress.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well.

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Inspection findings

The special educational needs coordinator ensures that pupils’ needs are quickly and accurately identified so that their needs are met. Progress of current pupils is good.  The quality of teaching across all key stages is good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan interesting activities that interest and enthuse pupils. Teachers work closely with teaching assistants, who provide effective support for different groups of pupils. Small-group intervention is inclusive, taking place within the main classroom, and is very effective both in ensuring that pupils participate in activities and that they make good progress.  Teachers have high expectations and pupils work hard to meet these. Pupils’ books are extremely well kept and presented and their work reflects the pride that they take in their learning. During the course of the inspection, several pupils showed me their work and were keen to share their achievements. Pupils’

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Inspection findings

books clearly show the progress that current pupils are making, particularly in English.  You have identified the need to further develop teachers’ use of questioning in lessons. Teachers’ questioning is not consistently precise enough to fully probe pupils’ understanding to enable them to develop their reasoning skills. Plans are in place to support teachers through additional training.  You have established a system, which you call ‘conferencing’, to ensure that work is matched to each pupil’s ability. Class teachers hold one-to-one meetings with pupils to identify their misconceptions and to establish the next steps in their learning. This information is used in teachers’ planning to ensure that work is targeted at individuals’ specific needs. Regular reviews monitor the impact of provision.  The proportions of pupils reaching the greater depth at key stage 1 and the higher standards at key stage 2 are below the national averages. You have

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Inspection findings

identified the need to target the most able pupils to support them to achieve these standards. Teachers are beginning to challenge the most able pupils by adapting activities to enable them to reach these standards, for example by providing extension activities. This remains an area of priority for the school.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 strategies already in place to enable pupils to reach the higher standards are embedded and developed across all key stages  teachers’ use of questioning is improved to support pupils to develop their reasoning skills and extend their learning.

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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 Nottingham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with school leaders and other staff, pupils and members of the governing body. I spoke by telephone with a representative from the local authority. I also spoke informally to pupils at breaktime and in their lessons. I also spoke to parents as they were dropping off their children at school. I visited all classes with you and other leaders and observed pupils’ learning. I looked at pupils’ work in a sample of their books. I considered the 19 responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, the 19 free-text responses from parents and the 14 responses from staff. I scrutinised a range of school documents, including records relating to safeguarding and behaviour, school policies and minutes of meetings. I also looked at information published on the school website.

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