Glebe Primary School

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

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Mrs Melanie Penney Headteacher Glebe Primary School Sussex Road Ickenham Uxbridge UB10 8PH

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 3 May 2018, 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 2015.

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in September 2017, you have approached your role with enthusiasm and energy. While you knew the school well through your previous role as deputy headteacher, you and your leadership team have re-evaluated the school’s work openly and honestly. As a result, you have accurately prioritised key areas for improvement. The school has continued to expand but leaders are not daunted by this and are successfully managing the changes. Parents and carers are hugely positive about your leadership, and governors know that they have appointed the right headteacher to move the school forward.

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

Staff share your commitment and determination to give pupils the best possible education. They are proud to work at the school. You have made important changes this year, such as refining the assessment system and holding staff more stringently to account than in the past. School leaders monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning precisely and can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. The sharing of good practice is an important feature of staff development, and leaders regularly review the impact of staff training. This means that teaching is strong and that pupils achieve well overall. However, leaders accept that pupils’ progress in key stage 2 mathematics, reading and writing is not as strong.

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

Parents commented on the ‘welcoming atmosphere’ in the school, and it is clear that the school is a close-knit community. Pupils told me that they ‘love’ their school, and all those I spoke to were polite and friendly. Pupils in the specialist resourced unit are fully integrated into the school, and you ensure that the school is an inclusive and happy place. One pupil told me, ‘In this school, everyone is treated the same.’

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

You work closely with the governing body and ensure that governors are well informed about all aspects of the school’s work. They are knowledgeable, fully involved in the life of the school and offer you strategic support. They have honed their skills since the previous inspection and provide more rigorous challenge.

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

Leaders have addressed the areas for improvement since the previous inspection. They recognised the need for higher expectations across the school, particularly in Years 3 and 4. Leadership responsibilities have been amended to ensure that these year groups are monitored more closely. Classrooms are purposeful learning environments, and the new culture of high aspirations is evident. Communication with parents is strong, and the school holds a variety of workshops, which help parents to support their children’s learning at home.

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are detailed and of high quality. All pre-employment checks meet statutory requirements. Leaders are vigilant to any concerns about pupils’ well-being and safety. They take prompt and effective action, following up any referrals to external agencies with rigour.

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Short inspection of Glebe Primary School

Almost all of the parents who responded to Parent View feel that their child is safe and happy in school. Pupils said that they feel safe in school and spoke positively about the support they receive from staff. They particularly appreciate being able to ‘post’ any worries they may have and said that staff make sure that any concerns are dealt with. Pupils talked confidently about how to keep themselves safe at school and in the local area. They know about e-safety, such as not giving away any personal information online, and leaders ensure that parents and pupils are informed of the dangers of social media.

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Inspection findings

 At the start of the inspection, we agreed three key lines of enquiry. The first of these focused on the effectiveness of mathematics teaching in helping pupils to work at greater depth at key stage 2. In 2017, pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics was in line with national averages. Attainment at the expected standard was high. However, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in mathematics was below average.  Leaders identified weaknesses in pupils’ reasoning skills as the main barrier to higher attainment in mathematics. Consequently, you have adapted the school’s approach to mathematics teaching, not just in key stage 2 but across the school. Leaders have delivered training sessions and modelled lessons to staff on how to include reasoning in mathematics activities. They have also created a bank of reasoning resources for staff to use. Teaching is carefully tailored to pupils’

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Inspection findings

abilities in mathematics, and this helps to ensure that lesson planning meets their needs. Visits to lessons and work in books shows that most-able pupils in particular are sufficiently challenged in mathematics.  Leaders regularly review the impact of their actions through focused lesson visits and book checks. From this monitoring, they know that the new approach to reasoning is not yet fully embedded across the school. Some lower-ability pupils have not developed their number skills sufficiently so that they can tackle reasoning effectively. However, there is evidence that outcomes in mathematics are improving. Current assessment information for key stage 2 pupils indicates that more pupils are achieving at the higher standard.  The second key line of enquiry concerned phonics. In 2017, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was below the national average for the first time.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders can explain the context for this dip in outcomes, but have a ‘no excuses’ approach and have taken immediate action. Leaders re-arranged the staffing of phonics so that class teachers work with the pupils who need the most support. Pupil’s phonics knowledge is assessed regularly to ensure that the level of teaching is appropriate to their ability. All phonics teachers, including teaching assistants, have had up-to-date training so that phonics is taught consistently in all groups.  Leaders’ actions have been effective in improving the quality of phonics teaching. Current Year 1 pupils build their phonics knowledge more securely than previously. Leaders are confident that pupils will sustain their high attainment in key stage 1 reading and writing as a result.  Finally, we agreed to look at the effectiveness of leaders’ actions to improve pupils’ writing. This was because key stage 2 pupils’ progress in writing has been

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Inspection findings

consistently weaker than reading and maths. In 2017, attainment at the end of key stage 1 in all subjects was above the national average, but in writing it was comparatively weaker than in reading and mathematics.  Leaders have responded well to the increased demands of the new curriculum. You and your team have improved staff understanding of the assessment criteria, so that staff know exactly what they have to teach. Success criteria for writing tasks are used consistently in lessons. As a result, pupils know what they are expected to do to improve their writing, and they respond well to guidance from their teachers. Visits to English lessons showed pupils engaged in their work and typically thinking hard about their writing.  Work in books shows that pupils are developing their writing skills effectively. This is particularly evident in key stage 2; pupils write fluently and use complex language and structures. However, leaders acknowledge that the quality of

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Inspection findings

pupils’ writing in subjects other than English is typically not as strong. Pupils do not have the same opportunities to write at length and apply their skills in other subjects.

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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

 in mathematics, more pupils achieve the higher standard by the end of key stage

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Next steps for the school

 expectations of pupils’ writing are consistently high in all subjects.

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

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, senior and middle leaders, governors and the local authority adviser. I visited classes in most year groups, accompanied by you and senior leaders, and reviewed pupils’ work. I held informal discussions with pupils. I evaluated documentation provided by the school, including the school’s evaluation of its work, development plans, assessment information and safeguarding arrangements. I considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys, including 95 responses from parents and 35 staff responses.

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