Green Park School

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

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Mrs Elizabeth Nightingale Headteacher Green Park Primary School Green Park Drive Newport Pagnell Buckinghamshire MK16 0NH

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 5 July 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 January 2014.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

Your strong leadership has ensured that Green Park has continued to improve since its last inspection. You lead the school with impressive clarity and drive. You have the full support of your hard-working and dedicated staff. They share your determination to take the school from strength to strength. Virtually every member of staff who responded to the survey said that they are proud to work at the school. The care shown to pupils, both by adults and by other pupils, shines out as a strength of the school.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

Pupils say that they love coming to Green Park. They enjoy their learning across the curriculum, although many pupils thought that a few subjects were occasionally ‘too easy’. They responded to a question about their favourite subjects with a lively debate about the merits of science, art, physical education (PE), singing, English and mathematics.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

Importantly, every pupil I spoke to said that they feel safe at school. For example, they appreciate the new security system ‘because no one can get in or out’. Pupils agree that behaviour at school is good. They say that if ever they have a disagreement or fall out with their friends, teachers and other pupils are there to help them. Pupils think that bullying rarely happens and that Green Park is ‘a kind school where everyone looks after each other’. They state that teachers always listen to what they have to say and are always there to help them when needed. The vast majority of parents and carers are strongly appreciative of the school. Most of those who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, would recommend the school to others. Many expressed their delight in how happy and confident their children are. One comment, typical of many, was: ‘My child’s self- esteem and confidence have blossomed under the care of a series of fantastic

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

teachers.’ However, a few parents thought that their children could be given more challenge in their learning across a range of subjects.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

The school has continued to improve since the last inspection. You have introduced a new curriculum to provide a greater level of challenge. You have also introduced strong systems for marking and feedback. As a result, pupils receive consistently high standards of teaching across the school and know how to improve their work.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

Most current pupils are achieving well. You monitor teaching and learning effectively and ensure that senior leaders and teachers work closely together to improve pupils’ outcomes. For instance, the small number of disadvantaged pupils are supported ably through pastoral care and additional support in the classroom. As a result, they make good progress from their starting points. Middle leaders are rightly focusing on improving pupils’ attainment in reading and mathematics. However, they are not yet having a strong enough impact on pupils’ outcomes across the wider curriculum. There is not enough focus on the provision for the most able pupils so that they are inspired to learn and make even better progress, particularly in mathematics.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

You have created a strong safeguarding culture that permeates the school. When employing new staff, you ensure that stringent checks are made to ensure their suitability to work with children. This information is recorded accurately on the school’s single central record. All safeguarding systems meet statutory guidance.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

You and other leaders ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. All staff, including the designated safeguarding leads, are trained appropriately to be able to protect children from harm. As a result, staff are vigilant and know what to do in response to a wide range of child-protection situations. You are tenacious on behalf of the children. For example, records and emails show how you challenge other professional agencies and their recommendations, to be sure that children have their needs met.

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Short inspection of Green Park Primary School

Pupils know how to manage risks to keep themselves safe. For example, older pupils shared how important it was to protect their identity when using social media. They know they have to keep their online passwords secret and that if they see something on the internet that worries them, they must tell a trusted adult immediately.

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Inspection findings

 During the inspection, we focused on how effectively leaders ensure that younger pupils achieve well in phonics. We also evaluated leaders’ actions to raise standards in reading and mathematics for pupils in key stage 2. Finally, we scrutinised your work to ensure that more children are challenged to achieve at the highest standards in key stage 2 across the curriculum.  You have worked hard to introduce new strategies to improve the teaching of phonics, which is now strong throughout the school. As a result, pupils in key stage 1 are keen to learn. They relish challenges, such as using their phonic knowledge to spell more difficult words. Consequently, standards have risen significantly.  Your drive to motivate and engage pupils with their reading has resulted in improved achievement for the vast majority of pupils, including the most able. The new resources, such as the books you have bought, have caught the interest

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Inspection findings

of pupils and made them more enthusiastic about reading. As one parent stated, ‘He loves the new books because they interest him and now we read at home.’ Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are making good progress.  Mathematics lessons are suitably challenging for most pupils throughout key stage 2. Teachers provide clear guidance for pupils on how to improve, for example, consistently stimulating them with small tasks at increasing levels of difficulty. However, leaders have rightly identified that the most able pupils are not yet achieving as highly as they should in mathematics. Leaders are taking appropriate steps to increase the level of challenge for the most able pupils, but this work is in its early stages.  Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are now typically making good progress in mathematics. You have also ensured that girls make equal progress to boys by successfully improving their self-belief and their fluency in basic number skills.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum which offers them opportunities to extend their learning. For example, pupils relished the opportunity to tell me the gruesome details about the differences between the digestive tracts of humans and animals, such as chickens and snakes! However, as leaders acknowledge, the curriculum is not as challenging as it could be. Some aspects of it do not ensure that pupils become inspired to learn.

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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

 they take effective action to provide a greater level of challenge for the most able pupils, particularly in mathematics  the wider curriculum is further developed, so that it inspires and challenges pupils.

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

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Information about the inspection

Together with you, I visited lessons across the school. I spoke to pupils and examined their work. Meetings were held with senior leaders, including yourself, subject coordinators and the deputy headteacher. I met with six members of the governing body. I took into account 63 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including written responses. I also analysed 71 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and 31 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Information about the inspection

A range of documents were reviewed, including the school’s development plan, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, the school’s single central record of recruitment checks made on staff, information about pupils’ achievement, records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance, and minutes of governing body meetings.

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