Greenmount Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Greenmount Primary School Holhouse Lane, Greenmount, Bury, Lancashire BL8 4HD

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Outcome

Greenmount Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Greenmount Primary School thrive. They are supported well to be successful. Leaders are ambitious for pupils to achieve success in their learning. They are equally ambitious for pupils to develop into well-rounded citizens. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe and cared for. There is always someone to talk to if they have any worries. Pupils are polite and well mannered and treat each other with respect. Pupils behave well and bullying is rare. Should it happen, it is resolved quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils work hard in lessons and are keen to learn. Some enjoy being a member of the school council. Others are proud to be ‘e-cadets’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils. For example, they visit museums to experience what life was like in the past. Pupils join a wide range of clubs, including a choir and sports clubs. Most parents would recommend the school to others.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that ignites pupils’ curiosity. Leaders have identified what they want pupils to know in each year group. The curriculum plans set out clearly what pupils should be taught and when. Teachers receive training to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to support pupils effectively. Assessment information is used well to identify the next steps in pupils’ learning. This helps teachers to provide pupils with appropriate challenge in their learning. Pupils who struggle receive the help they need to catch up quickly. Disruption in lessons is rare because learning is carefully planned and meets pupils’ needs well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Changes to the way mathematics is taught have had a positive impact on pupils’ confidence. In Reception, teachers focus on developing children’s early mathematical knowledge. Children practise what they know using a range of appropriate equipment to help them. Activities in the outdoor area enhance children’s understanding of 15–16 October 2019

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mathematics. In key stage 1, pupils use equipment confidently when solving calculations. Older pupils sometimes struggle to explain what strategies they have used and why. This can hinder their ability to solve more complex mathematical challenges. However, most pupils achieve as well as other pupils do nationally by the end of Year 6.

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Pupils achieve well in other curriculum subjects, for example, in geography. Pupils in Year 3 explained how previous research of the local area, helped them with more detailed map work. They could identify places of interest and key features on ordinance survey maps as a result.

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Children begin to learn the sounds letters make as soon as they join the school. The books they read match the sounds that they learn. Pupils who fall behind are given the help they need to catch up. Most pupils read with accuracy and fluency. They understand what they read. Almost all pupils meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

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Leaders foster a love of reading in pupils. The teaching of reading has the highest priority in school. Pupils’ increasing vocabulary enables them to access a range of books. This includes Shakespeare plays and non-fiction books which support their learning in a broad range of subjects. Pupils in Year 6 talk with enthusiasm about their favourite authors. They especially enjoy the chance to read for pleasure. A typical comment was, ‘just grab a good book, it can take you to another place’. A high proportion of pupils achieve well in reading by the end of key stage 2.

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Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. They enjoy the many clubs on offer. Leaders enhance pupils’ learning through a wide range of opportunities. For example, visits to museums to study artefacts in history and completing geography field work. Older pupils have the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities. As such, pupils are prepared well for the future.

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Governors carry out their roles effectively. They are knowledgeable about the school and the community. They support leaders and staff well and hold them account. This helps to ensure that the good quality of education is maintained.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All records relating to safeguarding are detailed and well maintained. Checks are in place to ensure that adults in school are suitable to work with children. Staff understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns about any potential risks. Leaders work together with other professionals to ensure that vulnerable pupils and their families get the help they need quickly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. For example, visitors from national and local charities work with the school’s e-cadets. They show pupils how to keep themselves safe when they are using the internet. 15–16 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have ensured that the mathematics curriculum is sequenced in a logical way. This helps pupils to know and remember more. Leaders should ensure that they further embed the improvements they have made to the way mathematics is taught. This will help older pupils to explain the strategies they use to solve a range of mathematical problems, and why they have used them.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Greenmount Primary School to be good on 6–7 May 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 15–16 October 2019

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6–7 May 2015

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Information about this school

 There is provision for pupils before and after school on the school premises.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, I spoke with pupils about their work and school life. I spoke with members of the governing body, the headteacher, subject leaders and members of staff. I also had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  I reviewed a range of documentation including curriculum plans, plans for the school’s further improvement and documentation about attendance and safeguarding. I spoke with the person responsible for safeguarding to discuss how pupils are kept safe.  I considered the 53 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and the 16 responses from the online staff survey. There were no responses to the pupils’ survey.  I considered some subjects in greater detail. These were reading, mathematics and geography. I held discussions with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work, talked with teachers and with pupils about their learning. I also listened to pupils

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Inspection team

Amanda Stringer, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 15–16 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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