E-ACT Greenfield Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Greenfield E-Act Primary Academy Novers Lane, Knowle West, Bristol BS4 1QW

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Outcome

Greenfield E-Act Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff at this school care deeply for the pupils. They are united in ensuring that pupils get the best possible start in life. Strong relationships between staff and pupils have a positive impact on pupils’ well-being and mental health. This enables them to thrive and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During the inspection, I spoke with many pupils. They enjoy school and what they learn in their lessons. Pupils were eager to share how trips and visits make learning exciting. They especially enjoy their residential trips and experiencing new challenges, such as sailing when visiting the Isle of Wight.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff ensure that the school is a calm and welcoming place for pupils. The school community is built on mutual trust and respect. Staff have high expectations of pupils. This means that pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school is of a high standard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told me that they feel safe in school. They appreciate the ‘mood monsters’ where they can alert staff to how they are feeling. Pupils told me eloquently how staff do all they can to help them resolve their worries or anxieties. Pupils are confident that bullying is extremely rare and, if it happens, is sorted quickly.

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

The school continues to provide a good quality of education. The school has a new headteacher and assistant headteacher. They have settled quickly, gaining the trust and respect of staff. Together, staff are building well on the previous strengths of the school. However, while leaders know what needs to improve and how they will do this, formal written plans for how the improvements are to be made, and the difference they will make to pupils’ achievement, lack detail.

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

Pupils told me that they have to think hard in their lessons. Nonetheless, leaders acknowledge that in subjects such as music and modern foreign languages, more work is 13–14 November 2019

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needed to ensure that pupils are able to learn and remember more. Leaders are taking decisive action so pupils do not miss out on their learning in these subjects.

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Reading is at the centre of pupils’ learning. Early reading skills are taught from the moment children enter the school. Staff receive high-quality training and are skilful in the teaching of phonics. Phonics is taught daily with the expectation that pupils know the expected sounds and words at the end of each term. Teachers are determined that all pupils will become fluent and confident readers. Pupils who find reading hard are identified quickly and rapid action is taken to enable them to catch up. As a result, there have been year-on-year improvements in the Year 1 phonics screening check. The use of the ‘karate bands’ enthuses pupils to read at home. Teachers read frequently to pupils and select books such as Harry Potter for pupils to read for pleasure. Teachers choose class books that support pupils’ understanding across a range of subjects. For example, in Year 4 pupils are listening to ‘Letters from the Lighthouse’. This supports pupils’

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understanding of their history topic. Teachers check pupils’ understanding of the words they are reading, which helps pupils to achieve well across the curriculum.

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Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Plans for these pupils are clear and reviewed regularly, allowing them to achieve well.

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Recent changes in managing pupils’ behaviour are having a positive impact. Pupils told me that the restorative justice approach is ‘so much better’ and that staff reward positive behaviour and are consistent. As a result, fixed-term exclusions are falling quickly. However, leaders acknowledge that exclusions are still too high.

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Pupils’ emotional well-being and mental health are at the heart of the school’s work. Staff are highly skilled. They know each and every pupil well, supporting pupils to reduce their anxiety when they are facing challenging times.

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Nursery and Reception classes are nurturing and thriving places. Staff plan activities that excite children and develop their love of learning. This is particularly evident in early reading. Nursery children were mesmerised by the story ‘A squash and a squeeze’. They joined in excitedly with phrases such as ‘it is too small’. Staff have high expectations of children. They reinforce these through daily routines. Children can sit and take turns, and do as they are told.

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Parents are positive about the school. ‘A fantastic school with a real sense of pride and community shared by all children’ is an example of the many positive comments I received.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Many pupils who attend this school need support. The work of the staff to help pupils with their emotional well-being and mental health is a significant strength. Relationships between staff and pupils are impressive. Pupils feel safe and are safe. 13–14 November 2019

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Staff receive high-quality safeguarding training. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns or worries about pupils. The online referral system is well organised, and staff record information carefully. This means that safeguarding staff are able to take appropriate and timely action to keep pupils safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have designed a curriculum which is generally well planned. They are aware of the few remaining subjects which need developing. Leaders need to ensure that all subjects taught are planned equally well and sequenced for all pupils, particularly in music and modern foreign languages.  Leaders have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. However, the academy improvement plan is underdeveloped. It does not show well enough how actions taken are going to improve the achievement of pupils further. Leaders need to be more precise in their strategic planning.  The new behaviour policy is having a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour and fixed- term exclusions are falling quickly. However, these exclusions need to reduce further.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged Greenfield E-Act Primary Academy to be good on 26–27 September 2012.

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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. 13–14 November 2019

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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. 13–14 November 2019

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School details

Website www.greenfielde-actacademy.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 December 2015

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Information about this school

 Greenfield E-Act Primary Academy is larger than the average-sized primary school. It joined E-Act multi-academy trust in September 2012. The work of the school is overseen by the board of trustees.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND, including pupils with an education, health and care plan, is well above the national average.  The vast majority of pupils are White British.  The headteacher and assistant headteacher started in post in September 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 I visited lessons with leaders. With them, I looked at pupils’ work. I spoke with pupils about what it is like to come to Greenfield E-Act Primary.  I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and personal, social and health education. I talked with senior leaders, curriculum leaders and pupils about these subjects. I also looked at pupils’ wider personal development. 13–14 November 2019

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 The school’s records of safeguarding checks and referrals to the local authority were looked at. I spoke with teachers and support staff about how they keep pupils safe. I also spoke to pupils about how they keep themselves safe and what they do when they have any worries.  I observed pupils playing at playtimes and lunchtimes.  I met with the national director of education for the E-Act Trust. I also met with the trust’s regional education director for standards at the school.  I spoke with parents at the beginning of the inspection. Eight responses from Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were taken into account, along with eight free-text responses. I also considered 26 staff questionnaire responses.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 13–14 November 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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