Glebe Infants' School

Inspection of Glebe Infants’ School Glebe Way, Newent, Gloucestershire GL18 1BL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 15–16 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has been through a period of rapid change. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have raised expectations significantly of what pupils can achieve. Parents and carers highlight the improvements made ‘across the board’. Staff work as a team to do the best for the pupils. They value the expertise leaders have brought to the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand that learning takes perseverance but say that lessons are fun. As a pupil explained, ‘We learn new things every day’. Books are full of well-presented work, particularly in mathematics, science and history. Every pupil is entitled to exciting experiences during their time in school such as a woodland walk and a visit to a beach.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well throughout the school day. The school is effective in improving the behaviour of those few pupils who need more help. If need be, ‘positive play’ is taught, helping pupils to take turns and play fairly. Pupils say that sometimes friends fall out, but they feel safe because adults help them sort out their problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Good routines are established in early years as soon as children start school. Staff help children to listen carefully and speak clearly. Children in early years are confident and independent.

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better?

Leaders are in the process of completing their curriculum improvements. Reading, writing and mathematics have been their priority. Pupils gain knowledge securely in these subjects. Where other subjects are fully planned, for example physical education and science, pupils remember what they have been taught. In art and history, displays and workbooks show pupils are learning and remembering the right things. The music curriculum is not yet planned as effectively as other subjects, and pupils do not learn as well.

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better?

Leaders put reading at the heart of learning. At the start of the day, the early years classes are full of parents sharing books with their children. The new programme for phonics is helping children in early years to learn to read quickly. Teachers choose books carefully to give children practice with the sounds they are learning. In key stage 1, pupils build their phonic knowledge securely. Most read confidently and spell accurately.

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better?

Pupils, particularly those who need to catch up, have frequent opportunities to read with their teacher and with skilled teaching assistants. In reading lessons and at individual reading times, teachers help pupils to understand their reading and to explain what pupils have read. When reading with children in early years, staff contribute to records of what children know. Some records in key stage 1 are not as thorough. Some of the adults reading with pupils are not clear about what pupils need to learn next. 15–16 January 2020

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The school’s ways of teaching mathematics are consistent in early years and key stage 1. Pupils learn to think deeply about their mathematics. Teachers explain new learning clearly. This helps children to remember more. Teachers quickly spot when pupils could do more, or need extra help.

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In early years, children form letters accurately and write sentences about their favourite stories. Pupils in key stage 1 know the correct terms for the grammar they are expected to use when writing. However, they are not encouraged consistently to extend their vocabulary and make their writing more interesting.

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Generally, teachers in key stage 1 build well on the knowledge children gain in early years. In science, pupils had remembered what they had learned about their senses in early years. This helped them to plan their investigations into hearing and sound. However, the curriculum plans for the foundation subjects do not fully explain the sequence of learning from early years to key stage 1. Leaders are too reliant on teachers sharing this knowledge through discussion.

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The school’s ‘life skills’ curriculum recognises that pupils have things to learn beyond the national curriculum. Pupils learn to tie shoelaces and use a knife and fork, for instance. Mid-day supervisors encourage pupils to try new foods. Every day, pupils vote for their favourite book at storytime to learn about fairness. Teachers stress the importance of being a good friend and showing respect. Leaders widen pupils’ cultural understanding through events such as Samba band and Bollywood. Pupils take responsibility for tasks such as putting away playground equipment.

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Parents are positive about the support for their children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The skilled leader of this area is vigilant for pupils’ achievement. She guides leaders in how the curriculum can be adapted to meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils as well as those with SEND. Pupils’ workbooks show that teachers successfully adapt tasks to make learning accessible.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that all staff are trained well to identify when a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff fully record any concerns they may have and report them to leaders promptly. Leaders know the community well and work effectively with agencies that help families to support their children.

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Safeguarding

All parents spoken to, and those who completed the Ofsted survey, agree that their children feel safe in school.

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Safeguarding

Statutory checks are made and recorded on adults who work with pupils in school. Governors check for themselves to ensure this happens. 15–16 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet planned coherently in every subject, for example in music. It is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan and train staff in how to deliver the curriculum that they are in the process of bringing this about. For this reason, the transition arrangement has been applied. Leaders need to ensure that they implement their curriculum plans so that pupils know and remember more in every subject of the national curriculum.  The curriculum plans for the foundation subjects do not show pupils’ starting points when pupils join key stage 1. Leaders should ensure that plans show how knowledge is built from the time children join the school.  In key stage 1, ongoing assessments of reading do not always give an indication of pupils’ next steps to gaining fluency. Leaders should sharpen the system for assessing reading. This is so that adults who read with pupils understand what

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils know and what they need to learn next.  The most able pupils’ vocabulary is not developed sufficiently for them to show they are writing at the higher standard. The curriculum and teaching of writing need to build pupils’ vocabulary more securely.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122333 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–4 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is in a federation with Picklenash Junior School, which shares the same site.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders. We met with the SEND coordinator and the pastoral lead. The lead inspector held a meeting with representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  We reviewed the school’s self-evaluation and its plans to continue to improve the school. We reviewed the plan for the continued development of the curriculum, which sets out when and how curriculum plans will be finalised.  We scrutinised school documentation and arrangements for safeguarding. We spoke to staff about how they keep pupils safe. 15–16 January 2020

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 The lead inspector spoke to groups of staff to gather their views of the school and took account of the 17 responses to the staff survey.  We talked to pupils at lunchtime and held a discussion with a group of pupils. The views of others were gathered through 16 responses to the pupil survey.  We met with parents as they brought their children to school and took account of the 11 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.  We carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, physical education and music. On the second day, the lead inspector looked at other subjects, including writing. As part of the deep dives, we visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work. We talked to groups of pupils, and the lead inspector heard some pupils read. We discussed the curriculum with teachers and leaders.

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Inspection team

Wendy Marriott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jen Edwards Ofsted Inspector 15–16 January 2020

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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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