Parkend Primary School

Inspection of Parkend Primary School Yorkley Road, Parkend, Lydney, Gloucestershire GL15 4HL

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 12 and 13 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have raised their expectations of pupils’ learning across the curriculum. However, the quality of education is not good enough. Pupils do not learn as well as they could in some subjects. Some younger pupils are not supported well enough to become fluent readers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a calm and caring school. Pupils enjoy learning and attend school regularly. Parkend’s ‘PACE’ values of ‘pride, achievement, curiosity and everyone together’ guide pupils to be responsible and work hard. Pupils get on well with each other and are well cared for by staff. Pupils feel safe. They say that bullying is extremely rare and that staff sort it out quickly if it happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful to each other and adults. Pupils behave well in lessons. Staff deal with rare incidents of disruptive behaviour effectively. Lunchtimes are enjoyable times where pupils play happily together and have interesting activities to choose from.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take pride in being part of their school and the range of responsibilities they can take. They enjoy being buddies for younger pupils and subject ambassadors. Leaders make sure that pupils can develop a range of interests. Pupils enjoy learning in the school allotment and in forest school activities.

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better?

Leaders are working with determination to improve the quality of education. They have reviewed the school’s curriculum and developed plans in some subjects, which are ambitious and raise expectations of pupils. However, some subject leaders have not checked how well teachers are implementing curriculum plans. As a result, pupils do not learn the curriculum well enough in some subjects.

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better?

The new mathematics leader is developing teachers’ subject knowledge and skills. Curricular plans identify what pupils should learn in a logical order. Teachers regularly check what pupils know and can do. Pupils use a range of resources to help them learn. However, they do not always use what they know to solve demanding problems. This limits how well pupils progress through the mathematics curriculum. The science curriculum is planned well. Pupils apply their knowledge to practical investigations which challenge and motivate them. They use scientific vocabulary accurately to explain their understanding.

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better?

Some curriculum plans do not set out the important knowledge that pupils need to learn clearly enough, including in the early years foundation stage. Consequently, the early years curriculum does not prepare children for Year 1 as well as it should. In some curriculum subjects, older pupils miss out on important learning and do not 12 and 13 October 2021

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revisit essential content. For example, in history, pupils do not build their understanding of chronology well.

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Leaders are working to improve teachers’ use of assessment. Staff make checks in the early years on how well children remember number facts and new words they have been taught. However, teachers do not routinely check what pupils know and remember in all subjects. This means that they do not address gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills. Pupils do not understand some new ideas fully because learning does not build on what they have learned before.

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Pupils love reading. Leaders encourage older pupils to read widely. Pupils develop knowledge of a range of literature and authors. Story times are a valued and enjoyable part of the school day. Leaders have introduced a structured programme for teaching younger pupils to read. However, some pupils who have fallen behind with their reading are not catching up quickly enough. Some staff do not support children to become fluent, confident readers.

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Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. The school’s values help pupils to be resilient, thoughtful and considerate of others. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. Staff in the early years prioritise teaching essential social skills. Children learn to build friendships and to try hard with new tasks. Older pupils learn how to live healthy lifestyles and to take care of their mental health. A range of clubs, visits and visitors inspire pupils and develop their interests. For example, pupils appreciated the visits from professional musicians that have inspired them to play an instrument.

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The newly appointed special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is working well with external agencies to support pupils’ additional needs. Leaders’ checks on the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are at an early stage. Targets for some pupils are not precise enough. This prevents staff from making appropriate adaptations to enable these pupils to access the curriculum well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the pupils and families in this small school well. Designated safeguarding leads make sure that staff training is up to date. Staff understand the signs of abuse and neglect. They are vigilant and report concerns promptly. Leaders work well with other agencies to provide families with the support they need. This includes extra support for pupils to attend school regularly. Governors oversee recruitment checks and safeguarding procedures effectively. Pupils learn how to stay safe, including when online. 12 and 13 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not all have the knowledge to teach phonics effectively. This is slowing the progress pupils make, especially those who need to catch up. Leaders need to ensure that children get off to a good start with phonics in the early years. They should take immediate action to ensure that all staff have the subject knowledge to teach phonics well.  Some curriculum plans do not set out the important subject knowledge pupils need to learn well enough. This prevents pupils from building their understanding of important concepts in different subjects over time. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are planned and implemented well, from the early years to Year 6.  Teachers' checks of what pupils know and remember are not precise enough in some subjects. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their learning. Leaders need to make sure staff use assessment effectively in all subjects so that pupils learn

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

the curriculum well.  Leaders' checks on the support for pupils with SEND are not rigorous enough. Leaders do not have a strong strategic overview of this aspect of the school. Consequently, some pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that all provision for pupils with SEND is well planned and monitored.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 12 and 13 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200958 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christopher Powell

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 and 7 December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been changes to leadership roles. A new chair of governors was appointed in March 2020. A new SENCo took up their post in September 2021. A high proportion of subject leaders are new to their roles.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pan- demic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, subject leaders, the SENCo and groups of staff. The lead inspector met with two representatives from the governing body, including the chair, and met with the local authority school improvement advisers.  An inspector spoke to parents at the start of the day. 12 and 13 October 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders visited a sample of lessons and looked at pupils’ work. Additionally, inspectors reviewed teachers’ planning and pupils’ work in music, history, writing and geography, and spoke with pupils about their learning.  Inspectors considered how well the school keeps pupils safe. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to evaluate the effectiveness of safe- guarding.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors spoke with pupils to gain their views about the school.  Inspectors considered 23 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, in- cluding 18 free-text responses, and seven responses to the staff survey. Inspec- tors considered 37 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Claire Mirams, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 October 2021

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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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