Greenmead School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Greenmead School 147 Beaumont Road, Southfields, London, SW19 6RY

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Outcome

Greenmead School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils really enjoy attending Greenmead School. The nurturing atmosphere helps pupils to thrive. Staff are experts in communicating with pupils. They are also skilled in helping pupils to develop their confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils are able to achieve. Through carefully planned learning, pupils develop their knowledge and understanding very well in all curriculum areas. Staff also ensure that pupils gain valuable knowledge and experience of the wider world. Pupils’ needs are understood and planned for effectively, and staff make sure that all pupils are included in the planned learning. As a result, pupils achieve exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm, friendly and welcoming. Pupils said that they feel safe. They get on very well with staff and with each other. Pupils value the friendships that they make and enjoy the time they spend together. All of this contributes to pupils’ excellent behaviour in school. Staff encourage pupils to follow the five school values in all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is highly unusual. If any incidents were to happen, staff know how to deal with them effectively. Well-trained staff help pupils to cope with any anxieties or worries that they may have. This means that any friendship issues very rarely escalate.

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

In each subject, leaders have planned pathways that set out what pupils will learn and when. These pathways are both broad and ambitious. The teaching of new knowledge and skills is carefully sequenced. Learning is introduced in manageable chunks that recognise pupils’ existing knowledge and then build on it.

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

Staff and external therapists meet regularly to agree how best to support pupils’ learning. Each pupil has personalised goals to support their progression through the curriculum. Teachers and health professionals work together closely to review and refine these goals. 3 and 4 November 2021

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For example, input from speech and language therapists helps staff to build up pupils’ communication and social skills step by step. Pupils behave exceptionally well around the school and low-level disruption is rare. They are enthusiastic about their learning and try hard.

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Developing pupils’ ability to communicate is at the core of the curriculum. All staff are experts in developing pupils’ language and communication skills. They use signs, symbols and pictures to help pupils to express their feelings and to make choices. Over time, pupils grow in confidence and begin to communicate verbally, supported by staff and other prompts. Some pupils have several systems in place to support them with communication. This means that they are always able to make themselves understood, wherever they are and whatever equipment they have.

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Reading is also very prominent across the school. Leaders ensure that staff are trained to teach and promote reading effectively. Teachers are skilled in developing pupils’ reading ability and check pupils’ understanding carefully. They ensure that pupils learn phonics knowledge, along with other reading and communication strategies, so that pupils get better at reading over time. Pupils enjoy reading regularly.

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The mathematics curriculum is well planned. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They organise learning so that pupils build very effectively on what they have already learned. Pupils are encouraged to use and apply their mathematical knowledge regularly, including when learning in other subjects. This helps to deepen their understanding.

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Support for pupils’ wider development is of exceptional quality. This begins as soon as children join in the early years and continues throughout the school. By the time pupils leave, they are well prepared to move on to the next stage of their lives. For example, staff help pupils to become more confident in different social settings and learn how to get along with others.

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Leaders and staff make sure that the curriculum helps pupils to be ambitious about their futures. Pupils’ learning is linked to the wider community and is relevant to pupils’ needs and interests. For example, this term pupils are taking part in a singing project with another local school and will perform songs in the community once it ends.

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Parents and carers appreciate that staff are approachable and always on hand to help their children. They also value the way in which the curriculum is planned to meet pupils’ needs. Leaders ensure that parents are kept well informed about the next steps in their children’s learning. Parents are very happy with the school.

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Leaders have positive relationships with staff and are well aware of any workload pressures that exist. They continue to take positive steps to reduce unnecessary workload. Governors are knowledgeable and understand their role in the school. They challenge and support leaders appropriately.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 and 4 November 2021

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Staff work together as a team to keep pupils safe. They know pupils and their families extremely well. Staff are highly vigilant about keeping pupils safe because they are well trained. Regular training updates ensure that safeguarding is firmly at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

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Staff know about the risks that pupils may face. They report any concerns about a pupil’s welfare promptly. Leaders work effectively with other agencies and professionals to keep pupils safe.

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Parents said that their children are kept safe in school. Pupils are able to explain who they would ask for help if they had a problem and are clear that they feel safe at school.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we the school to be outstanding in January 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 3 and 4 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200124 Type of school Special

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 September 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Greenmead School specialises in supporting pupils with severe learning difficulties and in addition those with physical disabilities, communication difficulties and complex medical needs. Some pupils have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They also met with a range of staff and therapists and spoke with a representative from the local authority and with four governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading and communication; mathematics; personal, social, health and economic education; and creative arts. This involved visiting classes, looking at pupils’ work and speaking with pupils, subject leaders and teachers. 3 and 4 November 2021

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 Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ books and learning in other subjects.  The inspection team talked to leaders about safeguarding, staff recruitment and training relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors also scrutinised a range of other school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and school improvement plan.  The 19 written responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and 14 responses to the staff survey were also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Karen Matthews, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Francis Gonzalez Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 November 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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