Greasbrough Primary School

Inspection of Greasbrough Primary School Munsbrough Rise, Greasbrough, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S61 4RB

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The school was inspected in 2018 under Section 8 of the Education Act and was found to continue to be good. 13–14 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Greasbrough Primary is a vibrant and happy school. Leaders are proud of the pupils and ambitious for them. They have built an ambitious curriculum which contains ‘profound primary experiences’. These are exciting learning opportunities which encourage pupils to try new experiences such as visiting art galleries, beaches and theatres. Pupils in key stage 2 value the opportunity to go on regular residential trips.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they are happy and safe in this school. Staff have built strong, positive relationships with them. Pupils are encouraged to take on roles and responsibilities across all year groups. As part of their restorative practice policy, pupils help each other to find solutions when they have problems. Some pupils are Willow Tree Warriors, helping their peers to understand how to keep themselves safe online. Others are school councillors or librarians. Leaders aim to build aspirational leaders for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour. Adults build positive relationships with pupils and support them to reflect on things if they are struggling to manage their behaviour. Pupils are positive and engaged in lessons. They are polite and respectful towards each other and adults in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Trustees and leaders are very ambitious for the school. They have ensured that the environment for learning is warm and welcoming. They are constantly seeking further ways to improve the school and have created detailed plans to ensure that the improvements continue.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that links learning across different subjects. Teachers ensure these links are meaningful and support leaders’ vision of providing exciting learning experiences. As a result, pupils can remember important information over time. An example of this was seen in art when pupils were learning how to observe texture and shape using leaves, as they made detailed drawings. They drew on their prior learning in geography, when they studied rainforests, to describe in detail how the leaves are all different and are found in distinct parts of the forest.

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better?

In most subjects, there are effective and detailed curriculum plans in place. These show what pupils should be learning at each stage of their education. Leaders of subjects such as maths, science and art provide strong and effective support for other teachers. They help teachers to plan well-sequenced lessons. Pupils can then build upon prior learning and remember more. However, there is still more to do in some subjects, such as geography. 13–14 October 2021

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Leaders have put reading at the heart of the school curriculum. They focus on developing a love of reading for all the pupils in this school. They have ensured that there are high-quality texts in all the shared areas and classrooms throughout the building. Teachers plan lessons in which pupils read and talk about books every day. These lessons enable pupils to practise reading, improve their comprehension and learn new vocabulary. Pupils are confident to talk about their favourite books and authors. They especially enjoy taking part in the reading challenges to earn bronze, silver or gold awards.

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Pupils in the early years and key stage 1 learn to read using phonics. While all teachers plan lessons using this approach, there is some inconsistency in the delivery of some lessons, due to recent staffing changes. Leaders recognise the importance of developing a more consistent approach for all pupils. They are currently introducing a new systematic approach to phonics teaching. They have plans to train all staff in this approach so that lessons follow the same format and there is clear progression planned in learning. This will support pupils at the very beginning of learning to read to make better progress.

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This is an inclusive school. Teachers are quick to identify pupils who may need more help. They ensure that swift, same day catch-up sessions, extra reading, or small- group interventions are put in place to help pupils keep up. Leaders are tenacious in seeking help from outside agencies where it is needed for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are supported effectively with bespoke learning plans. This enables them to make good progress with their learning.

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Staff have helped children in the early years to settle in school. They have supported them to quickly understand routines, boundaries and expectations. There is a focus on developing a love of learning through playing, exploring and being actively engaged in tasks. An example of this was seen when adults encouraged pupils to create performances on the outdoor mini stage. Pupils confidently use language learned from stories read in the classroom.

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The school’s relentless focus on developing learning beyond the classroom has ensured that there are exceptional opportunities for pupils’ personal development. The school ensures that pupils have access to wide, rich and well-planned experiences. Pupils are enthusiastic about the regular residential trips. Parents understand the value of these. Pupils learn about equality and diversity through linking with schools in different areas. They confidently challenge stereotypes and can discuss feelings and emotions with a significant depth of understanding. Pupils are confident and proud to share ideas and opinions about issues in the wider world.

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Pupils have an excellent understanding of the behaviour expectations in the school. They recognise and value that everyone is different and show high levels of respect for each other. Pupils know that it is important to help others to follow the school rules. On the rare occasions that pupils find this difficult, staff and pupils support 13–14 October 2021

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them to see the impact of their behaviour on others. Pupils encourage each other to understand how they could behave differently. Staff are consistent in their actions when dealing with concerns. Bullying is never tolerated.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils’ welfare and safety are at the heart of the school’s work. Leaders have a clear understanding of the risks that pupils may face outside school. They ensure that staff can identify signs that pupils may be experiencing harm. Pastoral leaders work with a range of outside agencies, including social care and the police, to provide support for families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves and others safe. They learn this through a range of approaches. These include Willow Tree Warriors, sharing learning about online safety, Girl Power, teaching girls to speak up, and Real-Life Rocks, where pupils learn about healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Senior leaders in the school have been effective in developing middle leadership in some areas such as maths and SEND. They use experienced leaders from other schools within the trust to improve and develop less experienced leaders’ subject knowledge. This has helped some leaders to quickly improve the areas they lead on. These leaders have shown great commitment to creating effective policies for staff to follow and a coherent and well-sequenced curriculum in their subjects. This is not the case for some subjects or aspects of the curriculum. Leaders need to further strengthen middle leadership in those areas. This will enable teachers to ensure that learning across all subjects is progressive and begins from the earliest years of schooling.

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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 . 13–14 October 2021

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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 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200701 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Greasbrough Primary School became part of the Willow Tree Academy in August 2015.  The executive headteacher works across the other trust schools. There is also a head of school in post.  The school is an average-sized primary school with several mixed-age classes.  The early years provision for two-year-olds has been taken over by the school since the last inspection.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The school runs a breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 13–14 October 2021

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 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 held meetings with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders, including the head of school, the early years leader and the special needs coordinator, as well as some subject leaders.  The lead inspector met with the representatives of the trust, the vice chair of the school improvement board and a parent governor. Discussions were also held with the school improvement partner and the assistant director of education inclusion for Rotherham local authority.  The inspection focused deeply on reading, mathematics, geography and art. Inspectors undertook deep dives in these subjects and met subject leaders, carried out joint lesson visits, looked at curriculum planning and discussed

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learning with teachers. They also talked to pupils about their learning and their work in books. An inspector also observed teaching assistants listening to pupils read.  The arrangements for safeguarding were checked, including the single central record, attendance and behaviour logs and safeguarding records. Inspectors held discussions with senior leaders and members of the pastoral team about safeguarding training for other staff in the school.  Inspectors visited the early years provision and discussed learning and the curriculum with leaders in there.  The lead inspector analysed the school’s self-evaluation document and plans for improvement. A number of other documents were also scrutinised, including school improvement partner reports.  Inspectors spoke informally with pupils and observed their behaviour at various times of the day, including breaks, lunchtime and in the breakfast club.  Inspectors took into account the views of staff, parents and pupils during the

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course of the inspection. They reviewed 12 responses to the online survey, Parent View, and 12 additional free-text comments. 27 staff surveys were looked at, along with nine responses from the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Andy Taylor Ofsted Inspector 13–14 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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