Southglade Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Southglade Primary and Nursery School Beckhampton Road, Nottingham NG5 5NE

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 January 2022

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Outcome

Southglade Primary and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a vibrant, busy school. Staff provide a wide range of opportunities to enhance pupils’ academic and personal development. Leaders and staff nurture pupils’ talents and interests. Extra-curricular activities are open to all pupils. These include sport, music, dance, computing, chess and more unusual offers such as karaoke, yoga and mindfulness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They have positive attitudes to learning. In lessons, they are keen listeners when teachers explain new concepts. Pupils are eager to offer ideas, drawing on what they already know to gain new knowledge and skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand that bullying is wrong. They say that staff are good at sorting out any issues that occur. Pupils also appreciate using the ‘worry boxes’ and ‘worry monsters’ to ask questions or raise concerns. Trained learning mentors offer good pastoral care. They are available to support pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour or who need social and emotional support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities around school. They speak proudly about their roles as ‘maths ambassadors’ or members of the school council. These opportunities enable pupils to develop qualities of independence and leadership. Pupils also learn how to understand and support their fellow pupils’ needs.

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

In recent years, leaders have revised the curriculum in all subjects, from early years to Year 6. The curriculum ‘road maps’ set out clearly the knowledge and skills that pupils should gain, year on year. Curriculum leaders have a secure overview of their subjects. They offer guidance and support to ensure that teachers are confident to deliver the revised curriculum. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ ability to know and remember more over time. 18 and 19 January 2022

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The mathematics curriculum is a strength of the school. The leader provides high-quality training and coaching sessions for staff. As a result, staff are skilled and pupils are confident learners. For example, pupils in Year 6 could explain the importance of knowing a range of strategies for solving problems. In the early years, children get off to a strong start in mathematics. They listened intently to the teacher when learning about numbers to 10.

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In all subjects, staff carry out regular checks on what pupils can remember. Staff adapt the curriculum to take account of any gaps in knowledge due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They step in quickly to address any misunderstandings. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to access the full curriculum.

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Leaders prioritise reading and a love of books across the school. Carefully selected texts are at the heart of the school’s revised ‘book-based’ curriculum. Since the last inspection, new leaders for early reading and phonics have been appointed. They are highly ambitious for all pupils to become good readers by the end of Year 2. Recently, leaders have ensured that pupils read from books that match their phonics knowledge. Pupils enjoy reading. They participate well in the daily phonics sessions. Leaders plan to introduce a new, more systematic phonics programme later in the spring term. Staff have received some initial training, with more planned. The aim of the new approach is to ensure that more pupils become fluent readers more quickly.

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Leaders and staff support pupils’ broader development well. They are committed to providing pupils with the support they need to succeed in life. Staff expose pupils to a wide range of creative and cultural experiences, for example through a link with the Nottingham Playhouse theatre. Pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures in assemblies and through the curriculum. They understand the importance of values such as respect and empathy. Pupils are developing well as young citizens.

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The vast majority of staff speak positively about the support they receive for their workload and well-being. Governors discuss staff well-being at their meetings. They understand the challenges that school leaders and staff have faced as a result of the pandemic. Governors carefully consider how best to support the school, as part of their leadership role.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that early reading and phonics may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The experienced safeguarding team has established a strong culture of vigilance. Leaders and staff know that they must record concerns as soon as they arise. They understand the particular issues in the local community. Staff and the learning mentors work with families and external agencies to ensure pupils’ safety. Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. They receive teaching about online safety and peer-on-peer abuse. 18 and 19 January 2022

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Staff and governors receive regular safeguarding training and updates. Staff say that they are confident in the school’s procedures for raising and recording concerns. Leaders keep detailed, thorough records.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Currently, the school’s approach to teaching phonics is not systematic enough. The proportion of pupils who can apply a secure knowledge of phonics when reading has not improved since the last inspection. Recently, leaders have introduced decodable books for pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ confidence and fluency. Leaders plan to introduce a single systematic synthetic phonics programme later in the spring term. They have begun to train staff in the new approach. Leaders should ensure that the revised approach to teaching phonics supports pupils to develop as fluent, confident readers.

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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 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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2016.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 18 and 19 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211561 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 and 5 October 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in February 2018.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers, curriculum leaders and a range of staff. The inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and reviewed samples of pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times around school.

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 The inspector evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding by reviewing the school’s record of pre-employment checks and holding discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Christine Watkins, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 January 2022

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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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