Grove Road Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Grove Road Primary School Cromwell Road, Hounslow TW3 3QQ

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 January 2022

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Outcome

Grove Road Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Grove Road Primary is a very inclusive school. Pupils from the on-site special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) provision are involved in all aspects of school life. Pupils across the school learn and play together. Leaders encourage all pupils to take part in the wide range of extra-curricular clubs on offer. Staff provide appropriate support for pupils and families so that no one misses out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the equipment in the playground and playing in the different areas. Pupils said that they particularly enjoy climbing in the ‘valleys area’. Pupils get on well with each other and behave well. Older pupils help and support younger pupils to sort out any problems. Bullying rarely occurs and staff take appropriate action to deal with any issues. Pupils are safe in school. Staff form trusting relationships with pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They check that the decisions they make have the right impact and make changes if they feel that things need to improve. Leaders prioritise the right things. As a result, pupils typically achieve well.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Leaders, teachers and teaching assistants work in teams to lead subjects. Staff receive appropriate training and have strong subject knowledge. They think about what they want pupils to know and remember in subjects. Staff sequence what pupils are taught logically from early years to Year 6. Pupils recap knowledge they have learned in the past. This helps them remember and make important connections. For example, pupils in Year 5 spoke about how learning about place value in Year 3 helps them round decimal numbers successfully. Sometimes teaching does not make the important knowledge that pupils need to know explicit enough. Where this is the case, pupils struggle to connect and build on prior knowledge.

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

Leaders have embedded a consistent approach to teaching phonics from early years. Staff find out what letters and sounds children know when they join the school. Staff match 26 and 27 January 2022

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their teaching accordingly and make sure that books match the sounds that children know as they learn to read. Pupils who attend the SEND provision learn phonics alongside their peers. Leaders modify the phonics teaching for pupils with complex needs so that all pupils learn to read. Pupils enjoy reading. They like borrowing books from the library to share at home. Leaders’ commitment to reading helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers.

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Leaders provide training for staff, including how to recognise that a pupil may have SEND. Leaders work with a range of external professionals to provide tailored support where necessary. Sometimes leaders struggle to access some services, but they find alternative ways for pupils to get the right support. For instance, leaders work with external organisations to train teaching assistants. This means that teaching assistants have appropriate knowledge and skills to support pupils effectively.

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Pupils are motivated to behave well. They enjoy receiving rewards for their efforts. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about exchanging their reward points for prizes and experiences. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff are quick to address low-level disruption so that it does not interrupt learning.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ wider development. Some clubs and activities were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but most have restarted. Pupils go on a wide range of trips, including visits to the Houses of Parliament and Kew Gardens. Pupils enjoy attending extra-curricular clubs, such as those for cheerleading, choir, origami and football. Older pupils take on responsibilities, such as being a prefect or head pupil. Year 6 peer mediators spoke about the importance of being unbiased when helping pupils resolve problems.

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Governors receive training to carry out their role well. They provide effective support and challenge for leaders. Governors work with leaders to check that school staff do not have excessive workload pressures. Staff appreciate the support of governors and leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors, leaders and staff receive appropriate safeguarding training. Staff use the school systems to alert leaders if they are concerned about a pupil. Leaders follow up concerns and take appropriate action. Leaders work with external safeguarding professionals to seek advice and escalate concerns if necessary. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn about abuse and consent in an age-appropriate way. For example, pupils attend workshops delivered by the NSPCC. Pupils also learn about online safety and how to report any concerns. 26 and 27 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teaching does not make the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember explicit enough. Where this is the case, pupils struggle to connect and build on prior knowledge. Leaders must make sure that curriculum thinking is made clearer to teachers so that pupils are taught the essential content in all subject areas and have opportunities to revisit this knowledge.

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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 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 January 2017.

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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. 26 and 27 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

10 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils aged four to 11 with autism spectrum disorder. There are 18 pupils who currently attend this provision.  No pupils attend an alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had 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.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. 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 also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other subjects. 26 and 27 January 2022

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 The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about safeguarding. The inspector looked at safeguarding records and documentation.  The responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and parents were also considered.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 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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