Grove Primary School

Inspection of Grove Primary School Pickersleigh Grove, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 2LU

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils who attend this school are happy and feel safe. This is because they have staff who care about them. At playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils play well together. The younger pupils enjoy the games that the sports leaders organise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some of the older pupils feel that school would be a better place if everyone was kind, and no one was mean. They feel, and some parents and carers agree, that staff do not deal with bullying when it happens. Leaders gave evidence to inspectors to show that staff do act, and that this action is appropriate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Recent improvements in some areas of the curriculum are helping more pupils to know and remember more. However, leaders have not thought carefully enough about how pupils’ learning is organised for different age groups. This means that in many subjects, pupils do not get the chance to build on what they have done before.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils say that they enjoy their learning. In lessons, many pupils listen carefully to staff and work sensibly to complete their work. There are lessons, however, where pupils do not listen and disrupt the learning of others through talking and calling out. Some staff allow this to happen.

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better?

The school has faced significant challenges during the last few years. This is not solely related to the pandemic. An interim executive board replaced the governing body last year. Working with the local authority, it has secured external support for leaders. This has led to a clearer focus on improving the quality of education. However, leaders have not acted quickly enough to address the weaknesses, especially in teaching and pupils’ learning, that have existed for many years.

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better?

With some external support, leaders have worked on improving the curriculum in physical education, early reading, English and mathematics. This means that there is a clear sequence of learning in these areas that matches the ambition of the national curriculum. However, leaders have not given enough consideration to many of the other subjects that are taught. Pupils’ learning in too many subjects is not good enough.

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better?

This year, leaders introduced a new science curriculum. This curriculum requires all pupils to study the same objectives across the whole of key stage 2. As a result, pupils in the older year groups are not building on previous learning and pupils in the younger year groups are doing work designed for Year 6. There are similar issues with the geography curriculum.

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better?

In some of the other subjects, such as history and modern foreign languages, there is very little structure or coherence to the curriculum. Pupils’ learning is jumbled and 15 and 16 March 2022

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disconnected. Consequently, pupils are not able to build on their knowledge, understanding and skills progressively.

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Early reading and phonics are coherently sequenced. There are clear expectations for what pupils should know and by when. Staff training has led to a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Pupils needing additional support are identified quickly by staff. As a result of these actions, children in early years and pupils in key stage 1 can read with increasing confidence and fluency. Daily story reading promotes a love of reading. Children in early years join in eagerly with staff during these sessions. This gives the youngest pupils a growing vocabulary and understanding of language.

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In mathematics, the children in early years develop a secure understanding of number. This is because staff model the learning, give clear explanations, and make sure that children understand the vocabulary. Across the school, the sequence of learning is clear, so that pupils build on what they have done before.

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Leaders’ ambition is for all pupils to access the age-appropriate curriculum. For pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), this was not happening before this year. Since September, some pupils have started to receive more effective support to access the curriculum. The quality of this provision, however, is not yet consistent across the curriculum.

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Pupils’ attendance is low. The pandemic is a factor, but there are high numbers of pupils who miss too much school. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is inconsistent. Many listen attentively and have positive attitudes to their learning. However, others disrupt learning. Not all pupils are respectful to adults.

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The personal, social and health education programme in school is well established. Pupils know how to stay healthy and activities such as yoga support their well-being. The wider opportunities to develop pupils’ character and interests are more limited. Pupils’ knowledge of the wider world and values such as democracy are underdeveloped. Pupils are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders check adults’ suitability to work with children. Staff know how to keep pupils safe because of the safeguarding training they complete. Leaders quickly respond when staff raise concerns. They work with families and other agencies to get the right help at the right time to make sure that pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to stay safe when online. They know whom to talk to if they are worried about something. Pupils learn how to stay safe through a range of in-class and out-of-class activities. 15 and 16 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Many areas of the school’s curriculum are not coherently sequenced. In some subjects, the curriculum is not ambitious enough and does not meet the requirements of the national curriculum. As a result, pupils do not know or learn as much as they should and are not well prepared for the next stage of their education. Leaders should make sure that there is a coherently sequenced curriculum in place that is implemented as soon as possible.  The quality of the provision for children and pupils with SEND is inconsistent across the curriculum. Consequently, children and pupils with SEND do not do as well as they should. Leaders and staff should make sure that these groups of children and pupils have the necessary opportunities, support and guidance so that they can access an ambitious curriculum. Leaders should make sure that children and pupils with SEND develop their knowledge and understanding in line

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

with their abilities and aspirations.  Behaviour across the school is inconsistent because not all staff are applying the expectations agreed at whole-school level. Consequently, low-level disruption occurs in some areas of the school and not all pupils are respectful. Leaders should make sure that all staff are supported to apply the behaviour principles and expectations consistently.  The attendance of some pupils is not good enough. Leaders and staff should work with children and their families to reinforce attendance expectations and to make sure that pupils attend more regularly.  The current curriculum and wider opportunities the school provides do not develop pupils’ understanding of British values and other cultures, faiths and religions well enough. As a result, pupils’ knowledge of different faiths, cultures and British values is limited. Leaders must ensure that this aspect of the school’s

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

curriculum is developed, so that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Leaders’ plans for improving the school have not addressed weaknesses quickly enough. Leaders have not prioritised the right areas for improvement at the right time. As a result, pupils are not receiving an acceptable standard of education. Leaders should ensure that they take urgent action to ensure that pupils receive a better education.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection. 15 and 16 March 2022

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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. 15 and 16 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority Interim executive board

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Headteachers

Miss A Guest Ms Z Newton-Smith Website www.groveprimaryschoolmalvern.co.uk

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Date of previous inspection

8 and 9 November 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 15 and 16 March 2022

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 The lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteachers, the special educational needs consultant, subject leaders and governors, including the chair of the interim executive board. They spoke to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education (PE) and art. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. In PE, inspectors also visited lessons.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects and looked at pupils’ work, including in geography, history, religious education, science and English.  The lead inspector met with the headteachers, who are the designated

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safeguarding leads. Pupils’ case files were reviewed. The single central record of the checks on staff’s suitability to work with children was scrutinised.  Inspectors met with staff to discuss their workload and the support they receive to carry out their roles.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about how safe they feel in school and how they learn to keep themselves safe.  Inspectors spoke to parents.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Helen Forrest, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachel Perks Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 March 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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