Greenfields Primary School

Inspection of Greenfields Primary School Ellesborough Close, Watford, Hertfordshire WD19 6QH

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 27 and 28 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at Greenfields Primary School. They strive to achieve the agreed ‘HEART’ values of honesty, empathy, aspiration, respect and team in all that they do. The new headteacher has placed building strong relationships at the heart of the school’s work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and low-level disruption is very rare. Pupils establish positive relationships with each other and they support their peers to do well. Pupils understand how to be kind, and they show this in what they do. Bullying does not often happen, but when it does, staff deal with incidents promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a range of extra-curricular activities. These activities enable them to develop their sporting and creative skills. Pupils learn about the benefits of keeping fit and healthy. They enjoy performing with the school choir. Older pupils are proud to take on leadership roles, such as being house captains and members of the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. In particular, they value the level of care that their children receive. Typical comments from parents praise the ‘very strong community links’ and how ‘the children know they are loved and cared for’.

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better?

Leaders have a clear vision for the school. They have an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Effective communication and training have helped staff understand and implement leaders’ priorities successfully. In addition, the governing body both supports and challenges school leaders effectively. As a result, leaders have successfully addressed the concerns identified at the time of the previous inspection.

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better?

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that helps to build up what pupils learn in a logical way. Leaders have identified the key vocabulary and knowledge that pupils need in each subject. In history, for instance, pupils are able to recall key historical facts they have learned, such as Year 5 pupils explaining the Egyptian gods and goddesses.

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better?

Leaders have made reading a high priority. They have ensured the reading curriculum is effectively delivered. Leaders recognise how important it is for pupils to learn phonics well. Children in Nursery begin to learn sounds very soon after they start school. Children remember the phonics that they have learned and can use their knowledge well. As pupils progress through key stage 1 and key stage 2, they become fluent and accurate readers, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). 27 and 28 April 2022

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In most areas of the curriculum, teachers make effective use of assessment and ensure that pupils are learning what they need to. As a result, achievement is high. However, in a very few areas, this is not as well developed. In a small number of cases, teachers check less closely that pupils link their learning to what they already know. Because of this, sometimes pupils do not remember their learning quite so well. Leaders are aware of this and are in the process of supporting teachers to assess learning even more effectively.

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Children who enter the early years get off to a good start in school. The early years curriculum is effectively planned and is well delivered by staff. Children in early years quickly establish positive behaviours and routines to support their learning and development. Children develop strong communication skills because of stimulating and language-rich classrooms.

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Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour in lessons. This means most pupils have positive attitudes to learning. However, on occasion, teachers do not apply leaders’ expectations as well as they might. As a result, sometimes pupils take less pride in their learning. When this happens, their work can be messy, which can lead to them making mistakes.

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Leaders provide strong support for pupils with SEND. Leaders identify the needs of these pupils promptly and accurately and carefully consider what help they need to access the same curriculum as others. Because of this, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Leaders pay a great deal of attention to pupils’ personal development. This is supported by a well-considered curriculum for personal, social and health education. Pupils learn that it is important to treat everyone equally. Older pupils understand discrimination and the different forms that it can take. They know what to do to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. For example, they are taught effectively how to keep themselves safe online, such as how to avoid cyber-bullying.

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Governors are effective in their roles. They successfully challenge leaders and hold them to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. Governors make sure that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, access the same ambitious curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff know the pupils and their families very well. They develop strong and trusting relationships. As a result, they spot risks quickly and identify those pupils who may need extra support.

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Safeguarding

All staff are well trained in ensuring pupils are kept safe. Staff are vigilant and know how to raise concerns. 27 and 28 April 2022

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Leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure pupils get the support they need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few areas of the curriculum, teachers do not use assessment as well as they might. This means that pupils do not always make enough links with what they know already and, in a small number of cases, do not remember the essential knowledge as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that all staff are sufficiently well trained so that they know how to use assessment robustly across the whole curriculum.  Most pupils have positive attitudes toward learning. However, not all teachers ensure that pupils have consistently high expectations for their work. As a result, some pupils’ work is untidy and not well organised. When this happens, it can lead to errors being made. Leaders need to ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils’ attitudes to learning to ensure they do as well as they are capable of.

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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. 27 and 28 April 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.greenfields.herts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3 and 4 July 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.  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

 This was the first routine inspection the school 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors 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. Inspectors observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders and pupils about some other subjects. 27 and 28 April 2022

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 Inspectors spoke with pupils about school life, including behaviour.  Inspectors held meetings with a range of staff, including the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the school’s early years foundation stage leader.  The lead inspector spoke with governors, including the chair of the governing body, and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors considered 64 responses to Ofsted Parent View and 61 free-text responses. An inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They considered 30 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. They spoke with staff to understand how they keep pupils safe. They reviewed the school’s record of checks undertaken on newly appointed staff.  Inspectors spoke with a range of staff to discuss leaders’ support for them.

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Inspection team

Joseph Figg, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Michael Thomas Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 April 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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