Green Fold School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Green Fold School Highfield Road, Farnworth, Bolton, Lancashire BL4 0NS

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Green Fold School benefit from the expertise of well-trained staff who understand their needs. Staff support pupils very well to overcome any barriers that they might face.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and focus on their learning. Staff are adept at intervening when pupils start to become distressed. They enable pupils to quickly regain a calm equilibrium.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have established clear and robust routines. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy at school. They willingly join in with learning activities and during structured social times. Leaders address unacceptable behaviour thoroughly, including bullying. They help pupils to understand what it means to be a good friend.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are supported by staff to find out which method of communication suits them best. Pupils become confident in making their own choices and expressing their ideas and opinions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. Children begin to build up key knowledge and skills in the elements of their ‘core’ curriculum in the early years. Over time, pupils make strong progress in these areas. However, there is unevenness in pupils’ learning in some other areas of the curriculum because leaders are not clear enough about what they want pupils to learn.

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

All pupils have complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum supports each pupil to understand and use increasingly complex language. Leaders ensure that all pupils are ready to learn. Pupils have regular opportunities to 4 and 5 May 2022

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practise and refine their ability to focus on learning. Staff make effective use of each pupil’s preferred communication method to help them build on what they have learned before. This supports pupils to learn across each aspect of the curriculum. It also enables them to make their views and wishes known.

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In most areas of the curriculum, leaders provide staff with clear guidance about the key knowledge and skills that pupils need and the order that key learning needs to happen. Leaders’ high ambition for pupils in these areas is clear. However, leaders do not provide the same clarity for those aspects of the curriculum where pupils learn about the wider world. As a result, teachers and other adults find it more challenging to direct pupils’ focus on the intended learning in these areas. Consequently, pupils do not build up their knowledge as well as they should.

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In most areas of learning, teachers and other staff check what pupils already know and can do. This helps teachers to plan what pupils need to learn next. This process begins in the early years. Staff take care to find out the particular needs, strengths and interests of each child. Pupils make strong progress in most areas of their learning as a result.

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Staff make effective use of carefully chosen resources and technology to foster a love of reading in all pupils. Teachers often capture pupils’ interest in new learning through sharing information books, stories, songs and rhymes with them. Pupils are curious to find out more.

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Staff are experts in teaching pupils to read. They follow the school’s chosen phonics programme fastidiously. Children in the early years and pupils at the early stages of reading are taught to listen for different sounds. This prepares them well to learn about phonics. Pupils benefit from a personalised programme of support to develop their understanding of phonics and how to use their knowledge to read words independently. Teachers continue to provide this support for as long as each pupil needs it.

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Leaders ensure that high standards of behaviour are maintained. Pupils need little prompting to follow the school’s well-established routines. Children in the early years learn to listen to their teacher and focus on learning. They make strong progress in developing their communication skills. This reduces how often they become frustrated. Some pupils occasionally become distressed due to not being able to express themselves well enough. Staff respond calmly with agreed effective strategies. This helps these pupils to settle quickly.

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Leaders make sure that pupils have access to a wide range of high-quality opportunities to support their personal development. Teachers make effective use of visits to the local community and further afield. These activities enhance and enrich pupils’ learning. Teachers support pupils in developing confidence to try new things. Pupils broaden their appreciation of the diverse world that they live in.

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Some pupils do not benefit from the opportunities to learn and develop at school because they do not attend regularly enough. Leaders are working with these pupils’ families to improve their attendance. 4 and 5 May 2022

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Leaders and governors liaise effectively with staff and parents and carers. Staff and parents value the support they receive from leaders.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that physical education, science and art and design 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

Leaders make sure that all staff are well trained in keeping pupils safe. Staff understand the additional vulnerabilities that their pupils have due to their SEND.

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Safeguarding

All staff are alert to signs of potential danger. They record their concerns meticulously. This enables those leaders responsible for safeguarding to escalate concerns quickly when this is needed. As a result, the most vulnerable pupils benefit from appropriate additional support.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular and appropriate training about pupils’ medical or therapeutic needs. They know how to safely carry out intimate care or other physical support that pupils in their class may need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are not clear about what they want pupils to learn about in the foundation curriculum. This means that staff are not as well equipped to deliver these areas of learning as they are in the core curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that teachers understand what leaders want pupils to learn in each aspect of the wider curriculum. This will help teachers to design learning that supports pupils to build up their knowledge and deepen their understanding of these aspects over time.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in March 2012. 4 and 5 May 2022

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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. 4 and 5 May 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Gary Anders (Headteacher), Andrew Feeley (Executive Headteacher) Website www.theorchardsfederation.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils with complex and profound SEND. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school is part of The Orchards Federation.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that 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 spoke with the headteacher, the executive headteacher and other leaders in the school, including the leader for SEND. Inspectors spoke with a group of governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation relating to safeguarding. This included the school’s central record of staff and visitors, staff’s training records, records of safeguarding and samples of pupils’ records. 4 and 5 May 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading; mathematics; physical development; personal, social, health and economic education; and understanding the world. They talked with the curriculum leaders of these subject areas. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school.  Inspectors spoke with staff and pupils about pupils’ experiences at school and observed how pupils responded to these.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. They also considered the free-text responses from parents.  Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Edmondson Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 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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