Gilnow Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Gilnow Primary School Gilnow Gardens, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 4LG

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Outcome

Gilnow Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. New pupils and their families are made to feel welcome. This helps them settle into school life quickly. Pupils enjoy the wealth of rich experiences that the school provides, including movie nights and trips to the seaside.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work and play well together. School is calm and orderly. Pupils trust adults to deal consistently and fairly with any isolated behaviour issues. Staff provide effective support to those pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour. Any rare bullying incidents are ‘nipped in the bud’. Pupils feel well cared for and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning and strive every day to meet leaders’ high expectations. They listen carefully to their teachers and take pride in their work. The youngest children enjoy finding out about the world around them. Both those pupils who stay in school from early years to Year 6 and those pupils who join at other times achieve well. However, teachers’ assessment strategies do not always give them the information that they need about pupils’ learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Younger children and pupils love listening to stories. However, older pupils do not share the same passion for reading.

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

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. Leaders have thought carefully about what pupils learn and the order in which knowledge is taught, from the early years to Year 6. Teachers are adept at helping those pupils who join the school after the start of the Reception Year to catch up with their peers in the different subjects. Teachers regularly check what pupils have learned and remembered. Children in the early years and pupils across school have the knowledge and skills that they need to be ready for their next steps. 7 and 8 June 2022

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The youngest children get off to a good start in learning to read. Older pupils have lots of opportunities to improve their reading fluency and accuracy using books that match the sounds that they know. Daily reading sessions help those pupils who struggle with reading to catch up. Added to this, staff are skilled at supporting those pupils who join other than at the usual time and those who are new to the English language. In the early years and key stage 1, children and pupils love listening to the stories that adults read to them. However, older pupils do not share the same enthusiasm for books. This means that they do not read as widely and often as younger pupils.

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Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. The overwhelming majority of pupils behave well and do not disrupt the learning of others. They are polite and respectful. They listen to their teachers and are quick to follow instructions. The youngest children learn to take turns and share. These young children are keen to help their teachers and classmates. Staff deal firmly and fairly with any poor behaviour.

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Leaders identify any emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities quickly. They work well with specialist teams to assess these pupils’ needs. This helps leaders and staff arrange suitable provision so that these pupils can access the curriculum alongside their peers. Staff value the advice that they receive from specialist teachers. This enables them to better understand and meet the needs of the pupils in their class.

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Pupils are delighted that trips and clubs have started up, following the earlier restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. They enjoy their visits to the theatre and the farm. Pupils are proud of their charity fundraising efforts, such as hosting coffee mornings.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. Leaders are mindful of their well-being and workload. Both new and experienced staff feel well supported by their colleagues.

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Following several recent resignations, the governing body is temporarily depleted. Leaders are working closely with the local authority to recruit new governors. Added to this, the local authority is providing intensive support as these new governors settle into their roles. This means that the governing body can continue to fulfil its statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand and carry out their roles and responsibilities well. They are knowledgeable about the main risks to children and families in this community. Staff keep a close eye on all pupils and are quick to respond to any concerns. The school’s safeguarding team works well with other agencies to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, both in the community and online. They trust that the adults in school will help them if they are worried about anything. This makes pupils feel safe. 7 and 8 June 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils in key stage 2 do not read sufficiently widely and often. This limits their opportunities to hear and learn new vocabulary and to develop their cultural capital. Leaders should ensure that older pupils are given ample opportunities to listen to and read books, to help develop a love of reading and to support their learning.  Several governors have resigned recently. This has reduced the capacity of the governing body in the short term. Leaders should continue to work with the local authority. This support should ensure that the governing body is able to maintain its effective, strategic oversight of the school.

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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 November 2012.

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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. 7 and 8 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211236 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 19 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and they have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders and class teachers. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors met with governors, including the chair of the governing body.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also spoke to several parents and carers at the start of the school day.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. 7 and 8 June 2022

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 Inspectors met with those responsible for safeguarding at the school. They scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding. Inspectors spoke with staff, parents and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at playtimes. They spoke with pupils about bullying, behaviour and leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour.  As part of this inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, science and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, reviewed curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning, and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also listened to pupils reading.

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Inspection team

Pippa Jackson Maitland, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Keay Her Majesty’s Inspector 7 and 8 June 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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