Greenbank Primary School

Inspection of Greenbank Primary School Greenbank Road, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 0HZ

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 September 2022

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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 Good 28 and 29 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, are happy to belong to this vibrant school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The warm and positive relationships that pupils build with both the staff and each other help them to feel safe and important. Pupils are confident that if they reported any concerns, including about bullying, staff would act swiftly to resolve them. Pupils are happy at school. They feel well cared for, valued and protected in this safe haven.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the importance of respect for all. They embrace their differences and get on well with each other. They said that everyone is welcome in their school. Pupils who have recently joined the school confirm this. They said that they have settled in quickly and made friends easily.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well both around the school and in lessons. Pupils are polite, articulate and enthusiastic when talking about their learning. They understand leaders’ high expectations for their behaviour and achievement. Pupils and children are keen to do their best. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the many exciting opportunities that they have to participate in a rich variety of outdoor, adventurous learning activities, for example annual residential visits and kayaking and canoeing locally. Pupils mix regularly with pupils from other schools. This helps them to develop their social confidence and resilience.

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better?

Leaders have designed an interesting, varied and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND. In most subjects, leaders have decided on the important content, including the subject-specific vocabulary, that pupils need to learn. Leaders have carefully considered the order of this content so as to enable pupils, including children in the early years, to deepen their knowledge and understanding over time.

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better?

Subject leaders have been well trained. In most subjects, they provide helpful guidance and information for teachers. This helps to develop teachers’ subject knowledge and supports them to deliver these subject curriculums effectively.

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better?

In most subjects, pupils’ learning closely follows the curriculum that leaders have designed. As a result, pupils know more and remember more over time and achieve well. Occasionally, in a few subjects, teachers are not clear enough about the building blocks of knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn and when this should be taught. This makes it difficult for teachers to check how well pupils have secured their knowledge before moving on to new learning. This hinders how well some pupils learn in these subjects. 28 and 29 September 2022

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Children in the early years are happy and confident. They develop independence and socialise well. Staff encourage children to listen attentively to stories and to develop their spoken language and vocabulary. Children are prepared well for the demands of key stage 1.

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Leaders have recently reviewed the early reading curriculum. Staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Children and pupils practise their reading regularly with books that match the sounds that they know. For the most part, staff provide additional and appropriate help to those children and pupils who fall behind in reading. However, there are occasions when staff do not identify precisely enough the gaps in these children’s and pupils’ reading knowledge. This affects how quickly these children and pupils catch up with peers.

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Older pupils enjoy reading. They are enthusiastic about their favourite books and authors.

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Leaders ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified early. Teachers deploy a range of effective approaches to ensure that pupils with SEND are supported effectively. These pupils access the full curriculum and achieve well.

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Pupils’ positive attitudes to their learning mean that teachers can focus on delivering the curriculum without disruption or distraction.

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Leaders provide a range of opportunities for pupils to foster an understanding of diversity in modern British society. Pupils develop empathy for others. They understand that everyone, regardless of their differences, should be treated with respect. However, leaders have not ensured that all pupils are taught about different types of families.

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Members of the governing body are highly committed to supporting leaders’ determined efforts to further improve the quality of education that pupils receive. They are proud of the work of staff to support vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Staff morale is high. Staff, including teachers at the early stages of their careers, value the support that they receive from their mentors. Staff appreciate that their well-being and workload are of high importance to leaders and governors.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff have regular training to help them to recognise the signs that could indicate that a pupil is at risk from, or suffering, harm. Staff are aware of the procedures for reporting concerns. They understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. 28 and 29 September 2022

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Staff in the pastoral team use their expertise to ensure that pupils and their families benefit from effective, timely support when needed.

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Leaders ensure that the school’s curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils have regular lessons about online safety. Pupils have a secure understanding of some of the features of healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 From time to time, leaders do not pinpoint the deficits in children’s and pupils’ reading well enough. This means that, on occasion, teachers do not provide the most effective support in the first instance. Consequently, some children and pupils do not catch up as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that gaps in children’s and pupils’ reading knowledge are identified accurately so that they can catch up quickly with their peers.  In a small number of subjects, leaders have not ensured that staff are clear about the essential knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, there are occasions when teachers are unable to check how well pupils have learned the essential building blocks of knowledge before introducing new ideas. Leaders should ensure that teachers are clear about the knowledge that pupils should learn so that staff can check that pupils’ prior learning is secure.

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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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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. 28 and 29 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226257 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 24 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes to the governing body, including the appointment of the chair of governors.  Leaders do not currently make use of alternative provision.  The school is part of a federation with Howard Street Nursery School. The headteacher of Greenbank Primary School is the executive headteacher over both schools.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 has 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. 28 and 29 September 2022

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 Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher and other leaders. They also spoke with subject leaders and members of staff.  Inspectors spoke with two members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, during playtimes and lunchtimes, and around the school. They spoke with different groups of pupils to discuss their views of the school, their learning, their behaviour and safety.  Inspectors checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They reviewed documentation, checked attendance information and spoke to leaders, governors, staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, physical education and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to

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some pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. Inspectors also considered aspects of a number of other subjects on the school’s curriculum.  Inspectors spoke to parents and carers and considered their views which were shared through Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments received from parents. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation shared by school leaders, including the school development plan, the minutes taken at governors’ meetings and leaders’ self-evaluation documentation.

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Inspection team

Janette Walker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Robinson His Majesty’s Inspector 28 and 29 September 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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