Gorton Primary School

Inspection of Gorton Primary School Mount Road, Gorton, Manchester M18 7GR

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 17 and 18 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff make sure that the school is a place where all pupils feel part of a friendly community. Pupils told inspectors that everyone is made to feel welcome, regardless of their differences. Pupils new to the school make friends quickly. They value the strong friendships that they have with their classmates. Pupils feel safe and happy in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to meet the high expectations that leaders and staff have of them. Pupils follow the established routines that leaders have put in place. As a result, learning is rarely interrupted by poor behaviour. This allows pupils to make the most of their learning opportunities and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have put effective systems in place to identify any incidents of bullying. On the rare occasions that bullying occurs, it is reported and dealt with quickly by leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the opportunities to take on responsibilities. These include being part of the school council or being a class monitor. Pupils enjoy the range of clubs that they have access to, which help them to develop some of their talents and interests.

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better?

Across the curriculum, leaders have ensured ambition for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn in different subjects. Leaders have considered when this important knowledge should be taught.

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better?

Teachers have the expertise that they require to introduce new learning to pupils effectively. Support from experienced curriculum leaders enables teachers to further develop their expertise across different subjects.

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better?

In the majority of subjects, teachers check what pupils remember from earlier content. They revisit previous learning, where needed, to help pupils secure their knowledge. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders do not ensure that teachers check how well pupils have remembered and understood previous learning. New topics and concepts are sometimes introduced too early for some pupils. Consequently, these pupils do not build up their knowledge as well as they should.

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better?

Leaders place a high priority on helping pupils to develop a secure knowledge of phonics. Pupils benefit from a carefully constructed phonics programme, delivered by well-trained staff. This starts when children begin in the Reception Year. Staff identify accurately pupils who need extra help in learning phonics. The support that these pupils receive helps them to keep up and catch up with their peers. New arrivals to the school, including pupils who speak English as an additional language, begin to learn phonics quickly and successfully. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Developing a love of books begins in the early years. Staff read high-quality books to children very regularly. This supports children’s language development. Leaders ensure that pupils read books that are closely matched to their developing phonic knowledge. As a result, pupils experience success when reading. Over time, they become fluent readers who gain great pleasure from books. Most pupils who join the school in the Nursery or the Reception Year become fluent and confident readers by the end of key stage 1. A significant proportion of pupils join the school part-way through key stage 1. Many speak English as an additional language, and some pupils have little prior experience of school. Leaders provide effective support for these pupils. The majority catch up with their peers by the time they are in key stage 2.

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Pupils attending the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) follow a curriculum that is tailored to meet their individual needs. Staff prioritise the teaching of reading and writing, alongside developing pupils’ independence. Leaders work effectively with a range of external professionals in supporting these pupils to achieve well.

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Across the school, leaders ensure that there are effective systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. For the majority of these pupils, teachers are successful in adapting how they deliver the curriculum. Occasionally, leaders do not check that the support for pupils with SEND is effective. This means that a small number of these pupils do not get the support that they need to achieve as well as they should.

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Pupils behave well. Children in the early years are considerate of one another and keen to help at tidy-up time. Across the school, pupils show high levels of respect towards one another and towards staff.

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Pupils benefit from a range of personal development opportunities. They are knowledgeable about mental health and understand how to keep themselves safe online and outside of school.

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Governors and trustees are ambitious for all pupils. They support and challenge leaders well. They are considerate of staff’s workload and well-being when making decisions about policies and procedures.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are trained well to spot signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff follow clear procedures to report any concerns that they have about a pupil. Leaders respond to safeguarding concerns in a timely manner and work effectively with external agencies when needed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Leaders ensure that the curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to understand risks. 17 and 18 January 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not check how well pupils have remembered and understood what they have been taught. This means that, in these subjects, teachers sometimes introduce new learning to pupils before their existing knowledge is secure. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well equipped to check that pupils’ learning is embedded before introducing new topics and concepts.  In a small number of cases, leaders do not ensure that adaptations for pupils with SEND are being delivered as intended. This means that a small number of pupils with SEND do not get the exact support that they need to achieve as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need to achieve well.

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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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Vantage Academy Trust.  The principal joined the school in September 2022.  The school operates a specially resourced provision, which opened in September 2022. This caters for pupils aged 4 to 11 with autism spectrum disorders. At the time of the inspection, there were 16 pupils on roll at the specially resourced provision.  The school operates a daily breakfast club.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  At the time of inspection, the oldest pupils at the school were in Year 4. 17 and 18 January 2023

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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 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.  The inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. As part of the deep dives, the inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, met with teachers and looked at pupils’ work. The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other curriculum subjects. The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  An inspector visited the specially resourced provision.  Inspectors spoke with the principal, other school leaders and members of staff.  An inspector spoke with representatives of the local advisory board, including the chair of governors.  An inspector met with representatives of the trust, including the chief executive

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Information about this inspection

officer.  Inspectors checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They looked at a range of documentation and spoke to leaders and staff. Inspectors also spoke to pupils about whether they felt safe in school.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at social times. They spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. Inspectors also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. Inspectors also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  An inspector spoke with parents and carers. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Edmondson Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 January 2023

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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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