Golborne Community Primary School

Inspection of Golborne Community Primary School Talbot Street, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire WA3 3NN

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 February 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 14 and 15 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school. The positive, nurturing relationships between everyone make Golborne Community Primary School a happy place to learn. One parent, typifying the views of many, told inspectors that their child ‘has thrived’ since going to school and often returns with a big smile on their face.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders promote learning as the key to opening the world to pupils, and they encourage pupils to be ambitious. Leaders have very high aspirations and expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning. Pupils live up to these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary at all times of the day. They are polite, kind, patient and respectful. They appreciate being able to talk to staff if anything worries them. Pupils know that staff will do their best to help them. This makes them feel safe. Any incidents of bullying are dealt with well by leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about the wide range of opportunities that they have to deepen their learning. They develop their leadership skills as sports leaders and school ambassadors. Staff celebrate and value pupils’ talents inside and outside of school. Pupils are exceptionally proud of their achievements. Many pupils excel in dancing, singing or sports. Pupils spoke avidly about their recent successes when they won ‘national newspaper of the year’ and a local well-being award.

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better?

Leaders, governors and staff share a common purpose. They want all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve their best. Leaders have designed a broad and rich curriculum. They are clear about the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember. For example, in physical education, pupils talked with confidence about the range of ball skills that they have developed. They explained how regular practice helps them to learn and improve when playing team games. From the time that children join the early years, they begin to learn essential facts and skills. They strengthen and build on these from one year to the next. This helps pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve well.

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better?

Teachers and learning support assistants access high-quality professional development. They have strong subject knowledge across all curriculum subjects. Curriculum subject leaders work with other teaching staff to share ideas and expertise. Subject leaders routinely check that the planned curriculum is being delivered effectively.

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better?

Teachers use their expertise to explain new learning clearly. They select suitable activities and resources to help pupils understand key learning. Teachers place a sharp focus on developing pupils’ understanding of subject-specific vocabulary. This helps pupils to explain their learning to others. In history, for example, pupils 14 and 15 February 2023

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confidently used key vocabulary that they had learned to discuss their work on the Romans and Greeks.

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Teachers use assessment information effectively, making frequent checks to see what pupils know and can do. They use this information to identify which pupils may need the delivery of the curriculum adapting so that they can learn more successfully. However, in some subjects, other than English and mathematics, some pupils have not remembered aspects of their earlier learning. This is because they have not had enough opportunities to revisit their prior learning in order to make sure that it is secure. This can hamper them when they start to learn something new.

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Staff are relentlessly ambitious for every pupil, irrespective of need. Staff identify pupils who may have SEND quickly and effectively. Leaders have provided staff with extensive training to give pupils the help that they need to access the same challenging curriculum as their peers.

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A strong reading culture is evident across the school. Both storytelling and the careful choice of reading materials encourage pupils’ love of reading. Pupils shared with inspectors that they enjoy how teachers engage them in plot twists and turns. Pupil reading ambassadors help to promote reading and choose new books for reading areas. Older pupils talked enthusiastically about reading for pleasure, with one pupil commenting, ‘Reading helps transport me to different worlds.’

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Teachers have expert understanding of the reading curriculum. They deliver the early reading programme consistently and with precision. Children in the early years quickly learn the sounds that letters represent. As pupils begin to read independently, staff select books which are precisely matched to the sounds that pupils know. Teachers make regular checks to ensure that pupils are keeping up. Those at risk of falling behind are given high-quality support to address the gaps in their knowledge.

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Pupils’ behaviour is excellent throughout all year groups. Low-level disruption is very rare. This means that lessons are focused solely on learning. Pupils work hard and persevere when they find things challenging. They are very motivated to learn and be the best that they can be.

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Pupils’ personal development is carefully woven through all aspects of the curriculum and school life. Pupils learn to be empathic and resilient, for example when discussing and debating current issues in the wider world. They understand how to stay physically and emotionally safe. They are confident about the importance of equality and diversity. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the wide variety of enrichment activities available. Most notably, they shared how much they love the opportunity to shine in their yearly talent show.

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The school is well led. Staff at all levels spoke highly of the school’s leaders being considerate of workload and well-being. Staff are proud to work at Golborne.

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The trust board and local governing body work well together. Their expertise and experience enable them to support and challenge leaders effectively. They have a 14 and 15 February 2023

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detailed and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and the areas they want to improve even further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a high focus and central to the school’s culture and ethos. Staff and governors know their responsibilities because they have been well trained. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that any concerns are quickly identified. Leaders keep detailed records of any safeguarding concerns and the actions they have taken as a result. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils, and their families, are well supported by the school and other agencies.

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Safeguarding

Leaders adapt the curriculum to address concerns that arise. For example, the programme for personal, social and health education has helped to strengthen pupils’ understanding of online safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils struggle to recall some of the knowledge that has previously been taught. This is because, in some subjects, teachers are not providing enough opportunities for pupils to revisit their prior learning. This hampers pupils when learning something new. Leaders should ensure that pupils have opportunities to recall and revisit prior learning so that they know more and remember more.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 14 and 15 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268131 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Golborne Community Primary School converted to become an academy school in July 2019. When its predecessor school, Golborne Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Leaders do not use alternative provision.  The local governing body is responsible for before- and after-school provision at the school.

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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 that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design and physical education. They met with subject leaders, visited 14 and 15 February 2023

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lessons, including in the early years, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  Inspectors reviewed information about some other curriculum subjects and considered a range of information about pupils’ personal, social and health education.  Inspectors listened to some pupils read to staff.  Inspectors met with some parents and carers, considered correspondence from parents sent to Ofsted and reviewed responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the local governing body and met with the chief executive officer of the academy trust.  Throughout the inspection, inspectors spoke with several groups of pupils, including pupils with SEND, to hear their views of their education as well as about behaviour and safety. Inspectors also reviewed pupils’ responses to a survey by Ofsted.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and considered responses from staff to an

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Inspection team

James Blackwell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Shameem Patel Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Bather Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 February 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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