Gorsefield Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Gorsefield Primary School Robertson Street, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 4DW

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Outcome

Gorsefield Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging at this school. They are proud that their school welcomes everyone. Pupils, and children in the early years, come to school with smiles on their faces because they know that staff will take excellent care of them. This helps them to feel safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are successful in making sure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a high-quality education. Pupils learn to overcome barriers, celebrate difference and embrace challenge through the ‘learning without limits’ curriculum that leaders have created. Pupils live up to leaders’ high expectations by trying their hardest in lessons and behaving impeccably well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders help pupils to develop a strong sense of tolerance and respect. They learn about the universal rights that everyone has. Pupils treat each other with care and kindness. Any rare incidents of bullying are dealt with well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have ensured that pupils’ voices are integral to the life of the school. Pupils contribute to their school community through the many leadership opportunities that leaders provide. For example, they can help to promote equality by becoming rights rangers, or volunteer as young librarians in the community library.

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

Trustees, governors, leaders and staff all share the highest aspirations for pupils at this school. They are determined that disadvantage should not be a barrier to pupils’ achievement. From the very beginning of the Nursery Year, staff inspire an enthusiasm for learning which continues all the way to Year 6.

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

Leaders have paid close attention to how the curriculum relates to the context of the school community. They have designed a curriculum that connects ambitious knowledge 13 and 14 March 2023

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with rich social and cultural experiences. This helps to ensure that pupils are fully prepared for life in modern society.

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Leaders have carefully decided the order in which pupils encounter new knowledge. This helps pupils to build on what they already know. Children in the early years, and pupils in key stage 1, acquire a solid foundation of knowledge. They achieve very well.

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Leaders have successfully improved pupils’ attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic began. However, until recently, some pupils did not attend school as often as they should. This, coupled with a considerable number of pupils joining the school in key stage 2, has led to gaps in some older pupils’ learning that are taking time to close. Although there are clear signs that pupils are regaining missing or forgotten knowledge, some of the gaps are still present. This affects how well pupils progress through the curriculum in some subjects.

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In the main, teachers deliver the curriculum very effectively. Leaders support them to develop their subject expertise. This helps teachers to explain new ideas clearly. Teachers are quick to identify and address pupils’ misconceptions. Pupils remember what they have learned.

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Leaders have a thorough understanding of pupils’ needs. They have developed rigorous systems to identify those pupils with SEND. Leaders ensure that teachers understand how best to support pupils with SEND in lessons. These pupils learn increasingly well alongside their peers.

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Children in the Nursery Year encounter a rich variety of words, rhymes and stories. This helps them get off to a very strong start when they learn phonics in the Reception Year.

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Teachers ensure that the books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they have learned. This helps most pupils to read accurately and fluently by the end of key stage 1. Expert support from staff ensures that any pupils who find reading difficult, including pupils in key stage 2, can catch up quickly. Older pupils were delighted to demonstrate their ‘storyteller voices’ when they shared some of their favourite books with the inspector.

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Pupils conduct themselves very well in lessons and around school. Children in the Nursery Year quickly learn to follow clear routines and interact politely. In key stages 1 and 2, pupils learn more about how to recognise and respect each other’s rights. This helps them to manage their own behaviour independently.

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Leaders have made sure that the curriculum supports pupils’ personal development. They learn to debate with each other confidently and listen to each other’s ideas. This helps them to become confident and responsible young citizens.

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Trust leaders know the school well. They have taken positive action to support the leadership capacity in the school. Staff feel well supported by leaders’ actions to reduce their workload. Staff are proud to be members of this warm and tight-knit school community. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including trustees, take every possible step to ensure that pupils are safe. They have given pupils’ welfare the highest priority. Staff are well trained. They know their pupils well and they notice if something is wrong. Staff report any concerns quickly, using the robust procedures that leaders have created. This ensures that nothing is missed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders act swiftly if a pupil may be at risk of harm. They work closely with staff and external agencies so that pupils and their families get the right kind of help when they need it.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to be healthy and how to keep themselves safe. They know exactly what to do if they receive inappropriate messages online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The progress that older pupils make through the curriculum is sometimes uneven. Pupils’ achievement by the end of Year 6 is strong in some subjects, but less so in others. This is due to irregular attendance in the past which has led to gaps in some pupils’ knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that they continue to address the gaps in pupils’ learning and make sure that pupils apply their knowledge with increasing fluency and depth as they move through the curriculum.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2018. 13 and 14 March 2023

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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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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256220 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Forward As One, a Church of England multi-academy trust.  The school does not share the religious character of the trust.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and geography. He met with subject leaders, visited some lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and pupils. The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects. 13 and 14 March 2023

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 The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation. He spoke to the principal and senior leaders throughout the inspection. He also met with the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator.  The inspector met with some trustees, including the chair of the board of trustees, and representatives of the local governing body. He also spoke with representatives of the local authority by telephone and met with the chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspector held meetings with the staff responsible for safeguarding and scrutinised the single central record. The inspector considered leaders’ safeguarding processes and procedures. He observed pupils during social times and discussed safeguarding with them.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He also considered the responses to the Ofsted survey for staff. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Ben Hill, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 March 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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