Green Lea First School

Inspection of Green Lea First School Mill Lane, Milwich, Stafford, Staffordshire ST18 0EU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 2 and 3 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. They are polite, enthusiastic and welcoming. Pupils feel safe and happy because of the positive relationships they form with each other and with the caring staff. As one pupil said, ‘we really are like a family.’ Parents agree.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand what bullying is, including how it can happen online. If it happens, staff quickly resolve it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and play cooperatively with their friends. However, there is variability in how well the curriculum is delivered, and teachers’ expectations are sometimes too low. Consequently, pupils do not always remember important knowledge they have been taught or pay the attention that they should in lessons. This means that they do not make the progress that they should. Curriculum leaders have recently started to receive the support they need to help them check how well the curriculum is delivered. As a result, leaders have identified the most important training that staff need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities. Older pupils enjoy helping their younger friends during social times. They raise money for others, such as victims of the Turkish earthquake. Pupils are accepting and curious about the wide range of faiths and cultures in the world and are in the early stages of learning about them.

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better?

The school has been through a challenging time, with significant staff changes. The new acting headteacher is helping to bring about improvements at the school. However, there is further work to do to improve the curriculum and raise standards.

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better?

The curriculum is well sequenced and broad. Leaders have set out what they want pupils to learn, particularly in reading, mathematics and history. However, there is some variability in the way the curriculum is delivered. Sometimes, teachers do not check how well pupils are learning and do not adapt their lessons well enough to make sure that pupils make the progress they should. As a result, a few pupils do not engage with learning in lessons or finish the task set. In some curriculum areas, leadership is underdeveloped. School leaders have started to provide the necessary training and support to enable subject leaders to check how well their subject is being delivered. This is in the early stages.

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better?

Leaders have made reading a priority. They have recently implemented a new phonics system and provided staff with training and clear guidance. This is starting to have an impact, and pupils are gaining the skills they need to become confident readers. Regular assessment ensures that reading books are matched to pupils’ ability. However, in some lessons, teachers do not adapt the reading curriculum to 2 and 3 March 2023

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the needs of their pupils well enough, including for those who struggle with reading. As a result, too many pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Some older pupils say that they do not enjoy reading; however, they can talk about favourite authors and the reasons for their choices. They enjoy borrowing books from the well-stocked library.

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Children settle quickly into school, and adults are attentive to children’s needs. Nursery and Reception classes have recently moved into an adjoined space. The early years leader has ensured that there is a strong focus on developing children’s social and emotional skills. Adults interact with individual children and encourage them to solve problems. They make sure that children are happy and safe. However, leaders have not yet planned the curriculum well enough for staff to know exactly what to teach and when to teach it.

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Leaders identify pupils’ individual needs. They ensure that teachers are well informed about the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work closely with parents and outside agencies to ensure that when pupils need specialist support, such as nurture support, they get it.

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Pupils enjoy the opportunities for them to take part in competitive sports and community activities, such as The Colour Run. Leaders help to prepare pupils for the world they live in through assemblies. Pupils enjoy the visits, visitors and clubs that the school arranges. They talk confidently about fundamental British values and know that discrimination is wrong. Pupils have a growing understanding of other faiths and cultures. However, this is at an early stage.

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Relationships in school are warm and caring. Staff feel well supported by leaders and are proud to work at the school. Governors are honest and realistic in their view of the school. They have sought appropriate external support to help leaders make the improvements that are needed. Improvements can be seen from when the school began receiving additional support from the Creative Learning Partnership Trust in December. As a result, curriculum leaders value the work they are doing with schools in the trust to share ideas and practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Regular training ensures that all staff have the necessary skills and understanding to act when they feel that pupils are at risk. When concerns are raised, leaders swiftly investigate and ensure pupils and families get the support they need. Currently, information is not as easily available as it should be because it is not consistently recorded in one place.

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Safeguarding

Effective systems to manage safe recruitment are checked regularly by governors. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes when they are online and 2 and 3 March 2023

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taking part in forest school. Parents all agree that the school keeps their children safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Safeguarding record-keeping systems within the school are not consistently organised. This means that all the relevant information is not easily available. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive appropriate training and support so that relevant and important information is reported and recorded in a consistent way.  In some lessons, teachers do not adapt the reading curriculum to the needs of their pupils well enough, including for those who struggle with reading. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that all pupils, particularly lower attainers, receive the help they need and are supported to read regularly.  Curriculum leadership is in the early stages of development in many subjects, and some curriculum areas are led by inexperienced leaders. Consequently, those leaders do not have a strong overview of their subjects and lack the expertise

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

required to drive improvement. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders receive the necessary support required to lead their subject areas effectively and to check on the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning.  The early years curriculum sets out the expected end points for pupils over time. However, it does not provide enough detail to inform teachers about what children need to be taught and when. Leaders need to review and develop the early years curriculum, making sure that staff teach the most important skills and knowledge that children need to learn at the right time.  There is variability in how well some subjects are delivered, and teachers’ expectations are sometimes too low. As a result, a few pupils are allowed to be passive; they do not take pride in their work or finish the task set. This means that they do not make the progress they should. Leaders should continue to raise expectations across the school and frequently check that these expectations are

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

seen in pupils’ work and attitudes to learning in lessons.

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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. 2 and 3 March 2023

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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. 2 and 3 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256830 Type of school First school

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School details

Appropriate authority The Governing Body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 January 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The previous headteacher left the school in December 2022, and the acting headteacher joined the school in January 2023.  The school has been supported by The Creative Learning Partnership Trust since December 2022.  The school caters for two-year olds in its nursery provision.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 graded inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 2 and 3 March 2023

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 Inspectors met with the acting headteacher, the leader for SEND and early years, as well as other leaders.  Meetings were also held with the chair of governors, a representative from the local authority and the chief executive officer of the trust, who provides support to the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and religious education. Inspection activities in these subjects included lesson visits, discussions with staff and pupils, meetings with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, and work scrutiny. The lead inspector also observed pupils reading to a member of staff.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation provided by the school. This included leaders’ own self-evaluation and school development plan. Minutes of governor meetings and school reviews carried out by the local authority and the supporting trust were also evaluated.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding arrangements. The lead inspector met with

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safeguarding leaders and looked at documentation provided by the school, including the single central record. Discussions with staff and pupils were held about the school’s approach to safeguarding.  I nspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them informally about behaviour, bullying and welfare. Behaviour and attendance records were also checked.  Responses from staff and parent questionnaires were considered, as were the views of parents on Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Moran, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Amarjit Cheema Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 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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