Greenfield Primary Academy

Inspection of Greenfield Primary Academy Queen Street, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 1QD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 28 and 29 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils described their school as respectful and safe. They enjoy learning and they are keen to be involved in the wide range of trips and visits that leaders organise for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those pupils who speak English as an additional language. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff ensure that pupils know that they have the right to learn, feel safe and be successful. Pupils behave well in school. There is little disruption to learning. They interact respectfully with each other and adults. They trust that staff in school will deal with any issues quickly, including any incidents of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Through the ‘Harmony Pledge’, leaders ensure that pupils benefit from a range of wider opportunities. For example, pupils spoke with excitement about a freestyle footballer visiting the school to support this work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their leadership skills through representing their peers on the eco, sports, arts and school councils. They enjoy having the opportunity to contribute to the running of their school. The recent election of the ‘mini mayor’ helped to develop pupils’ understanding of democracy.

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better?

Leaders have designed a suitably ambitious curriculum with reading at its heart. This supports pupils to be confident and successful learners when they join secondary school.

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better?

Leaders’ approach to the teaching of early reading ensures that pupils gain strong phonics knowledge. In the early years, leaders place a sharp focus on the development of children’s language and vocabulary. Staff are equipped well to deliver the phonics curriculum skilfully and with confidence. For the most part, the books that pupils read are matched appropriately to the sounds that they have learned. Those pupils who struggle to keep up benefit from suitable support so that they catch up quickly. As a result, pupils achieve well in reading, including those pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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better?

In most subjects, including in the early years, leaders are clear about the building blocks of knowledge that pupils should learn. This supports teachers to design learning and to check that pupils have learned and remembered what has been taught. Pupils typically achieve well over time.

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better?

In a small number of subjects, leaders are less clear about the small steps of knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, some teachers lack clarity about the important content that pupils should learn and the order in which this should be 28 and 29 March 2023

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taught. It also prevents teachers from identifying and addressing the gaps in some pupils’ learning quickly enough.

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Leaders have ensured that there are appropriate systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Staff benefit from suitable training. Alongside the information that leaders provide, this supports teachers to adapt how they deliver the curriculum for this group of pupils. Pupils with SEND achieve well. They are fully involved in all aspects of school life.

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Leaders have established clear routines and staff ensure that pupils know the rules that they should follow. Children in the early years learn to share and take turns. Pupils’ learning is rarely disrupted by the misbehaviour of their peers.

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Pupils understand the importance of tolerance and respect. They respect the backgrounds, religions and cultures of others and they enjoy being part of the celebrations for different festivals. Leaders ensure that pupils learn that certain characteristics, such as race and religion, are protected by law. This helps to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Leaders have also worked to make sure that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, pupils learn how to look after their own mental health. Pupils spoke positively about the help that they had received from staff.

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Leaders engage well with staff. They ensure that staff’s workload is reasonable and that they feel supported by leaders. Staff value the training and support that they receive through the trust. For example, subject leaders have valued working with leaders across the trust to share ideas on how to further develop the curriculum. Parents and carers are supportive of the school. Leaders seek to engage parents in a range of workshops, trips and events. For example, this includes a parent and child cookery course.

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Trustees are well informed about the quality of education for pupils. This helps them to hold leaders to account effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders provide regular, relevant training to ensure that staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. All staff are vigilant, and they are keen to ensure that any concerns are acted on appropriately.

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Safeguarding

Executive leaders and trustees have accurate oversight of safeguarding arrangements. They provide effective support and challenge to school leaders.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are persistent in working to secure the appropriate support for pupils and their families. They engage with and readily challenge external agencies. 28 and 29 March 2023

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Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online, as well as the importance of talking to trusted adults. For example, they have a clear understanding of the characteristics of healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, leaders have not made the knowledge that they want pupils, including children in the early years, to learn clear enough to teachers. This hinders some teachers in designing learning that helps pupils to build their knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that, in these subjects, they identify and order the knowledge that pupils should learn so that pupils’ learning builds sequentially and securely.  In a small number of subjects, leaders do not support some teachers sufficiently well to check on what pupils know and can do. This means that, in these subjects, teachers are not as well equipped to identify and address pupils’ misconceptions. Leaders should ensure that they support teachers to check on how well pupils have learned and remembered the intended curriculum so that staff can identify, and then deal with, the gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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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 March 2023

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School details

Website www.greenfield.theharmonytrust.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Greenfield Primary Academy converted to become an academy in September 2020. When its predecessor school, Greenfield Primary School and Early Years Centre, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school is part of The Harmony Trust multi-academy trust.  The executive headteacher and head of academy have been appointed since the predecessor school was last inspected.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision for pupils.  An after-school provision for children operates on the site. This is facilitated by an external provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 28 and 29 March 2023

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 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 this into account in the evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, the inspectors met with the executive headteacher and a wide range of other staff.  The inspectors met with trustees and other executive leaders from the multi- academy trust.  The inspectors spoke with pupils about their work and their wider school life.  The inspectors scrutinised a range of leaders’ documentation relating to safeguarding. They examined the school’s single central record. The inspectors also spoke with staff, leaders and pupils.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during playtimes, lunchtimes and during lessons. Inspectors also visited the after-school provision.  The inspectors spoke with parents to gather views about the school. They also

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considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  The inspectors carried out deep dives into early reading, mathematics and history. They spoke with the staff who lead these subjects, to discuss the curriculum. They visited lessons and spoke with teachers. They also spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors considered how leaders organise other subjects across the curriculum.  The inspectors observed pupils in key stages 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Alex Reed, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gaynor Rennie Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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