Glebelands Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Glebelands Primary School Chancel Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE4 2WF

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Outcome

Glebelands Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. There are echoes of ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon’ as pupils politely greet each other, teachers and visitors. Pupils describe the school as ‘one big family’. Staff have positive relationships with pupils. Pupils know that staff will listen to them and help them with their problems. Pupils feel safe and happy here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm and orderly. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. Pupils rise to these expectations and behave well across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are eager to learn new things. Teachers develop them to be kind, empathetic and respectful. This reflects the school’s values. Leaders have ensured there is a focus on building pupils’ strength of character, as well as giving them strong academic foundations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has an inclusive ethos. The curriculum teaches pupils about different faiths, cultures and protected characteristics. Pupils celebrate differences and are prepared for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers hold the school in high regard. One parent summed up the views of many when they said, ‘I love this school and the teachers in it. I wouldn’t want my daughter to go to any other school.’

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

School leaders have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is progressive and considers pupils’ starting points. Leaders have precisely identified the knowledge, skills and broad concepts that they want pupils to know and remember. This enables pupils to build on what they already know and gain a depth of understanding in many subjects.

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

In a few foundation subjects, the curriculum is new. The curriculum in these subjects is 27 and 28 June 2023

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not as well embedded as it is in other subjects. Leaders have not evaluated and monitored the impact of these new curriculums. Although pupils are beginning to know and remember more in these subjects, they do not yet develop the depth of understanding they develop in other subjects.

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Teachers use activities and resources that help all pupils learn. They adapt resources and teaching to ensure that they meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps all pupils, including pupils with SEND, achieve well across the curriculum.

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Teachers question pupils to check they understand what they have learned. Teachers present information clearly so they do not overload pupils’ working memory. They make links to prior learning to help pupils know and remember more in the long term. Pupils can talk confidently about learning in many subjects. For example, Year 6 can talk confidently about The War of the Roses and how this links to their local history study. Pupils in Year 4 know all about the earth’s crust, tectonic plates and how volcanoes form. Year 3 pupils know regions of India and what types of printmaking originated in these areas through their study of art. Pupils have positive attitudes toward learning.

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Leaders have prioritised reading. Children start to learn to read in the Reception Year. Teachers are early reading experts. They use assessment well to check that pupils are keeping up with the reading programme. When pupils show signs of falling behind, teachers are quick to intervene so that all pupils keep up. Pupils become better readers quickly as they read books matched closely to the sounds they know.

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Children benefit from the school’s Nursery provision. Staff develop children to manage risk through outdoor play. Children develop an understanding of early number as they make and count chocolate bars using moulds. The early years environment is well organised and has a clear purpose to develop pupils across all areas. However, on occasions, the interactions between adults and children do not help children to learn as well as they could.

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The curriculum goes beyond the academic. Pupils read 20 novels by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. This not only develops their love for reading but helps their cultural and social development. Pupils talk about the books ‘Wonder’ and ‘The Explorer’. These texts help them understand that everyone is different and also to be resilient. Pupils develop a good understanding of British values. They benefit from age- appropriate relationships education. Pupils are looking forward to competing and representing their class during sports day. Many are also preparing for the end-of-year production, which this year is ‘The Wind in the Willows’.

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Staff are extremely proud and happy to work at this school. They know leaders always consider staff’s workload as they introduce new initiatives to make the school even better.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 27 and 28 June 2023

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Leaders have developed a vigilant culture across the school. They have trained staff to record and report any concerns that they have about a pupil’s behaviour or demeanour. Staff know and understand that this will help leaders build a bigger picture and safeguard pupils.

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Leaders work closely with external agencies to help the most vulnerable pupils and families. Leaders take appropriate action to keep children safe. They record these in sufficient detail.

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Pupils know who to speak to if they have a concern or a worry. The curriculum teaches pupils how to stay safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is new and not well embedded in a few foundation subjects. Pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge in these subjects as they do in other subjects. Leaders must more closely monitor and evaluate how effectively these subjects are being delivered to ensure that they enable pupils to develop a depth of understanding.  The interactions between some adults and children in the early years are not always focused on the areas where children may need to develop most. Children do not always benefit from the meaningful learning opportunities that are planned. Leaders must ensure that all staff know how to exploit meaningful learning opportunities through high-quality interactions with children.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2014.

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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. 27 and 28 June 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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher and deputy headteacher took up their substantive roles in August 2022.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The school has a Nursery provision for three- to four-year-old children.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to a sample of pupils in key stages 1 and 2 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector scrutinised curriculum plans and work pupils had produced in a range of 27 and 28 June 2023

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other subjects.  The inspector met with leaders responsible for behaviour, personal development, the early years foundation stage and the provision for pupils with SEND.  The inspector met with groups of pupils from key stages 1 and 2.  The inspector met with the safeguarding leader to discuss the actions taken to keep pupils safe. He reviewed a range of documents related to safeguarding, including the school’s single central record.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan.  The inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing board.  The inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and considered the results of the Ofsted staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Rakesh Patel, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 27 and 28 June 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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