Greenpark Academy

Inspection of Greenpark Academy 9-11 Wensum Way, King’s Lynn PE30 2RE

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Jill Graver. This school is part of Ad Meliora Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Lisa Cook, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Karl Jermyn. 26 and 27 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this warm and welcoming school. Everyone values being part of the school community. Pupils are caring to one another. Those new to the school, including pupils arriving from overseas, settle in quickly and are made to feel welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff expect pupils to work hard and do well. Pupils rise to these challenges. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in class and around the school. They understand the school rules and why behaving well is important. Pupils who find it more difficult to maintain good behaviour get the help they need to improve it. Well-established routines and expectations mean that pupils’ learning is rarely disturbed by the behaviour of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to try new things. They benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including a variety of after-school clubs. The partnership with the nearby sports centre enables pupils to pursue sporting interests, including gymnastics and roller skating.

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better?

Pupils study a carefully thought-through curriculum. The school is ambitious for all pupils. In many subjects, curriculum leaders have identified the key knowledge pupils need to know and remember. This is organised so that pupils’ knowledge builds clearly from one year to the next. In these subjects, teachers plan activities and sequences of lessons that help pupils use what they already know to learn about more complex ideas. In a few other subjects, the school’s curriculum plans are not as fully developed. In these subjects, there are still gaps in pupils’ knowledge because teachers do not focus precisely on the essential knowledge pupils need to remember to understand new, more complex content when planning sequences of lessons.

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better?

The school prioritises pupils’ learning to read well. This starts when children join the Nursery. Daily checks on how pupils are faring with their reading ensure that pupils get extra help straight away to help them keep up. Pupils practise using their phonics each day, using books that are well matched to their reading stage. The school has recently developed the library. This provides a good resource for pupils to read more widely and deepen their knowledge of the subjects they study.

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better?

In the early years, children make an excellent start to their learning. Staff are highly knowledgeable about how to help children learn. Staff provide opportunities for children to learn across the full curriculum through carefully planned activities. Storybooks are chosen so that they link to activities and themes. This helps ensure that children are highly motivated and stay on task. Relationships between children 26 and 27 September 2023

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and adults are positive. Children leave Reception with the knowledge and attitudes that mean they are ready for learning in Year 1.

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The school shows real ambition for pupils with SEND. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Teachers’ regular checks on pupils’ progress allow them to adapt learning when needed. This means that pupils with SEND usually make strong progress. The school has developed links with a wide range of external agencies so that pupils with more complex needs benefit from expert support.

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Pupils’ personal development is promoted well. The school helps pupils develop an understanding of the importance of valuing difference. Pupils who are play leaders and peer mediators learn the right questions to ask to help resolve situations calmly. Pupils learn how to manage risk, for example through activities in the forest school. They have opportunities to attend a range of trips and residential activities. These visits, such as a recent visit to the seaside, let pupils try new things and bring classroom learning to life.

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Governors and trustees know the school’s strengths and what needs to be done to keep improving. The school ensures that staff are supported with their well-being and the management of their workload. The trust has helped to improve teaching by providing training for staff. The trust challenges and supports the school effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, staff are not sufficiently clear about what important knowledge pupils should learn and remember. This means that pupils struggle to recall and use this important subject knowledge, which slows their progress. The school should ensure that teachers understand precisely what knowledge should be taught in each subject so that they can plan activities and sequences of lessons that help pupils know and remember the key knowledge they require.

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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. 26 and 27 September 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 September 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Ad Meliora Trust, which consists of three schools.  The school has a breakfast club.  The school has a Nursery class for three-year-old children.  The school uses one registered alternative provider of education.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgment about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 The inspectors met with the chief executive officer of the trust, the headteacher, the two deputy headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator and other subject leaders.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the trust and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, physical education and art. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector met with the headteacher, who is the designated safeguarding lead. Pupils’ case files were reviewed. The single central record of checks on staff’s suitability to work with children was scrutinised.  Inspectors met with staff to discuss their workload and the support they receive

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to carry out their roles.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lesson visits, lunchtime, playtime and during a visit to the school’s breakfast club.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation provided by the school, such as minutes of governors’ meetings, the school self-evaluation form and school improvement documents.  Inspectors considered the responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including the free-text responses. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire. Inspectors met with staff to discuss their workload and well-being.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to them informally at social times. Pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s confidential questionnaire were also considered.

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Inspection team

Duncan Ramsey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Shadbolt Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 September 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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