Harrogate, Grove Road Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Harrogate, Grove Road Community Primary School Grove Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 5EP

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 October 2023

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Outcome

Harrogate, Grove Road Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in this school are happy, friendly and confident. They embrace the school’s ‘PRIDE’ values. These link to, for example, resilience and empathy. Pupils attend school regularly. They have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils are keen to talk about what they do at school. For example, some of them are proud to be a member of the school council. They are currently thinking of ways to raise money for charity.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that its pupils are safe. Bullying is not a problem. Pupils are confident that adults would sort it out if it did happen. Many pupils behave very well. They are clear that everyone should be treated equally. They are respectful of adults and of their peers. Sometimes, pupils need reminders about how to behave in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for its pupils. However, this is not currently reflected in pupils’ achievement. In recent years, the school has experienced significant turbulence in leadership and staffing. The new leadership team members have identified the right priorities to work on. They are taking action to ensure that outcomes for pupils improve. This action is already having a positive impact in some areas, for example mathematics. Staff are optimistic about the future of the school. They are supportive of leaders.

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

There is a coherently planned and sequenced curriculum in place for all subjects. The school breaks learning into small steps. Leaders consider how the early years curriculum prepares children for Year 1. Systems are in place for checking what pupils know and remember. In some subjects, such as mathematics, pupils can talk about their learning confidently. They can make links between what they have learned before and what they are doing now. This shows that their knowledge is building over time. However, this is not the case in all subjects.

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

Leaders make checks on what is being taught and how it is taught. Sometimes, these checks are not sufficiently rigorous. This means that leaders do not have an accurate view 25 and 26 October 2023

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of how well their subject is taught. In some lessons, a minority of pupils show off-task behaviours and do not show high levels of pride in their work. This is because the chosen teaching approaches are not consistently effective. In some subjects, for example music, the key knowledge identified in curriculum plans is not taught explicitly enough. This means that pupils are not remembering this key knowledge and cannot talk about their learning.

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The school prioritises the teaching of early reading and phonics. The phonics programme is embedded. It starts in Nursery, where children learn to recognise environmental sounds, rhythm and rhyme. Teachers use a consistent lesson structure for teaching phonics. Pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics screening check. The school supports pupils who find learning to read difficult to catch up with their peers. Sometimes, the reading books that teachers give to pupils are too hard for them to read. Leaders are acting to ensure that pupils’ achievement in reading improves. They are working on developing a positive reading culture in the school. As a result, pupils show positive attitudes towards reading.

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The environment in the early years supports children to get off to a good start. Adults interact well with children. They extend their language and learning through play. The school quickly identifies any children with potential special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The local authority offers staff training in how to support pupils with SEND. The targeted mainstream provision provides a calm, safe environment for pupils with more complex needs. Pupils who access this provision are fully included in the life of the school. They have regular opportunities to integrate with their peers.

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The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. For example, there are some sports after-school clubs and a singing club. Pupils can take part in events in the local community, such as carol singing at the local nursing home. Educational visits support pupils’ learning in different subjects. For example, pupils visit a Viking museum as part of their learning in history.

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Governors are supportive of the new leadership team. They have remained committed to the school throughout its period of turbulence. Governors fulfil their statutory duties. They have a secure understanding of the quality of education in the school. The local authority has increased the support that the school receives. New leaders are working regularly with a senior education adviser who knows the school well. Leaders consider staff’s workload and well-being. Staff appreciate this and are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 and 26 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The checks that leaders make on what is being taught, and how it is taught, are not sufficiently rigorous. As a result, some leaders have an overly positive view of how well the curriculum in their subject is implemented. The school should make sure that subject leaders are supported with how to ensure that the implementation of their subject aligns with their ambitious intent.

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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.

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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’ 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). 25 and 26 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Co-chairs of governing body Peter Harvey and Margaret Beagle

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School details

Website http://www.groveroad.n-yorks.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has experienced some turbulence in leadership and staffing in recent years. The headteacher and the deputy headteacher started at the school in September 2023. The deputy headteacher is also the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  In the academic year 2021/22, the school was in the highest 20% of all schools nationally for staff turnover and teacher absence.  A targeted mainstream provision for pupils with significant communication and interaction needs is attached to the school. Places are allocated by the local authority. There are eleven places within this provision.  The school uses two unregistered alternative providers.  There is a breakfast club and after-school childcare provision at the school. This is managed by the governing body. 25 and 26 October 2023

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education 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 the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher, who is also the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, as well as the co-chairs, and other members, of the governing body. The inspector spoke with the senior education adviser from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also met with the subject leader for science and reviewed curriculum documents.  Pupils were observed reading to familiar adults.

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Information about this inspection

 The school’s offer for pupils’ wider development was considered.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaktimes was observed.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector contacted one of the unregistered alternative providers to confirm the suitability of this provision and to ensure that appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place.  The responses made by parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments, were considered as part of the inspection. The inspector also considered the responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Philippa Kermotschuk, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 October 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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