Grimsdyke School

Inspection of Grimsdyke School Sylvia Avenue, Hatch End, Pinner HA5 4QE

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since October 2011. 15 and 16 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Grimsdyke receive an exceptional education. They are kind, friendly and eager to learn. Pupils demonstrate impeccable manners towards one another and the adults that work with them. The ‘School Values Champions’ work with leaders to consistently embed the respectful culture. Bullying is very rare. Pupils feel able to raise concerns in the knowledge that they will be listened to by adults. This helps pupils to feel safe and be kept safe at school. Parents and carers are effusive in their praise for the school. They appreciate the care that staff take to ensure that their children are safe and achieve their potential.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to attend school and contribute to their community. They are proud to take on additional responsibilities as prefects, school councillors, house captains and eco-warriors. There is a range of extra activities available to pupils, including dodgeball, netball and chess club, as well as lunchtime junior choir, which is attended by 70 pupils each week.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have very high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is broad and ambitious. Pupils, including children in early years, are deeply engaged in their learning and produce work of excellent quality across all subjects. As a result, pupils achieve highly and are very well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

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better?

Pupils follow a rich and ambitious curriculum that matches the breadth and depth of what is expected nationally. In each subject, and the areas of learning in early years, leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and remember. This is logically sequenced so that pupils return to, practise and embed important concepts. This allows them to apply and connect their learning across the curriculum and build a depth of knowledge and understanding. For example, in science, children in early years explore different materials. They secure the vocabulary they need to describe how materials can be changed, such as ‘squash’, ‘squeeze’ and ‘twist’. This foundational knowledge supports older pupils to compare the properties of different materials, such as metals. Similarly, in geography, children in Reception develop positional and directional language and use this when mapping

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better?

their route to the post office. Older pupils draw on this knowledge when studying maps of different locations and land uses. Across the school, pupils develop a very secure understanding in different subjects.

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better?

Teachers are skilled at supporting pupils to know and remember more over time. Staff routinely help pupils to recall previous learning, focusing on key concepts and useful vocabulary that they will need now and in their future study. Beginning in early years, staff model and practise questioning with children to nurture their language development. This supports pupils to progress well through the curriculum. As a result, outcomes over time are high, including in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly. They are well-supported with 15 and 16 November 2023

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appropriate adaptations, when needed, to ensure that they benefit from the same ambitious curriculum and achieve well.

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The curriculum is also designed to help pupils see links within and between the subjects they are learning. For example, pupils use their scientific knowledge when discussing healthy diets in physical education lessons. The curriculum is further enriched through carefully selected visits. For example, pupils in Year 6 visit Dover to investigate the tunnels that supported Operation Dynamo and the evacuation of Dunkirk.

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Reading is prioritised across the school. Pupils begin phonics from the start of their Reception year. Staff are well-trained and implement the school’s programme with consistency and precision. Any pupils who need extra help with their reading are prioritised. As a result, pupils become confident and fluent readers. ‘Reading Ambassadors’ are enthusiastic about recommending books to pupils in the new school library. They have worked with all stakeholders to design new reading lists that include non-fiction and poetry, alongside more familiar texts, ensuring that these are accessible to all readers.

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Pupils’ wider personal development is exceptional. The curriculum is very well- designed to help pupils to understand important values such as democracy, equality and diversity. These are embodied in school life, for example, when pupils vote for their school council representatives. Pupils enjoy supporting their wider community. For example, they fundraise for various annual initiatives such as the Christmas Fair, while also recognising celebrations such as Anti-Bullying Week.

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Staff have very high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, which are consistently met. Pupils are keen to contribute to the life of the school, for example, serving as ‘playground pals’ for younger pupils. Pupils are actively taught how to behave towards one another. For example, pupils understand how those with SEND might need different types of help. This contributes significantly to the fair, welcoming and inclusive environment. Pupils feel safe because they know they can share concerns with trusted adults and use the school’s ‘safe spaces’. They can put their concerns in the ‘worry monsters’ and ‘post boxes’, which they know will be responded to. Pupils have consistently high attendance and they are keen to receive the ‘on-time owls’ as a reward for their punctuality.

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Staff are very well-supported and are rightly proud of the school community. They feel that their well-being is considered. Those responsible for governance know the school well. They provide leaders with appropriate and helpful support and challenge to work towards their shared and ambitious vision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 15 and 16 November 2023

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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’ 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). 15 and 16 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 October 2011

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Information about this school

 The school has higher than average pupil numbers on roll.  The school does not use any alternative education providers.

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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 judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, members of the leadership team and members of staff, as well as a range of pupils. 15 and 16 November 2023

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 The lead inspector met with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector spoke with the local authority school improvement partner.  The inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: reading, geography, design and technology, computing and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. The inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record of pre-employment checks, 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 inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by leaders

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including their priorities for improvement.  The inspectors considered the views of parents, pupils and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Matea Marcinko, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Curtis Sweetingham Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 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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