Glebe Primary School

Inspection of Glebe Primary School Glebe Avenue, Kenton, Harrow HA3 9LF

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Outstanding 11 and 12 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and cheerful. They enjoy school and make strong friendships here. Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe. They talk with a member of staff if anything is worrying them. Typically, pupils behave well and show respect for others. Bullying is rare and when it does happen, staff deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school works hard to provide pupils with rich learning experiences. School music and drama productions, special events and educational outings, for example to places of worship, deepen pupils’ personal development. For example, younger pupils enjoyed seeing animals on the school’s field during a visit from a local farm. Clubs, including street dance, chess and football, extend the interests of pupils who attend them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has recently introduced a new curriculum, which aims to raise expectations and support pupils in building knowledge and skills across the curriculum. Changes to the curriculum have not had time to show a lasting impact on pupils’ achievement, including in early years and for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

Generally, the school’s new curriculum identifies the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn across all subjects, including in Nursery and Reception. Where the order in which new content is taught is carefully thought through, pupils build up knowledge securely. For example, in mathematics, children in early years build their knowledge of numbers, which helps them when they move to Years 1 and 2. However, variations in subject-curriculum thinking and delivery mean that pupils are not helped routinely well to build up their knowledge of key concepts and remember what they have learned. As a result, pupils are unable to recall their learning securely over time, including, for example, multiplication tables and number bonds. Across the curriculum, checks on pupils’ understanding are not routinely helping the school to identify and address pupils’ errors and misconceptions quickly.

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better?

The provision for pupils with SEND is in the early stages of development. Staff do not generally receive detailed information about the needs of pupils with SEND to help them to know how best to support them. As a result, learning is not adapted precisely to meet all pupils’ needs fully. The school’s communication with staff and with parents and carers is not routinely clear and effective. The lack of support and professional development for staff to help them to deliver the curriculum effectively adds to the workload of staff and affects well-being.

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better?

Leaders ensure that pupils who are at the early stage of learning to read do so. The school has introduced a new programme to teach phonics so that there is a consistent approach to developing pupils’ early reading. Books are matched to the phonics that pupils are learning. However, gaps in the phonics knowledge of weaker readers are not identified and addressed quickly. Pupils are not encouraged to read as widely and 11 and 12 October 2023

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often as they should to develop their reading fluency and confidence. In early years, opportunities to develop children’s communication and language are sometimes missed.

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Mostly, pupils arrive at school on time and attend regularly. Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils’ learning in class typically proceeds purposefully and without interruption. Staff deal with any rare occurrences of low- level disruption quickly.

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Pupils contribute to the wider school life, for example by being part of the school council. After-school clubs, together with sporting opportunities and learning to play a musical instrument, help to develop pupils’ talents and interests.

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Pupils are encouraged to show respect and tolerance towards those from different backgrounds and with different beliefs to their own. Class assemblies encourage pupils’ understanding of different cultures and faiths. Pupils are taught about a range of relationship issues in an age-appropriate way, including different types of family structures and the significance of consent. They are encouraged to keep themselves safe in a range of circumstances, including online, and are made aware of the health dangers of vaping, smoking and drug use. Pupils’ mental health is supported, including through the work of a counselling service.

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The governing body has not held the school sufficiently to account for the school’s academic performance and quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not planned and delivered equally well across all subjects, including in early years. Pupils are not helped routinely well across the curriculum to build up their knowledge of key concepts and remember what they have learned. The school should ensure that, across all subjects, subject-curriculum thinking, delivery and teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning and recall help all pupils to know, understand and do more securely over time, including in early years.  The school’s new approach to reading is not fully embedded. Weaker readers are behind in their reading and are not catching up quickly, and across the school, pupils do not read regularly. The school should continue to develop the reading curriculum so that weaker readers receive precise support matched to their needs, and so that all pupils are encouraged to read widely and often to develop reading fluency and accuracy.  The school does not provide staff with detailed information about the needs of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils with SEND. This means that pupils with SEND are not routinely well 11 and 12 October 2023

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supported to learn the curriculum. The school needs to equip teachers and support staff with precise information to help them to adapt teaching and resources to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.  The school has not ensured that all staff have the subject expertise and training needed to support them in their roles. This means that not all teaching staff have the expertise to deliver the curriculum securely. This also has a negative impact on staff workload and well-being. The school should ensure that all staff are suitably trained and supported to perform their roles and that staff workload and well-being are supported.  Communication between the school and staff and between the school and parents requires improvement. Staff and parents commented that the school’s communication did not ensure that they were well informed. The school should review processes of communication with staff and with parents.

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 The governing body does not have the information it needs to hold leaders to account. This limits its ability to check how well the school’s actions are bringing about the necessary improvements. The school should ensure that the governing body has the information it needs to help it provide challenge and support.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 11 and 12 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 November 2009, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has undergone a significant turnover of senior leaders and teaching staff over the last two years.  The headteacher took up post in September 2020. The other current members of the school’s leadership team joined the school in September 2023.  There have also been changes in the governing body. The current chair of the governing body was appointed as chair during the academic year 2020 to 2021.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. 11 and 12 October 2023

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 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, interim subject leaders and early career teachers.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body. An inspector spoke with two local authority representatives, separately, to discuss how they work with the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: geography, early reading, mathematics and art. The inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, including with teachers and pupils. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work and visited a sample of lessons. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum for music, science and French, and

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made visits to the early years provision.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s personal, social and health education programme along with the school’s approach to promoting pupils’ personal development.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: met with leaders responsible for safeguarding; took account of the views of staff and pupils; and reviewed the single central record and a range of documents.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school’s site.  Inspectors met with pupils, staff and parents to hear their views about the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents, including any free-text comments, and other written communications.

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Inspection team

Rosemarie Kennedy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Farrow Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 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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