Grangetown Primary School

Inspection of Grangetown Primary School St George’s Road, Grangetown, Middlesbrough TS6 7JA

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Charlotte Mott. The school is part of Steel River Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officers, Patricia Petrie and Jason Murgatroyd, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jane Powell. 30 and 31 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school at the heart of the local community. There are high aspirations for all who attend. Pupils are nurtured right from nursery. Warm and positive relationships are present. Staff know pupils very well. Pupils’ individual needs are well understood. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported particularly well in this inclusive school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very safe in school. They have trusted adults with whom to share any worries. Pupils who need additional help to manage their emotions access ‘The Nest.’ Staff in The Nest, as in other areas of the school, are well trained to support pupils. A range of different activities, such as chess, film club and yoga, enrich the curriculum. Leaders are passionate that pupils’ horizons are broadened. Each year group has ‘5 things to do’ to ensure that they have memorable experiences throughout their schooling.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in school. They work and play cooperatively together. Pupils revel in the newly implemented outdoor play and learning initiative. Pupils are very familiar with the school values of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’. Being respectful to all is at the heart of the school’s values. Pupils know they should be kind to all. There are a great number of leadership opportunities for pupils. The Junior Leadership Team dutifully monitors the toilets and corridors. Members enjoy discussing their ideas with school leaders.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is well sequenced from the Nursery Year to the end of key stage 2. There are strategies in place to help pupils remember important knowledge. This is particularly successful in mathematics where pupils discuss how they are helped to recall information. Teachers check pupils’ understanding through activities such as quizzes and ‘five a day,’ where pupils recall previously learned material. Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the same curriculum as their peers. Staff have designed curriculums that are aimed at all pupils. However, there are times when pupils are not sufficiently challenged. Pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to write at length.

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better?

The school has a specialist resourced provision base for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. Pupils who attend this provision are fully integrated into the life of the school. These pupils are very well supported to access the curriculum. They access activities and lessons with their year-group peers every day. Staff recognise the individual talents of pupils who attend this provision, such as being excellent artists and chess players.

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better?

Reading is prioritised in school. Children learn about letters and sounds from very early in their Reception Year. Regular assessment gives staff an accurate picture of how pupils are progressing. This also allows staff to identify pupils who need interventions to keep up with their peers. The early books that children read are well 30 and 31 January 2024

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matched to the sounds that they know. There is a significant focus on language and communication in the early years. Adults take every opportunity to interact with, and talk to children, making sure they use and model language accurately. This helps to expand children’s vocabulary.

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The atmosphere in school is calm, purposeful and orderly. Pupils behave well because adults have high expectations of them. The school has invested significantly in approaches to support pupils’ mental health. Skilled staff have been well trained to understand some of the traumas that pupils may have experienced. They provide a safe environment for pupils to discuss their worries, concerns and issues.

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A very well constructed programme for personal, social and health education teaches pupils important life skills. The school’s development of pupils’ character is exemplary. As a result, pupils have very positive attitudes to anyone who may be different to themselves. The school provides memorable and enjoyable experiences for pupils. These are achieved through well-planned educational visits linked to the curriculum and roles such as science ambassadors that enhance the curriculum. Pupils love to take on leadership roles, including as eco club and asthma ambassadors. Pupils also take their anti-bullying roles seriously.

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Leaders have excellent relationships with the local community. A range of initiatives are in place to engage with parents. This includes ‘stay and play’ in the early years and coffee mornings for all. Governors and trustees know the school well. All staff share the same vision. Staff are incredibly proud to work at the school and feel well supported with their workload. This includes teachers who are new to the profession. Leaders also support staff well-being.

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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, the content of the curriculum is not sufficiently challenging. This limits some pupils’ acquisition of knowledge and understanding in these subjects. The school must ensure that the curriculum content is challenging in all subjects so that pupils develop a deep body of knowledge and skills.

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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. 30 and 31 January 2024

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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' 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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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CEO

Patsy Petrie and Jason Murgatroyd Headteacher Charlotte Mott

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CEO

Website https://www.grangetownprimaryschool.c o.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Grangetown Primary School converted to become an academy in September 2019. When its predecessor school, Grangetown Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of Steel River Academy Trust.  The school has a specialist resourced provision unit for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. This provision has 15 spaces. At the time of this inspection, 14 pupils were on roll in this provision.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school has a significantly high proportion of pupils eligible for the government’s pupil premium funding. 30 and 31 January 2024

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and design, and history. For each deep dive, they discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, and talked to teachers and pupils. The inspectors looked at pupils’ work for geography and science. The lead inspector listened to some pupils reading.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, members of the leadership team and members of staff, as well as with a range of pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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.  Inspectors visited the specialist resourced provision base for pupils with SEND and considered this provision as part of the inspection.  Views of pupils and staff were gathered through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documents, including self- evaluation reports, minutes of local governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at playtimes. They spoke with pupils about bullying, behaviour and leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour.  The inspectors considered the survey responses from parents, pupils and staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair

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Information about this inspection

of governors, a representative from the board of trustees and one of the co-CEOs of the trust.

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Inspection team

Jessica McKay, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nick Coates Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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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