Greenside Primary School

Inspection of Greenside Primary School Rockwood Hill Road, Greenside, Ryton, Tyne and Wear NE40 4AX

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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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 February 2010. 30 and 31 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Greenside Primary School. Leaders, governors and parents celebrate the school being at the heart of its community. It is! Pupils are rightly proud of their school and their learning. Their positive attitudes to school life and learning are exceptional.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have carefully and purposefully planned a highly ambitious curriculum. Precise and thoughtful planning, across all key stages, helps pupils to achieve extremely well. Leaders’ high ambitions for pupils flow across the school day. Staff at all levels understand these ambitions. Staff support pupils effectively. Pupils achieve the high expectations set for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour across the school is exemplary. Pupils live out the school’s values of respect, resilience and responsibility in everything they do. Their positive attitudes to learning are nurtured through the strong relationships between staff and pupils. These strong connections start with children in early years. They flourish as pupils move though the school. Routines and expectations are clear for all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Educational experiences beyond the classroom are deeply connected to enable pupils to make sense of the world they live in. Carefully chosen visits enrich the taught curriculum exceptionally well. Leaders prioritise pupils’ sense of community through the use of local amenities such as the local cricket club. Pupils raise the community’s awareness around road safety. Pupils have a deep understanding of the issues in the locality that impact on the lives of local residents.

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better?

Leaders, including governors, and staff share the same aspirational vision for the pupils who attend this school. Carefully chosen small steps of learning help pupils achieve highly. Effective sequencing of the curriculum helps pupils to use and apply their previous learning extremely well. For example, pupils in Year 2 use their detailed knowledge of special celebrations, gained previously in religious education (RE) lessons, in their work around other faiths. Older pupils connect new learning to previous learning with clarity. In history, pupils use their knowledge of Anglo-Saxons to understand their new learning about the Vikings well. This high level of connectivity starts with the curriculum in early years. The exceptionally well-planned early years curriculum is implemented very effectively.

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better?

Pupils talk with detail and understanding about their learning. They enjoy their lessons and recognise how they are getting better over time. Teachers’ strong subject knowledge helps pupils understand and remember the content of the different topics they study well. Leaders and teachers use assessment carefully to ensure that pupils make the progress they have planned. Children in early years receive precise support to meet their needs. This helps them make a flying start to their learning. They work with purpose and focus alongside their peers and adults in the well-thought-out provision. 30 and 31 January 2024

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Reading is celebrated across school. Daily opportunities to read happen in class and at social times. Pupils benefit from these opportunities. Phonics is expertly taught. Pupils master phonics successfully. Pupils talk enthusiastically and knowledgeably about the wide range of texts they read together in class and individually. Leaders ensure that pupils use language, including sophisticated and subject-specific vocabulary, correctly. This unlocks pupils’ learning across subjects.

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The school enables pupils and staff to thrive through thoughtful practices. Leaders at all levels work collaboratively to realise the school’s exacting ambitions. This collective approach fosters caring relationships and sets clear expectations for school life. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported to work with their peers. Sensible and effective adaptations to teaching give pupils with SEND the help they need to succeed.

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Pupils articulate clearly the high expectations the school has around behaviour. Their learning is rarely disrupted. Leaders are responsive to pupils’ needs if their behaviour is not in line with the school’s rules. The school accesses support for pupils promptly, if needed. It uses additional professionals, such as counsellors, to support well-being and/or bereavement. The youngest children in school exemplify the school’s approach to positive behaviour and attitudes. They persevere with activities for sustained periods of time. Pupils attend school regularly. They benefit from the high levels of care and learning opportunities the school offers.

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The school’s offer, beyond classroom learning, is carefully sequenced. Pupils’ experiences build steadily throughout their time in school. Children in early years develop an understanding of the past through well-chosen museum experiences. Older pupils experience plays that feed directly into high-quality writing. Pupils’ understanding of faith allows them to debate similarities and differences maturely. Leaders ensure that pupils know how to keep safe in different ways. The school plans its personal development offer precisely. Nothing is left to chance.

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Leaders champion the professional development opportunities staff have in school, as do the staff. Governors ensure that leaders’ ambition is seen in the provision pupils receive. Staff are proud to work at Greenside Primary School. They are extremely well supported. Governors and leaders keep an eye on staff’s workload and well-being vigilantly.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 and 31 January 2024

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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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 February 2010

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school offers breakfast and after-school wraparound care.  The school has nursery provision for three-year-olds.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections. 30 and 31 January 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and RE. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and teaching assistants. They spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to pupils reading with a familiar adult. Inspectors also looked at planning and pupils’ work, including writing, in science, geography, and art and design.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.  Inspectors gathered views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text responses.

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The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them. Pupils’ views were considered through a pupil survey and through pupil meetings.  The inspectors spoke with representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, at breakfast club and during breaks and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Emily Stevens, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie McGrane 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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