Gretton Primary School

Inspection of Gretton Primary School Gretton, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5EY

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Adam Sallis. This school is in a single academy trust, Gretton Primary School, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Adam Griffiths. 20 and 21 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is coming out of an unsettled time. There have been many changes to staffing, including a new leadership team and headteacher. The new leadership has a determined and ambitious vision.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision to ‘aim high’ encapsulates the ethos of the school well. However, while pupils learn effectively in core subjects, they do not learn as successfully in the wider curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils. As a result, pupils’ behaviour has improved. Their conduct reflects the school’s values well. Pupils enjoy the rewards they receive in Friday celebration assemblies, such as the ‘Gold Book’ awards. These help to inspire and motivate pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They value the friendly environment within this small village school. They know that there are adults and children who look out for them. As a result, pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on leadership roles such as the school council and happiness heroes. School councillors are proud to have a say in how to improve the school. Older pupils relish being able to help younger children through the school’s ‘Big Friends, Little Friends’ scheme. This gives them a sense of responsibility.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending a wide range of after-school clubs. These include football, multi-sports, mindfulness and the ‘books and biscuits’ club. These help pupils to develop their talents and interests.

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better?

The school knows what it needs to do to bring about improvement. It has prioritised improvement to the core curriculum where pupils' learning is more successful. It has made a positive start to updating the wider curriculum. However, many changes are in their early stages and have yet to have an impact. Nonetheless, the school is making some headway.

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better?

The core curriculum is ambitious. The school identifies the knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember. The core curriculum is well sequenced to help pupils build their knowledge over time. For example, in mathematics, teaching introduces new concepts clearly to help pupils understand what they are learning and why. Pupils use appropriate mathematical vocabulary to explain their reasoning.

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better?

In the wider curriculum, curriculum development is more recent and the new curriculums are in their infancy. Some staff do not have the subject knowledge they need. This means learning activities do not help pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to learn the curriculum well enough. As a result, pupils do not develop a secure understanding. The school has begun to 20 and 21 February 2024

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provide training so that staff develop the expertise to teach the curriculum effectively.

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There is a well-sequenced phonics curriculum. Most pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. The school provides extra support to help pupils to catch up in phonics. However, the teaching of phonics is not consistent. Some staff do not yet use the school’s agreed strategies to support pupils with learning to read. This means that some pupils do not learn to read the phonics code as quickly as they could.

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The school is keen for pupils to develop a love of reading. This starts in the early years where children enjoy listening to stories. The school has identified a range of high-quality books to support pupils to read a broad range of literature.

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Children get off to a good start in Reception. Children enjoy learning. They quickly learn the rules and routines. Children begin to develop a sense of right and wrong and learn how to recognise and manage their feelings.

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Teachers check what pupils know and remember in the core subjects. However, assessment is in its early stages of development in the wider curriculum. In these subjects, teaching does not check with precision what pupils know and can do. This means that teaching does not always address pupils’ misconceptions or where there are gaps in their learning.

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The school ensures that learning extends beyond the academic. Pupils learn how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They enjoy experiences such as ‘comfy reading’ that provide time for them to be calm and to reflect.

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Pupils learn how to treat one another with kindness. They listen to others and show respect for one another. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They are keen to learn and to do well. They know it is important to keep trying when learning is tricky.

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Trustees, some of whom are new, are knowledgeable about some aspects of the school. They are improving their systems for checking the impact of the school’s actions on the quality of education and holding the school to account. Trustees have steered the school through a period of change.

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Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Parents and teachers comment positively about the recent changes and improvements. Teachers value the support and consideration they receive for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 and 21 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not always deliver the phonics curriculum effectively. As a result, some pupils do not learn the phonics code as rapidly as they could. The school should ensure that all teachers have the necessary skills to support pupils in their phonics learning.  In some subjects in the wider curriculum, staff do not have sufficient subject knowledge and understanding of curriculum development. Learning activities do not enable pupils to learn new knowledge effectively. Consequently, pupils do not build a secure understanding. The school must ensure staff have the training they need to support all pupils to learn effectively across the curriculum.  As many subject leaders are new in their role and many systems are recent, the school has not yet checked that the curriculum is implemented as intended. As a result, the wider curriculum does not have the impact leaders intend. For example, assessment is not effective in the wider curriculum. As a result, pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

do not build their learning well over time. The school must strengthen subject leadership and the use of assessment so that pupils know and remember more in the longer term.

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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). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 October 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in September 2023.  Since the previous inspection, there have been a significant number of changes in staffing and leadership, including many new trustees.  The school does not use 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and senior leaders. They held meetings with the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, staff and trustees, including the chair of trustees. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the view 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 considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View online survey. They also spoke with parents at the start and end of the school day. Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Nicky McMahon, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lorna Buchanan Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 February 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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