Glenfield Primary School

Inspection of Glenfield Primary School Stamford Street, Glenfield, Leicester, Leicestershire LE3 8DL

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Kathy Martin. This school is part of Scholars Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sam Coy, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Graham Smith. 21 and 22 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Glenfield Primary School are polite, tolerant and kind. They enjoy extremely positive relationships with caring staff. Behaviour is exceptional. Lessons are free from distractions. Pupils show exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. At playtimes, they play together happily. Staff resolve rare incidents of poor behaviour or fallings out quickly and fairly. Pupils trust staff to keep them safe and provide support when they are worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is inclusive and aspirational. The curriculum is ambitious. Staff adapt the curriculum well to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This includes a significant number of pupils with EHC plans who attend the SEN unit, known as the Speech and Language Provision. These pupils receive excellent care and support to access the same curriculum as their peers whenever they can.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, enjoy a wide range of experiences that enrich the curriculum and support their wider development. These include educational visits and residential trips. Staff provide clubs that match pupils’ interests and help to develop sporting and musical talents. Pupils proudly act as reading ambassadors and represent the school council.

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better?

The school has developed a broad and interesting curriculum. This begins in the early years where children learn the knowledge and skills that they need to be well prepared for key stage 1. Topics in the early years are chosen to meet children’s interests and help them to develop an understanding of the world they live in. In key stages 1 and 2, all subjects cover the national curriculum. Across the different subjects, lessons are linked to themes that promote diversity and help pupils to understand different cultures.

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better?

Reading has been prioritised in the school. Staff use a well-established phonics programme to teach children phonics from the start of the early years and into key stage 1. Most pupils quickly learn to read. Pupils who struggle with reading are identified quickly. Staff provide regular and effective support to help them to catch up. As pupils progress through the school there are many opportunities to read from a variety of texts, including poetry and non-fiction. All pupils visit the local library to choose books to read.

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better?

In most subjects, the curriculum precisely identifies the knowledge that pupils will learn, and when they will learn it. For example, in the core subjects, including science, important knowledge is broken down into small steps of learning. These steps are sequenced so that pupils at every stage can build on what they already know and make connections in their learning. However, this is not the case in all subjects. In some foundation subjects, the important knowledge is not so clearly defined and sequenced. 21 and 22 May 2024

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Staff have good subject knowledge. They provide pupils with clear explanations. They help pupils to make links across different subjects and provide opportunities to revisit prior learning. In mathematics lessons, staff enrich pupils’ learning using models and apparatus. In reading and writing lessons, consistent routines help pupils to gain fluency. However, in some lessons, activities do not challenge pupils to think deeply or apply what they are learning. On some occasions, in the foundation subjects, lesson activities do not focus sharply enough on the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. As a result, pupils do not always gain knowledge securely across the curriculum.

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In lessons, staff question pupils well to check understanding. They quickly adapt lessons when pupils have misconceptions or need extra support. Staff know the pupils with SEND well. They know how to support these pupils to achieve as well as their peers.

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In most subjects, staff use well-embedded routines for checking how well pupils can remember what they have learned in the longer term. Where there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge, these are addressed. However, these routines are not yet well established in all subjects.

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Personal, social, and health education (PSHE) lessons prepare pupils well for their lives ahead of them. Pupils learn about healthy relationships, how to keep themselves safe and healthy, and how to be citizens of the world.

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Routines for good behaviour are well established in the early years. All through the school, pupils follow the rules and enjoy the rewards they get for good behaviour. One pupil told inspectors, ‘Being able to see the rewards system encourages you to do your best because you can see it.’ The vast majority of pupils attend school well. The school provides excellent pastoral support for pupils who do not attend as well as they should or who struggle to regulate their own behaviour.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, learning activities are not sharply focused on the knowledge that is identified in the curriculum. In some cases, this is because the knowledge that pupils should learn has not been defined clearly enough. In these lessons, pupils’ learning is insecure. They do not always remember what they have learned. The school needs to make sure that the important knowledge that pupils will learn is defined precisely and that lesson activities support pupils to learn and remember that knowledge. 21 and 22 May 2024

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 In the foundation subjects, the school has not yet embedded routines for checking how securely pupils have learned the important knowledge identified in the curriculum. Misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified and addressed. The school needs to establish routines for checking pupils’ learning and ensure that gaps and misconceptions are addressed.

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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). 21 and 22 May 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 October 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Scholars Academy Trust.  The school uses two alternative providers. One is registered and one is unregistered.

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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 judgment 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 met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers, the SENDCo, and other school leaders. 21 and 22 May 2024

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 The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of Scholars Academy Trust as well as representatives of the board of trustees, including the chair, and the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, history and music. 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. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  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

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met with pupils from across the school, including pupils with SEND.  Inspectors met with parents and considered responses to Ofsted Parentview.  Inspectors spoke to a range of teaching and non-teaching staff to hear their views on the school. Inspectors also considered the views expressed in an online staff survey.

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Inspection team

John Spragg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Barton Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 May 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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