Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Rachel Taylor Headteacher High Greave Infant School High Greave Road East Herringthorpe Rotherham South Yorkshire S65 3LZ

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of High Greave Infant School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 6 June 2024, on behalf of His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous graded (section 5) inspections.

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of High Greave Infant School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school's overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school's progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school's previous graded inspection.

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of High Greave Infant School

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders including the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust, a trustee and other members of staff, the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also met with the curriculum lead, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work, spoke to pupils, reviewed documentation and listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to become good.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

Since the previous graded inspection, the school has faced significant challenges with staff absence and staff turnover. The school has taken appropriate action to ensure that staffing and leadership is stable. A deputy headteacher was appointed in March 2024.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

You have prioritised improvements in the teaching of phonics. The curriculum in early reading is now taught with greater consistency. Staff have received training and guidance in how to implement the phonics programme well. You have purchased additional reading resources including a broader range of reading books. This ensures that the books that pupils read are precisely matched to their phonic knowledge. Leaders monitor the implementation of the phonics programme regularly to inform their future actions. Ongoing quality assurance has enabled you to identify where additional staff training is required. Staff understand how to help pupils get better at reading. Staff consistently check pupils’ understanding in lessons to inform their teaching.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

At the time of the last inspection, it was noted that the curriculum was coherently planned and sequenced. You have worked alongside other leaders to further refine the wider school curriculum to ensure it is ambitious for the pupils at this school. Leaders have developed ‘curriculum unit guides’ which identify the precise knowledge and vocabulary that every pupil needs to learn. There is a clear focus on the development of oracy across all subject areas. This information is used well to inform teaching and activity choices. These are still in the early stages of development. You have made sure that staff are supported to help pupils to learn and remember the most important subject knowledge. The curriculum is now being taught with increasing consistency.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

Pupils are learning the intended curriculum. They can talk about their learning with understanding. For example, in art, they could recall their recent learning about a famous artist. They talked confidently about how they had used the work of the artist to practise their skills of shading and smudging.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

Trust leaders, alongside school leaders, are providing effective support for the school. Effective self-evaluation and well-informed plans identify the most important actions required to ensure that the school continues to improve. Together with trust leaders, you are working on the right priorities for improvement. The school has struggled to recruit governors at a local level. However, trustees have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance. ‘Link trustees’ provide effective support and challenge. You have welcomed advice from external sources of expertise, including the English hub and a local multi-academy trust. The advice and support provided is having a positive impact in school. Staff are routinely given coaching and guidance to help them to implement the curriculum effectively. They are growing in confidence as their knowledge of the curriculum is improving. Staff describe the positive impact of the support that they receive

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

from leaders. This is impacting positively on the quality of education that pupils receive.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO of The Learners’ Trust, the Department for Education's regional director and the director of children's

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

services for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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