Co-op Academy Glebe

Inspection of Co-op Academy Glebe Park Place, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 3HZ

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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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The head of school is Kirsty Suleman. This school is part of the Co-operative Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Chris Tomlinson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Russell Gill. There is also an executive headteacher, Suzanne Oakes-Smith, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Ofsted has not previously inspected Co-op Academy Glebe under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Glebe Primary School to be outstanding, before it opened as Co-op Academy Glebe as a result of conversion to academy status. 12 and 13 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school with a big heart. Pupils enter Nursery with starting points below expectations for their age, but they leave having made exceptional progress in all areas. Pupils are highly committed to learning. They thrive on the education on offer and relish every opportunity to ‘be the best they can be’. Expectations for all pupils are ambitious and unwavering. Pupils respond impressively well to these showing excellent determination.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school takes every effort possible to ensure that pupils feel safe in school. It is a calm, nurturing and respectful environment. Strong and meaningful relationships mean all pupils have a safe place and a trusted adult who will listen to, and respond to, their concerns. Staff know each pupil as an individual and treat them as such. Pupils welcome this. They treat each other with the same level of respect and kindness that is shown to them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ambition for pupils is not limited to the classroom. There is a wide range of activities, experiences and enrichment opportunities that all pupils take advantage of. There is also a wide range of junior leadership roles that increase pupils’ confidence, help them appreciate the difference they can make and increase the sense of value and worth they feel for themselves.

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better?

Pupils achieve exceptionally well at this high-performing school. The curriculum is highly sophisticated. The school has thought intelligently about how it builds from Nursery up to Year 6. Intentional and purposeful links have been made across topics and across year groups. These deepen pupils’ knowledge leading to a rich level of learning and understanding. Pupils take great pride in their work and want to excel.

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better?

Even before the youngest children start school, every effort is taken for staff to get to know the pupils and their families. This enables them to settle extremely quickly and ensures every aspect of their needs is met in a highly stimulating and purposeful early years. Adults are expert ‘interactors’. Interactions and questioning are highly effective in deepening children’s communication skills and understanding. They apply their skills in phonics to their writing impressively. Like the older pupils, they show an exceptional level of resilience to all aspects of learning. It prepares them fully for the demands of key stage 1 and beyond.

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better?

Pupils get off to a great start with early reading. The school ensures all staff who deliver phonics are trained to the same high standard. Forensic and ongoing assessment ensures nearly every child is able to keep up with the pace of the programme. For those who need a little extra help, it is timely and effective. The strong focus on reading continues throughout the school. It underpins all aspects of the curriculum and leads to pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, achieving considerably higher than the national average. 12 and 13 June 2024

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Staff quickly identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are supported through an individualised approach. Staff understand their needs extremely well and make careful adaptations so they not only work seamlessly alongside their peers but achieve to a high standard too. The school is highly inclusive, and the skilled SEND team, supported by a dedicated and caring pastoral team, ensures any barriers to learning are addressed without delay. It is exemplary.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. No pupil is distracted from learning because attitudes to learning in all lessons are second to none. This is the same during social times. Pupils are articulate and routinely well mannered and polite. Pupils have high aspirations for their futures. The school teaches about possible career choices and ensures the pupils know there is no limit to what they can achieve. There are many opportunities for pupils’ personal development. This includes residential trips and other trips both near and far. They help pupils gain an understanding of the world in which they live and the part they can play in it. External visitors, as well as lessons in school, teach pupils about how they keep safe in their local community and beyond.

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This school is led with skill, determination, passion and integrity. Leaders undoubtedly make this school the highly successful place it is. Staff buy into every aspect of their vision. They model the exceptional example shown to them to a similarly high level. Governors are effective, passionate and committed. The trust oversees all aspects of the school’s work with an intuitive understanding of how best to support this consistently highly performing school. This school truly makes a positive difference in the lives and futures of all pupils who are proud to call themselves members of the Glebe family.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 12 and 13 June 2024

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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). 12 and 13 June 2024

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School details

Headteacher Kirsty Suleman (Head of School)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school.  The school converted to academy status in 2013 as a single academy trust and then later joined the Cooperative Academies Trust in 2022.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast club and an after-school club for its pupils.

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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. 12 and 13 June 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the family support coordinator and subject leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work in a range of subjects, including English, geography, science and art and design.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the academy governing board and trustees, including the chair of trustees.  The lead inspector spoke with the CEO and the regional director for the trust.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons at different times of the day and

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at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector 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 reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans and information on the school’s website.  Inspectors talked informally with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. In addition, they took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff’s, pupils’ and parents’ views.

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Inspection team

Keri Baylis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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