Peter Gladwin Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Peter Gladwin Primary School Drove Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex BN41 2PA

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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Outcome

Peter Gladwin Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are unanimously proud of their vibrant and inclusive school. Through the school’s work on ‘rights and responsibilities’, pupils develop impressively mature attitudes and think of themselves as global citizens. Pupils are very clear that no form of discrimination is acceptable. They are kind and considerate towards each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents and carers rightly recognise the strong start that their children make in early years. The youngest children promptly follow routines and settle well. They love joining in with familiar stories like ‘The Giant Turnip’ and quickly develop confidence in reading and writing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision of ‘dream, believe, achieve’ is woven through daily life. Staff have high expectations of what pupils should learn. Pupils enjoy their learning because lessons are interesting with plenty of opportunity for discussion. They achieve well. The school has widened the extra-curricular activities it offers and encourages all pupils to join in. Many pupils love attending clubs such as hockey, archery and journalism.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Relationships are warm and respectful. Pupils themselves play an important part in making sure that the school runs calmly and smoothly. Very occasionally, a few pupils struggle to behave as the school expects. When this happens, staff support them effectively.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

School leaders have developed a clear vision for the consistently high-quality, broad education that they want all pupils to experience. The school works with a focused determination. Staff are pleased to take part in regular training, meaning that they are 22 and 23 October 2024

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increasingly confident and skilled in their roles. Most staff feel that their well-being and workload are taken into account when key decisions are made. Governors work closely with the school to make sure that everyone has the pupils’ best interests at the heart of what they do.

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The school has made significant improvements to its curriculum. Across different subjects, the key knowledge that pupils should learn has been precisely identified. This means that teachers are clear about how pupils should build and remember knowledge over time. Occasionally, however, staff do not identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, a few pupils develop misconceptions.

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Learning to read and write remain key priorities for the school. If pupils struggle, the school gives them extra support to catch up quickly. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are extremely confident speakers thanks to regular opportunities during lessons to discuss ideas thoroughly before writing them down. For example, pupils in key stage 1 use role play to act out the lives of significant people in history. These well-judged activities make learning engaging for pupils. Consequently, pupils remember the important facts well. Thanks to the school’s effective approach, pupils read information fluently and write accurately.

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Recently, the school has focused on improving how mathematics is taught. In early years, children get off to a great start in mathematics. Thanks to the approach of skilled staff, children confidently spot ‘more than’ and ‘less than’ when counting toys. However, in some areas of the school, there are not enough occasions when pupils are asked to solve problems or explain their mathematical thinking. This means that some pupils do not deepen their understanding well enough.

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Pupils appreciate the school’s very well-established ethos of equality and inclusion. They say that this is a kind, fun place where they feel loved and valued. Clear routines are established from the start of Reception Year. Adults gently encourage children to develop self-control and show them how to behave with kindness. As a result, children’s social skills develop very well. Staff understand the behavioural needs of children with SEND and support them effectively. During lessons, almost all pupils are highly attentive. They follow instructions swiftly. Disruption to learning is very rare because pupils are keen to learn.

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Pupils know that their views are important and valued by adults. For, example, during assembly, even the youngest pupils are confident to offer well-considered opinions on the theme of difference and discrimination. Pupils take responsibility for making the school and the local environment a better place. Action projects, such as rewilding areas of the school or supporting younger children to play happily, are democratically chosen by each class. Pupils take these meaningful projects seriously because they make a real and tangible difference to improving lives. The rich, varied and wider opportunities that pupils experience set them up very well for the next stage in their education. 22 and 23 October 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Recruitment processes are systematic and meticulous. Staff receive regular training and are confident to report even the smallest concern about a pupil. School leaders ensure that record-keeping is detailed and thorough. When concerns are raised, the school acts swiftly. As such, pupils and their families receive helpful, timely support from the school and its external partners. Governors make regular checks on the school’s safeguarding culture.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about recognising potential risks and ways to keep themselves safe in the community. They have a sound understanding of online safety, for example when playing computer games.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not have enough opportunity to practise problem-solving and reasoning in mathematics. This means that they do not regularly explain their mathematical thinking or apply their learning. The school should ensure that teachers provide all pupils with sufficient opportunities to reason and solve problems.  Occasionally, some staff do not identify when pupils have gaps in their knowledge. As a result, a few pupils’ misconceptions are not addressed and their learning is not secure. The school should ensure that there are consistent checks of what pupils know so that they build knowledge securely.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, 22 and 23 October 2024

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behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 22 and 23 October 2024

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School details

Website www.gladwin.brighton-hove.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up their position in September 2023.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the lead inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. She also met three members of the governing body.  The inspector spoke with a representative of Brighton and Hove local authority.  The inspector visited samples of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and about their wider experience in the school, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 22 and 23 October 2024

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  Throughout the inspection, the inspector met with groups of staff. She also considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspector met some parents at the start of the day, received some written correspondence from parents and had regard to the views expressed through Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Maria Roberts, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 October 2024

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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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