High Green Primary School

Inspection of High Green Primary School Wortley Road, High Green, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S35 4LU

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 12 and 13 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

High Green primary school is a welcoming place. Pupils feel safe, happy and supported. They enjoy outdoor learning and the benefits it brings to their well-being. Spaces like the ‘woodland’, ‘secret garden’ and ‘allotment’ are well used. Playtimes are active and fun. Pupils join games or take part in adult-led activities. Older pupils help younger ones, creating a caring community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has set high expectations for behaviour and learning. Pupils rise to meet these expectations. When they need reminders about how to behave, they respond well. This creates calm and focused classrooms. Pupils trust staff to help them when needed. Staff check in with all pupils regularly. Well-being is a priority.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school teaches respect and kindness. For example, pupils learn about diversity and discuss important issues in class. Older pupils lead life-skills assemblies. They understand individual rights and healthy relationships. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a digital world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to do their best. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

After previous low outcomes in Year 6, leaders have made effective changes to the curriculum. These changes have resulted in significant improvement to pupils’ achievements. The school is working towards a more proactive approach by regularly checking how well the curriculum is helping pupils learn.

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

The school has a broad curriculum. The sequenced curriculum begins in early years. Fundamental skills, such as number fluency in mathematics, are prioritised. Children sing number rhymes and use mathematical vocabulary when learning about one more and one less. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 work with focus on subtraction across tens boundaries. They use apparatus well to explain their thinking and support their understanding. Support for pupils with SEND is a strength of the school. The adaptations made to the curriculum are well integrated. This allows all pupils to engage fully with their learning and peers. As a result, pupils achieve well from their starting points.

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

The school has recently reviewed the curriculum in some subjects. These subjects are well sequenced. Subjects including music and art provide rich opportunities for creativity and self-expression. However, in some subjects, staff are unsure which knowledge is most important for pupils to know and remember. This makes it hard for pupils to build a strong foundation for future learning.

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

Pupils learn to read well. The school makes reading a priority from the start. Pupils begin by learning sounds to help them read words. Staff are experts at delivering phonics. They check progress regularly to address any gaps quickly. Pupils learn to read using the books that contain the sounds they know. They build confidence and fluency through regular 12 and 13 November 2024

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reading practice. Older pupils continue daily reading to deepen their fluency and understanding. Pupils enjoy developing their reading expression.

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The school goes beyond teaching reading skills to build a culture of reading. Pupils bring books from home and select books from the library. They read these books regularly for the weekly ‘Reading Miles’ challenge. The book vending machine acts as a fun reward system. Visits to Chapeltown Library in early years further enhance children’s reading experience. Special events like World Book Day workshops bring books to life through music and drama. Pupils improve their reading abilities and develop a lasting enjoyment of books.

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Early years is a growing strength of the school. Clear routines help children focus and work together in a calm environment. The school takes a step-by-step approach to help children develop important physical skills. This helps with their independence. Children, including those with SEND, engage confidently in activities for extended periods. Daily sensory circuits help children learn to exercise self-control. Along with the well-established routines, these circuit activities nurture secure, confident learners.

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The school offers a wide range of diverse experiences to broaden pupils’ wider development. Sports activities include dragon ball, horse riding and fencing. Music programmes allow pupils to learn instruments like the piano, violin and brass. There are also whole group drumming sessions. These experiences help pupils to build an appreciation for the arts. The school teaches pupils to help others, such as through community projects and supporting charitable causes. The ‘allotment project’ helps pupils to learn about environmental issues, such as sustainability.

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Leadership opportunities, such as well-being ambassadors, help pupils develop responsibility and teamwork. The school develops pupils’ understanding of different cultures and faiths. This helps them appreciate and engage with a broad range of perspectives.

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The governing body has been through a period of transition as new governors join. With help from the local authority, governors bring effective challenge and support. Governors have expertise in safeguarding and SEND. New governors are improving their knowledge of the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not clearly identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn in some foundation subjects. This limits how pupils’ learning can build up step by step over time. The school should ensure that the specific knowledge and skills that 12 and 13 November 2024

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pupils need has been consistently identified in all foundation subjects, so that pupils know and remember more over time.  While the school carries out checks across the curriculum, some subjects have not been monitored recently. This makes it hard for leaders to quickly assess how well the curriculum is working and whether pupils are making progress. The school should ensure that these checks are carried out in a clear and focused way, so that the information gathered can both celebrate what is working well and help identify areas for improvement in a timely manner.

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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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Sonja Shaw (vice-chair)

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 The school has a higher-than-average number of pupils with an education, health and care plan.  The school is currently appointing a new chair of the governing body.  The school does not currently 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. 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, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the impact in 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 culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors met with a wide range of staff, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other school leaders. The inspectors also spoke with the vice chair of governors, governors and the school improvement partner from Learn Sheffield.  Throughout the inspection, the inspectors met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspectors considered the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View and met parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Lesley Sullivan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Butler Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 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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