Glebeland Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Glebeland Community Primary School Beccles Road, Toft Monks, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 0EW

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Outcome

Glebeland Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The interim headteacher of this school is Debbie Thomas. This school is part of Consortium 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), Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Martin .

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What is it like to attend this school?

When pupils arrive each day, they are welcomed warmly. They enjoy coming to this small, happy school. Pupils attend regularly because they are excited about what they are going to learn. They know that their teachers have high expectations of what they can achieve. Pupils work hard to reach these expectations. Many pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Pupils’ written work is of a high quality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They value the positive relationships they have with staff and each other. Pupils share a sense of ambition. They celebrate their friends’ achievements as enthusiastically as their own. Pupils know that how they behave impacts on everyone’s learning. As a result, pupils behave well in class. Around the school, they look out for each other. Older pupils ensure younger pupils have the same opportunities to join in with play at breaktimes and lunchtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in a range of different experiences beyond the curriculum. They enjoy weekly cookery and music sessions. Older pupils look forward to their residential experience. Pupils value the additional opportunities that are offered through the trust. 17 December 2024

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

Changes in leadership and a reduction in pupil numbers have seen the school recently experience a period of turbulence. However, the school and the trust have worked together to minimise the impact of this on pupils’ learning. The school has adapted its ambitious curriculum so it is accessible to all. It has made clear what pupils should know. To accommodate a wide range of ages in each class, it has redesigned the order it teaches this key information. As a result, pupils continue to build a deep understanding of each subject. For example, pupils in Year 6 have an astute awareness of the Second World War. They explain in depth the impact of the war on people, trade and world banking.

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

Pupils read well. From the start of their time in early years, children learn the sounds that letters make. Pupils practise these sounds to secure this knowledge before moving on to new letters. Over time, pupils become confident and fluent readers. The books older pupils read link to other aspects of their curriculum. This helps them gain a secure understanding of what they read.

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

In most subjects, teachers explain new ideas clearly. They make links to what pupils already know. Learning activities help pupils practise and secure this information. Children in the early years reinforce their learning through well-crafted play activities. Pupils learn key words, including mathematical vocabulary. They are encouraged and helped to use these words accurately. As a result, in many subjects, pupils have a broad vocabulary and produce high-quality work. Older pupils write in a depth and detail that draws together their thinking.

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

Staff value how the trust has helped increase their subject knowledge and teaching expertise. Staff appreciate how the school keeps a careful watch to ensure their workload is well managed. However, the systems and structures to check the quality of teaching are not always as refined and precise as they need to be. This means that some gaps in teachers’ subject knowledge and, subsequently, pupils’ learning are not always identified. Consequently, necessary adaptations to the curriculum to address these gaps are not made. In these subjects, pupils do not learn as well as the school intends.

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

The school ensures that pupils with SEND continue to access the same curriculum as their peers. The school works with parents, pupils and teachers to set key targets to support pupils overcome their individual barriers to learning. In most cases, these targets help teachers and other adults support pupils well. Occasionally, however, these are too vague, or do not accurately address individual pupils’ needs. In such cases, teachers find it difficult to support pupils effectively. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not always learn as well as the school expects.

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

Pupils are polite and respectful. They understand what is expected of them. Children in the early years quickly learn the school’s routines and expectations. A small number of pupils struggle to self-regulate their behaviour. Staff know these pupils well. Adults often identify when these pupils are beginning to lose their focus. They quickly intervene to support pupils to re-engage with learning. 17 December 2024

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Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths through the curriculum, for example in the stories and poems they read. They learn about important values such as respect and tolerance. Pupils know about these key values but they do not always fully understand them.

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The trust has been instrumental in supporting the school during this unsettled period of time. Trustees understand the challenges faced. However, they have not shied away from holding leaders to account. They maintain a determination to secure excellence while ensuring staff’s well-being and emotional health are prioritised.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the plans for pupils with SEND lack precision. Targets are too broad or not always directly targeted at individual pupils’ needs. This means that teachers cannot always adapt their teaching to help these pupils access the curriculum as intended. The school and the trust should ensure that the targets for pupils with SEND are precise and enable teachers to understand how best to support pupils to learn and achieve well.  The school does not always identify how well the curriculum is being taught or the impact this has on pupils’ learning. Gaps in teachers’ subject knowledge are not identified and addressed. The assessment of pupils’ learning over time does not accurately inform future curriculum adaptations. This means that pupils’ learning is not as secure as it could be. The school and the trust should ensure that they accurately check the implementation of the curriculum and use this information to ensure that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils learn the curriculum as intended.

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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 17 December 2024

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

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2019.

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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). 17 December 2024

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School details

CEO of the trust Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne

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School details

Headteacher Debbie Thomas (Director of Primary Education) Website www.glebelandprimaryschool.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Consortium Trust.  The interim headteacher is the Director of Primary Education at the trust. She took up her role as interim headteacher in November 2024. A permanent headteacher will take up their post in January 2025.  The school opened its nursery provision in September 2024.  The school uses one registered and one unregistered provider of 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 17 December 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with leaders, including the headteacher. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the trust board and the trust’s executive team, including the CEO.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at documentation about the curriculum and reviewed documentation for pupils with SEND.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments submitted. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires for staff and pupils. Inspectors also spoke to groups of pupils about

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their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil in their school.

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Inspection team

Dave Gibson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Benjamin Axon Ofsted Inspector 17 December 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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