Garway Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Garway Primary School Garway, Hereford, Herefordshire HR2 8RQ

p.1

Outcome

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

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live and breathe the school’s values of ‘Be the best version of yourself – enjoy and achieve.’ The school sets high expectations for pupils. They achieve well in lessons. Pupils enjoy their school and are proud of it. They behave well in lessons and are articulate. They demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. Rewards such as ‘student of the term’ reinforce good behaviour.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They know there is always an adult to talk to if anything is worrying them or they feel uncomfortable. The school’s culture is to ‘speak out to stay safe’.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities. All Year 5 pupils can be young leaders. They support pupils who sit on the ‘friendship bench’ if they want a playmate. Pupils in Year 6 are also road safety monitors or buddies.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes pupils’ mental and physical health well. The whole school starts the day with ‘morning movers’. This is followed by pupils in every class learning a musical instrument, including the cello, violin and recorder, using musical notation. There are numerous activities provided for pupils to extend their skills and interest, such as archery, ballet, lacrosse, cheer-leading and Welsh club.

p.1

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that gives pupils access to a wide range of subjects. English and mathematics are at its heart. The curriculum helps pupils to build their knowledge as they move through school. Small cohort sizes and the high number of pupils with complex needs in some year groups means results in published outcomes can vary from year to year. 28 January 2025

p.1

2

Children are exposed to sounds and letters as soon as they join pre-school or Reception Year. When staff play games with children, they encourage them to use accurate vocabulary and speak in full sentences. Staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well to enable pupils who are learning to read to ‘keep up, not catch up’. The school uses its checks to ensure pupils have work at the right level for them. Those who find reading difficult are developing the confidence to become fluent readers. The school encourages the love of a wide range of reading across the curriculum, for example by inviting a female scientist to speak about her non-fiction book.

p.2

2

In many subjects, the curriculum is well sequenced to build on previous learning. Recap tasks help pupils to remember what they have learned. In English and mathematics, revisiting prior learning helps teachers to identify and address misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, this is not as consistent across all subjects in the wider curriculum.

p.2

2

Staff in the early years provide a calm, attractive and well-resourced environment. This enables children to enjoy their learning indoors and outdoors. Adults develop children’s understanding through high-quality interactions and skilled questioning.

p.2

2

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) from the start in the early years. A small number of pupils with SEND have a bespoke curriculum to meet their needs. In some subjects, teachers adapt lessons skilfully so pupils with SEND can join in learning with their peers. For example, staff adjust writing tasks or provide practical and visual resources. However, this is not consistent. Occasionally, teachers do not adapt learning as well and pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

p.2

2

The school has had considerable success in raising the level of attendance and reducing persistent absence. Attendance for all pupils is now close to average.

p.2

2

The school promotes personal development very well. Pupils learn to be responsible and respectful towards each other. The school’s values underpin this work. Pupils make a positive contribution to the community through fundraising events such as car washes. The ‘green team’ supports the school’s recycling initiatives. The rural landscape enables pupils to witness live lambing, which enables them to deepen their understanding of the natural world.

p.2

2

Pupils learn about the world beyond their school. For example, they learn about Welsh culture through events to mark St David’s day. In their study of different faiths, pupils learn about festivals, conflicts and complementary matters. Assemblies such as ‘It’s okay to be different’ highlight the diverse range of families in British society.

p.2

2

The school has invested heavily in staff training, such as in SEND and the mastery of number. It ensures that workload and well-being are always on the school’s agenda and staff are very appreciative of this. Staff are given time to carry out their roles, especially those with management responsibilities. Parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted survey said, overwhelmingly, that they would recommend the school to other parents. 28 January 2025

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is some variability in the wider curriculum in how effectively teachers check what pupils know. As a result, teachers are not always secure about the knowledge pupils have learned and where there are gaps. The school should ensure that teachers know how well pupils are doing in each subject and what they need to learn next.  Adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with SEND are not always as strong in the wider curriculum as they are in English and mathematics. This means some pupils with SEND have difficulty accessing their work when additional support is not available. The school should ensure that all subjects are consistently adapted to enable pupils with SEND to access their learning.

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2016. 28 January 2025

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 28 January 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 14 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school currently does not use alternative provision.  The school has a pre-school provision where it admits children from the age of two years.

p.5

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 inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other leaders and staff.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils. 28 January 2025

p.5

6

 The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair.  The lead inspector spoke to a representative from the local authority by telephone.  The lead inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free- text comments. He reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils. He considered information on pupils’ behaviour, attendance and personal development.  The lead inspector heard pupils reading in lessons.  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.

p.6

Inspection team

Mark Sims, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Stuart Evans Ofsted Inspector 28 January 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7