Greenacres Primary School

Inspection of Greenacres Primary School Rutland, Off York Road, Harlescott Grange, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 3QG

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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 Requires improvement

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The head of this school is Emily Kynaston. This school is part of the Empower 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), Carla Whelan, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Bunting. There is also an executive headteacher, Samantha Scott, who is responsible for this school. 18 and 19 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is characterised by the warmth and care of the staff towards pupils and the enthusiasm for learning that they show in return. Pupils are keen to share what they have learned. The school has a positive and nurturing ethos, supported by lots of smiles and laughter. Pupils are clear, saying, ‘We enjoy coming to school. It is fun!’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for the achievement of its pupils. In turn, pupils work hard to reach this ambition. Pupils say the staff support them to be more confident, and this helps them learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know the pupils well as individuals. This helps build positive relationships. It means that pupils are confident to talk and offer their views. For example, if they have concerns, pupils willingly share these with staff. Staff provide pupils with the help that they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, polite and enjoy lessons. They behave well in class and move calmly around the school. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. If pupils’ behaviour falls below these expectations, staff offer quick and sensitive support to help them.

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

The school has created an ambitious curriculum. In most subjects, the school has clearly identified the skills and knowledge that pupils should gain and by when. This helps pupils to build their learning successfully as they move through the school. However, in a small number of subjects, this essential learning is not as clearly identified. This means that, sometimes, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not learn all that they could.

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

From the early years upwards, the school checks to identify quickly any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) that pupils may have. The school then makes the necessary adaptions for these pupils.

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

Reading is a high priority. Older pupils talk about the books that they enjoy. Teachers read to pupils regularly to encourage them to have a true love of reading. Staff consistently use effective approaches in daily phonics lessons across the early years and in key stage 1. Pupils are keen to show off the sounds that they know. However, the school has been less successful with its approach to reading in key stage 2. Here, the school has not ensured that the teaching of the higher order reading skills, such as inference and deduction, is as precise as it could be. As a result, some pupils do not become as fluent and confident in their reading as the school intends.

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

The school’s published outcomes in 2024 do not take into account the challenges that the school faced in changes in staff at that point in time. These had a negative impact on what pupils achieved in their tests. Now, in a wide range of subjects across the key stages, pupils learn successfully and make effective progress over time. This is because of well-developed subject knowledge, which supports effective curriculum delivery. Focused assessment strategies quickly identify and fix misconceptions, impacting significantly on the next steps in pupils’ learning. 18 and 19 March 2025

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The school has taken positive and decisive action to improve behaviour. Pupils recognise and appreciate this. Classrooms are calm and focused places to learn, and systems for supporting and praising behaviour are clear. Staff in the early years establish clear routines. As a result, children show high levels of independence and engagement.

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The school is working, with increasing success, to support pupils to attend school regularly. The school works closely with parents and carers to strengthen their understanding of the importance of good attendance. However, this is not yet sufficiently effective, and some pupils do not attend school as punctually or regularly as they should.

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Children in the early years access well-chosen activities to develop their social skills. They take part in regular partner talk during lessons or chat with their peers when they are exploring activities. The school’s assemblies give pupils an understanding of fundamental British values and equality. Pupils contribute to the school by becoming school councillors. Pupils are proud of their ‘Inclusion Champions’, who help their peers to improve their attendance.

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After a period of change, more stable leadership and staffing has strengthened the school. Leaders at all levels know the school and its community extremely well. The school is working on strengthening its engagement with parents to support the quality of education it offers. Staff morale is high. They value the support from the school and how it considers their workload and well-being. The trust brings a wealth of expertise to support the school, for example with SEND and curriculum development.

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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 ensured that the teaching of the higher order reading skills, such as inference and deduction, is as precise as it could be. As a result, some pupils do not become as fluent and confident in their reading as they could. The school should ensure that it puts in place a detailed programme for the teaching of reading so that pupils become more successful in their ability to read and discuss more complex texts.  In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is at an early stage of implementation following recent development. This results in gaps in pupils’ learning or some missing prerequisite foundational knowledge needed to access new content. The school should ensure that it makes effective checks to establish where gaps remain and then address them.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly or on time. As a result, those pupils are missing out on valuable learning and compounding issues caused by knowledge gaps.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school should continue to explore ways to engage parents so that they bring their 18 and 19 March 2025

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children to school every day so that all pupils benefit from the exciting curriculum on offer.

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Website https://greenacres.shropshire.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Both the executive headteacher and the head of school have taken up their posts since the last inspection.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections.  Inspectors spoke with the head of school, the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders as part of the inspection.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and geography. 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 and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors listened to pupils read with a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single

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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 gathered the views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them.  Pupils’ views were considered through pupil meetings.  Inspectors spoke with representatives from the trust and the local governing body.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes and during breaks and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Paul Newby, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gail Peyton Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 March 2025

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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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