Glebefields Primary School

Inspection of Glebefields Primary School Sandgate Road, Tipton, West Midlands DY4 0SX

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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 25 and 26 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to learn. They are happy and cheerful. Pupils enjoy school and feel safe here. Some pupils say that the school is like a second home to them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all its pupils to achieve academic success. Pupils understand what the school expects of them. They work hard and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour has improved since the introduction of a new behaviour policy. Pupils know how they should behave. For example, they are well mannered and polite. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils show respect for their peers and the adults in school. There are few instances of bullying and the school deals with these effectively if they happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many opportunities for pupils to take part in activities beyond lessons. There is a wide range of clubs for pupils to attend. Many pupils enjoy taking part in the musical theatre, cooking and dance clubs. The school works with a range of partner organisations to focus on keeping pupils safe in the community. As a result of this work, older pupils learned recently about the dangers of knife crime and vaping.

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

Children gain a secure start to their education when they join the early years. The curriculum in the early years is well thought through. It is the foundation for their learning in each subject throughout the rest of the school. Expectations for what children can achieve are high. The school has identified that children start school with gaps in their communication and use of language. The school’s design of its curriculum ensures that there are many opportunities to reduce these gaps. Successfully promoting pupils’ resilience and independence is a high priority in the early years. Children enjoy learning with their friends. They take turns and work closely with each other and staff.

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

Learning to read is a priority at Glebefields. Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they start school. Their progress in learning to read is carefully tracked by staff. Those pupils who begin to fall behind in learning to read are well supported to catch up quickly. The reading books are well matched to the sounds children are learning. Pupils read with confidence and fluency as they get older. They enjoy reading books written by a range of authors. Pupils enjoy using vocabulary from the books they read in their own writing. Parents and carers have recently started coming into school to read books to the younger children.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified by the school. Staff rapidly put in place carefully designed support to help pupils become more successful in their learning. Some pupils benefit from the extra support provided in the school’s ‘little nest’ and ‘big nest’.

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

The school has worked hard on improving the curriculum. Staff benefit from the training provided to keep up to date with the latest developments in teaching. Pupils’ attainment 25 and 26 March 2025

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at the end of Year 6 has risen. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Many staff model their writing expectations for pupils with great care. Pupils follow the lead from their teachers. They take great pride in presentation in their books.

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Occasionally, teachers do not explain the meaning of some important words with enough precision. This confuses some pupils. Although many teachers check carefully on what pupils know and remember, this is not consistently effective across school. This hinders learning for a few pupils.

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The school has successfully increased attendance and reduced the number of pupils who are regularly absent. The attendance of individual pupils is carefully tracked. School staff go above and beyond to help parents get their children to school regularly.

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The curriculum is carefully supplemented by trips linked to learning projects. Pupils enjoy visiting places such as a local chocolate factory to explore design, technology and economics. They have a good understanding of the importance of treating everyone equally. Pupils learn about, and have a secure grasp of, the differences between right and wrong. Children in Reception begin to learn about democracy when using plastic blocks to vote for the next book for the teacher to read during story time.

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Those responsible for leading and governing the school have secured many improvements. Governors are clear about what they want for the school. Governors challenge leaders robustly about the performance of the school. Leaders do much to reduce the workload of staff. The school works closely with parents and provides extra support for them when needed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the school does not ensure that teachers explain to pupils the meaning of subject-specific vocabulary that they need to know. This means pupils are not always clear enough about the meaning of some words. The school should ensure teachers have the knowledge to explain the meaning of key words as intended.  Occasionally, the school does not ensure that teachers check pupils’ curriculum knowledge carefully enough. At these times, teaching does not build pupils’ understanding well enough and some pupils do not remember essential knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment effectively and act on information to address pupils’ misconceptions. 25 and 26 March 2025

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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). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 April 2024, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not 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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, members of the governing body, including the chair, a representative of the local authority and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, including early reading, mathematics, design and technology 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 scrutinised a range of documentation provided by the school. This included improvement plans, leaders’ self-evaluation, minutes of the governing body meetings and documents relating to behaviour and attendance.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also spoke to parents at the school gate. Inspectors considered responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Declan McCauley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim Bassett Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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