Greystones Primary School

Inspection Report Greystones Primary School

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107098 Unique Reference Number Sheffield LEA 277705 Inspection number 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Linda Murphy CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Tullibardine Road School address Primary Type of school Sheffield Community School category South Yorkshire S11 7GL 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 0114 2663413 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0114 2686235 Fax number 431 Number on roll Mrs P Howard Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs A Anwyl Headteacher 12 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277705 5 July 2006 - 5 to 11 6 July 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large school, with an integrated unit for pupils with hearing impairment, serves a community to the south west of Sheffield city centre; about 20% of the pupils live outside the local area. Most pupils are of White British heritage, although there is a higher proportion than found nationally of pupils from minority ethnic groups - the main one represented being Pakistani. A few are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. An above average percentage of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The percentage of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is lower than average. The school's Basic Skills Quality Mark was renewed in 2004.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Greystones Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils rightly 'sing the praises of Greystones' because it is a good school with some outstanding features. Pupils achieve well and attain standards in basic skills that are above average. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding, and contributes significantly to pupils' excellent behaviour and attitudes to learning. To quote a parent, 'There are brilliant links with parents and the community.' Excellent partnerships with others include the full integration of pupils with hearing impairment. The headteacher's very effective leadership is well supported by a strong team, including governors. This has led to good improvement since the last inspection. The school has a good capacity to improve further. Self-evaluation is accurate and steers the school's development well. Staff work hard to make things even better. For example, a start has been made on enhancing the good curriculum by creating more meaningful links between topics

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Grade: 2

and subjects. This requires further development. Overall, pupils do well in the Reception classes, because a senior member of staff ensures good quality teaching and learning and a broad curriculum. There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to work with adults and to learn outside in the fresh air. However, those children who join the Reception classes in January attain less well by the end of the year than those who have the full year in those classes. Across the school, pupils exceed their own expectations because the care, guidance and support they are given are excellent. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Minimise the gaps in attainment between children who have a whole year in the Reception class and those who join later in the year. • Make sure that the links between subjects are more thoroughly established.

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Grade: 2

The overall attainment of pupils when they start school is below that typical for their ages: in personal and social development, it is at the expected level. In the Reception classes, children achieve well and many attain the nationally set early learning goals by the end of their first year. Children get off to a flying start, but those who join mid-year have much catching up to do. In Years 1 to 6, regardless of gender, ethnicity or learning difficulties and/or disabilities, pupils achieve well. By the time they leave the school, standards are above average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 increasingly attain high levels in national tests and they meet challenging targets. Standards are high in information and communication technology (ICT) because the curriculum is particularly well taught and resources are plentiful. Pupils learning English as an additional language and those with hearing impairment

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Grade: 2

make good progress, and mostly achieve the expected level for their ages. Standards have risen, because staff expect the best of pupils and school leaders ensure that data are used well to identify where extra help is required for individuals and groups. For 2 Inspection Report: Greystones Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 example, the school identified that the language of some pupils lacked depth, and so focused staff training, teaching and learning on improving questioning to develop pupils' thinking and speaking skills.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is excellent. Attendance is above average and shows that pupils thoroughly enjoy their lessons, and other exciting activities, which are often supported through excellent links with the community. In well-planned personal, social, health and citizenship lessons, issues are sensitively discussed. In Year 6, for example, pupils came up with thoughtful ideas for dealing with bullying. There is an outstanding atmosphere of respect for others, which permeates the daily life of the school and fulfils the school promise that, 'Our school is a family.' It gives clear guidance on expected behaviour and care for others. Pupils become increasingly self-confident and enthusiastic learners. Behaviour is exemplary and relationships are excellent. The wide diversity and backgrounds of pupils are celebrated enthusiastically by the school, and all are fully

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Grade: 1

included in its life. Pupils say they feel safe in school and trust their teachers. They value the active school council which gives pupils a voice. Incidents of bullying and racism, although very rare, are effectively dealt with. Pupils respond enthusiastically to the school's excellent efforts to promote healthy lifestyles. They develop good skills which prepare them well for their future.

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Grade: 2

Pupils learn quickly and securely in all year groups, because the quality of teaching is good. Excellent relationships between teachers and pupils underpin all that goes on in the classroom and ensure that pupils work hard. Teachers' questioning of pupils is a real strength. Questions vary in difficulty so that everyone can contribute. In particular, questions for higher atttainers are very challenging and require extended answers. Listening to these answers is a valuable learning experience for the whole class. In the occasional lessons that are satisfactory rather than good, weaknesses in planning cause the lesson to slow down, pupils become restless and do not learn as well as they might. Pupils are enthusiastic learners and benefit from the expertise provided by specialist teachers in ICT, music, drama and aerobics. Learning support assistants are skilled, deployed flexibly and well briefed. They provide valuable support

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Grade: 2

for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with hearing impairment, and ensure that everyone generally makes good progress. Arrangements for assessment are good. For example, the use of assessments in writing has successfully raised standards. Good systems for setting targets and meticulously tracking pupils' progress help identify any potential underachievement, alert teachers to the problems and ensure that action is taken to get pupils back on track. 3 Inspection Report: Greystones Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum at all stages provides well for pupils' needs and interests and ensures their good progress. Even so, in Years 1 to 6, the school has yet to interweave subjects so that pupils' learning is fully integrated. The good promotion of basic skills and the use of a range of extra strategies, such as extra literacy support and 'springboard', have resulted in the award of the Basic Skills Quality Mark. In Years 3 to 6, pupils benefit from lessons in French, Italian and Spanish, which improve their understanding of languages and other cultures. Gifted and talented pupils experience additional challenges, notably in mathematics and sport. Parents and pupils are enthusiastic about the enriched curriculum, particularly the Arts Week, which, as a parent explained, 'captured children's imagination and truly inspired them with a happy outlook on the world'. The resulting work was of excellent quality. The good range of extra-curricular

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Grade: 2

activities includes plenty of sport to encourage healthy exercise.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding: parents and carers support this view. Great attention is given to health and safety. Child protection arrangements are robust and well understood by all. Training has been given to all staff, so that any concerns can be swiftly dealt with. Pupils benefit from the outstanding links with outside agencies, such as the local authority's learning support team. The school has very close links with its partner secondary school, and parents say the preparation for pupils' transfer is 'very exciting and trouble free'. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with hearing impairment and also pupils whose home language is not English, are all extremely well supported, and fully included in lessons and other activities. Indeed, among the school's many successes are the care, guidance and support given to pupils with hearing impairment so that they work to

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Grade: 2

The headteacher leads the school exceptionally well, and ensures that pupils achieve well academically and make excellent gains socially. As a result, this successful school is oversubscribed. Good support is given by the influential leadership team and the innovative curricular teams. There is a sense of shared responsibility among all staff and governors to ensure that pupils do well. The positive, inclusive ethos and happy atmosphere are evident from the start of the school day. Parents, carers and pupils are welcomed by staff in the playground and people from a range of backgrounds get on exceedingly well together, to the benefit of pupils. The school's partnerships with parents, other schools and agencies are outstanding and contribute well to pupils' learning and to their welfare. The school has much respect for the views of pupils and parents, and acts sensibly on them. For example, governors act on the opinions that

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Greystones Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 Year 6 pupils have about the school in interviews conducted with them before they leave. Governors contribute well in other ways, especially through their strategic development committee. The school's self-evaluation is predominantly accurate, and is based on an open, confident, self-critical appraisal of its strengths and weaknesses. This has enabled it to improve well since its last inspection and provides a solid foundation for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Greystones Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Greystones Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for the very friendly welcome you gave the inspection team when we inspected your school. Greystones is a good school and we know that you enjoy it very much. It is good because: - teaching is good and helps you make good progress - your headteacher is brilliant and has much help from other staff - your behaviour is outstanding and your attitudes to learning are excellent - you are also excellent at knowing how to keep safe and live a healthy lifestyle - pupils add a lot to the school and local community - the school provides very high standards of care for everyone and works very well indeed with people outside school, so that you have even more help to do well. To be even better, the school needs to: - give extra help to the Reception children who start in January to help them catch up with others in the class - make sure that subjects and topics link together so that you enjoy learning even more.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help by always doing your very best.

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