Ash Green Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

What is it like to attend this school?

Ash Green Community Primary School is a safe, caring place for pupils. Positive and nurturing relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils are valued and supported.

Pupils trust adults to take care of them.

The school has high expectations for pupils' learning and behaviour. There is an inclusive environment where all pupils regardless of their needs or circumstances access an ambitious curriculum.

The school makes sure that pupils at both sites follow the same curriculum and have the sam...e opportunities. Pupils experience the same learning and activities and achieve well.

The care that staff provide for pupils, parents and carers is highly evident.

Staff build strong relationships with parents right from the early years. Parents welcome and appreciate this level of care. The pastoral team offers a range of support including access to local services.

Pupils know and respond well to the expectations for behaviour. They show politeness and respect to adults and each other.

Pupils enjoy coming to school.

They appreciate the positive support from adults. Pupils know the importance of friendship and kindness. They know how to keep themselves safe online and in the local community.

Pupils are proud to take on leadership roles, including school councillors, lunchtime helpers and play leaders.

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

The school makes decisions in the best interests of the pupils. The curriculum is well sequenced and identifies the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn.

Pupils typically enter school with lower-than-expected speech and language skills. The curriculum focuses on developing oracy and subject specific vocabulary. In lessons, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language benefit from carefully adapted resources.

Staff quickly identify and address pupils' needs including those with SEND. Tailored interventions are designed to ensure pupils have the support they need to achieve well. Specialist staff provide this support.'

The Hive' offers a safe, calm space for pupils who need additional support.

The curriculum has been adapted to take account of the local context. For example, in history pupils learn about the Piece Hall and the Halifax Gibbet.

Staff's appreciation and understanding of effective training and coaching shows through across the school. The school promotes shared ways of working for staff. These practices combine and ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well.

Teachers build pupils' interest by engaging them in real life tasks. For example, pupils wrote a letter to the director of the British museum to explain their knowledge of the Romans.

The reading and mathematics curriculums are well structured.

They are adapted carefully to meet the needs of all pupils. The school has focused on embedding the key knowledge to ensure pupils' knowledge builds over time. Regular checking by adults in lessons means that pupils' learning is moved on.

Well trained adults provide effective support. Misconceptions are quickly addressed.

Reading is a high priority.

Phonics is consistently taught through a multi-sensory approach from Nursery, using actions, pictures, and visual cues. Reading books are well-matched to pupils' phonic ability. Pupils read accurately using the sounds that they know.

The writing curriculum focuses on high quality texts. However, pupils' understanding of the basic skills in writing are less secure.

The school has worked effectively to secure improvements to the early years since the last inspection.

The 'just threes' provision ensures children make a strong start. In the early years, children develop early communication and language skills well. They are immersed in stories, songs and rhymes.

Children cooperate well and access learning independently. Activities are carefully chosen to give children chances to explore and be curious. Adults provide support by encouraging language development across all areas of the provision.

Children with specific needs successfully access support through the 'The Burrow'.

Pupils listen to teachers and contribute enthusiastically in lessons. Adults regularly praise pupils for behaving well.

Pupils value the rewards they receive including weekly certificates. Routines are firmly embedded. Movement around school is calm and orderly.

When playing outside, pupils are active. They happily engage in structured activities, such as climbing, scooters and ball games.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning.

The school works closely with families to improve rates of attendance. However, some pupils do not attend school often enough. This means they miss out on essential learning.

The school has a comprehensive offer to supports pupils' personal development. This includes personal, social, health and economic education lessons, assemblies, extracurricular activities, and opportunities for leadership and citizenship. Enrichment activities enhance the curriculum and build pupils' interest of the local and wider area.

These include visits to local museums, residentials and a trip to London. Daily clubs, such as choir and dance, encourage pupils to develop their talents and interests.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The English curriculum does not specifically set out well enough the basic skills for writing, including grammar, punctuation and handwriting. As a result, pupils are not able to write with accuracy. The school should ensure that the curriculum identifies these basic skills clearly and progressively so that pupils build fluency in the basic skills and are able to write independently with confidence and fluency.

• Attendance for some pupils is too low, including those who are disadvantaged. This means that pupils are missing out on important learning and other aspects of personal development. The school should ensure that their ongoing work with families is strengthened so that all pupils attend school regularly.

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 good for its overall effectiveness.

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.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2018.