Glebe Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and cheerful.

They enjoy school and make strong friendships here. Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe. They talk with a member of staff if anything is worrying them.

Typically, pupils behave well and show respect for others. Bullying is rare and when it does happen, staff deal with it quickly.

The school works hard to provide pupils with rich learning experiences.

School music and drama productions, special events and educational outings, for example to places of worship, deepen pupils' personal development. For example, younger pupils enjoyed seeing animals on the school's field during a visit from a local farm. Clubs, includ...ing street dance, chess and football, extend the interests of pupils who attend them.

The school has recently introduced a new curriculum, which aims to raise expectations and support pupils in building knowledge and skills across the curriculum. Changes to the curriculum have not had time to show a lasting impact on pupils' achievement, including in early years and for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

Generally, the school's new curriculum identifies the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn across all subjects, including in Nursery and Reception.

Where the order in which new content is taught is carefully thought through, pupils build up knowledge securely. For example, in mathematics, children in early years build their knowledge of numbers, which helps them when they move to Years 1 and 2. However, variations in subject-curriculum thinking and delivery mean that pupils are not helped routinely well to build up their knowledge of key concepts and remember what they have learned.

As a result, pupils are unable to recall their learning securely over time, including, for example, multiplication tables and number bonds. Across the curriculum, checks on pupils' understanding are not routinely helping the school to identify and address pupils' errors and misconceptions quickly.

The provision for pupils with SEND is in the early stages of development.

Staff do not generally receive detailed information about the needs of pupils with SEND to help them to know how best to support them. As a result, learning is not adapted precisely to meet all pupils' needs fully. The school's communication with staff and with parents and carers is not routinely clear and effective.

The lack of support and professional development for staff to help them to deliver the curriculum effectively adds to the workload of staff and affects well-being.

Leaders ensure that pupils who are at the early stage of learning to read do so. The school has introduced a new programme to teach phonics so that there is a consistent approach to developing pupils' early reading.

Books are matched to the phonics that pupils are learning. However, gaps in the phonics knowledge of weaker readers are not identified and addressed quickly. Pupils are not encouraged to read as widely and often as they should to develop their reading fluency and confidence.

In early years, opportunities to develop children's communication and language are sometimes missed.

Mostly, pupils arrive at school on time and attend regularly. Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning.

Pupils' learning in class typically proceeds purposefully and without interruption. Staff deal with any rare occurrences of low-level disruption quickly.

Pupils contribute to the wider school life, for example by being part of the school council.

After-school clubs, together with sporting opportunities and learning to play a musical instrument, help to develop pupils' talents and interests.

Pupils are encouraged to show respect and tolerance towards those from different backgrounds and with different beliefs to their own. Class assemblies encourage pupils' understanding of different cultures and faiths.

Pupils are taught about a range of relationship issues in an age-appropriate way, including different types of family structures and the significance of consent. They are encouraged to keep themselves safe in a range of circumstances, including online, and are made aware of the health dangers of vaping, smoking and drug use. Pupils' mental health is supported, including through the work of a counselling service.

The governing body has not held the school sufficiently to account for the school's academic performance and quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not planned and delivered equally well across all subjects, including in early years.

Pupils are not helped routinely well across the curriculum to build up their knowledge of key concepts and remember what they have learned. The school should ensure that, across all subjects, subject-curriculum thinking, delivery and teachers' checks on pupils' learning and recall help all pupils to know, understand and do more securely over time, including in early years. ? The school's new approach to reading is not fully embedded.

Weaker readers are behind in their reading and are not catching up quickly, and across the school, pupils do not read regularly. The school should continue to develop the reading curriculum so that weaker readers receive precise support matched to their needs, and so that all pupils are encouraged to read widely and often to develop reading fluency and accuracy. ? The school does not provide staff with detailed information about the needs of pupils with SEND.

This means that pupils with SEND are not routinely well supported to learn the curriculum. The school needs to equip teachers and support staff with precise information to help them to adapt teaching and resources to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. ? The school has not ensured that all staff have the subject expertise and training needed to support them in their roles.

This means that not all teaching staff have the expertise to deliver the curriculum securely. This also has a negative impact on staff workload and well-being. The school should ensure that all staff are suitably trained and supported to perform their roles and that staff workload and well-being are supported.

• Communication between the school and staff and between the school and parents requires improvement. Staff and parents commented that the school's communication did not ensure that they were well informed. The school should review processes of communication with staff and with parents.

• The governing body does not have the information it needs to hold leaders to account. This limits its ability to check how well the school's actions are bringing about the necessary improvements. The school should ensure that the governing body has the information it needs to help it provide challenge and support.

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