Glebeland Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

The interim headteacher of this school is Debbie Thomas. This school is part of Consortium 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), Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Martin.

What is it like to attend this school?

When pupils arrive each day, they are welcomed warmly. They enjoy coming to this small, happy school.

Pupils attend regularly because they are excited about what they are going t...o learn. They know that their teachers have high expectations of what they can achieve. Pupils work hard to reach these expectations.

Many pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Pupils' written work is of a high quality.

Pupils are proud of their school.

They value the positive relationships they have with staff and each other. Pupils share a sense of ambition. They celebrate their friends' achievements as enthusiastically as their own.

Pupils know that how they behave impacts on everyone's learning. As a result, pupils behave well in class. Around the school, they look out for each other.

Older pupils ensure younger pupils have the same opportunities to join in with play at breaktimes and lunchtimes.

Pupils take part in a range of different experiences beyond the curriculum. They enjoy weekly cookery and music sessions.

Older pupils look forward to their residential experience. Pupils value the additional opportunities that are offered through the trust.

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

Changes in leadership and a reduction in pupil numbers have seen the school recently experience a period of turbulence.

However, the school and the trust have worked together to minimise the impact of this on pupils' learning. The school has adapted its ambitious curriculum so it is accessible to all. It has made clear what pupils should know.

To accommodate a wide range of ages in each class, it has redesigned the order it teaches this key information. As a result, pupils continue to build a deep understanding of each subject. For example, pupils in Year 6 have an astute awareness of the Second World War.

They explain in depth the impact of the war on people, trade and world banking.

Pupils read well. From the start of their time in early years, children learn the sounds that letters make.

Pupils practise these sounds to secure this knowledge before moving on to new letters. Over time, pupils become confident and fluent readers. The books older pupils read link to other aspects of their curriculum.

This helps them gain a secure understanding of what they read.

In most subjects, teachers explain new ideas clearly. They make links to what pupils already know.

Learning activities help pupils practise and secure this information. Children in the early years reinforce their learning through well-crafted play activities. Pupils learn key words, including mathematical vocabulary.

They are encouraged and helped to use these words accurately. As a result, in many subjects, pupils have a broad vocabulary and produce high-quality work. Older pupils write in a depth and detail that draws together their thinking.

Staff value how the trust has helped increase their subject knowledge and teaching expertise. Staff appreciate how the school keeps a careful watch to ensure their workload is well managed. However, the systems and structures to check the quality of teaching are not always as refined and precise as they need to be.

This means that some gaps in teachers' subject knowledge and, subsequently, pupils' learning are not always identified. Consequently, necessary adaptations to the curriculum to address these gaps are not made. In these subjects, pupils do not learn as well as the school intends.

The school ensures that pupils with SEND continue to access the same curriculum as their peers. The school works with parents, pupils and teachers to set key targets to support pupils overcome their individual barriers to learning. In most cases, these targets help teachers and other adults support pupils well.

Occasionally, however, these are too vague, or do not accurately address individual pupils' needs. In such cases, teachers find it difficult to support pupils effectively. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not always learn as well as the school expects.

Pupils are polite and respectful. They understand what is expected of them. Children in the early years quickly learn the school's routines and expectations.

A small number of pupils struggle to self-regulate their behaviour. Staff know these pupils well. Adults often identify when these pupils are beginning to lose their focus.

They quickly intervene to support pupils to re-engage with learning.Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths through the curriculum, for example in the stories and poems they read. They learn about important values such as respect and tolerance.

Pupils know about these key values but they do not always fully understand them.

The trust has been instrumental in supporting the school during this unsettled period of time. Trustees understand the challenges faced.

However, they have not shied away from holding leaders to account. They maintain a determination to secure excellence while ensuring staff's well-being and emotional health are prioritised.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, the plans for pupils with SEND lack precision. Targets are too broad or not always directly targeted at individual pupils' needs. This means that teachers cannot always adapt their teaching to help these pupils access the curriculum as intended.

The school and the trust should ensure that the targets for pupils with SEND are precise and enable teachers to understand how best to support pupils to learn and achieve well. ? The school does not always identify how well the curriculum is being taught or the impact this has on pupils' learning. Gaps in teachers' subject knowledge are not identified and addressed.

The assessment of pupils' learning over time does not accurately inform future curriculum adaptations. This means that pupils' learning is not as secure as it could be. The school and the trust should ensure that they accurately check the implementation of the curriculum and use this information to ensure that pupils learn the curriculum as intended.

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 to be 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 July 2019.