Grange Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher started at the school in September 2021 and has led the school through many improvements. This includes making sure that behaviour is good and that pupils are kept safe. Leaders know that there are weaknesses in the school's curriculum.

In some subjects, expectations for what pupils learn do not match the ambition of the national curriculum.

Pupils enjoy school. They feel happy and safe.

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and caring. Leaders and staff help pupils to look after their physical and emotional well-being. This includes the 'wake and shake' sessions and the wide range of ways pupils can engage in physical education (PE)....

Grange primary is an inclusive school. Everyone celebrates the fact that pupils come from different backgrounds and speak different languages. Events such as Carnival Day help pupils to learn and respect each other's differences.

Staff put a lot of emphasis on pupils being kind to one another. Bullying and discrimination are not tolerated.

There are high expectations for behaviour.

Most pupils behave well. Routines are in place that everyone is expected to follow. In the early years, children are learning to concentrate and to manage their emotions.

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

The headteacher has the full confidence of staff, pupils, parents and carers. Staff morale is high. There is a real sense of teamwork and community.

The headteacher has a clear grasp of the further work that lies ahead.

Leaders know that there are inconsistencies across the curriculum. Some subjects, such as design and technology, are not well planned and sequenced.

The knowledge and skills that leaders want pupils to know and remember are not clearly set out. In other subjects, such as PE, pupils are learning lots. They use subject vocabulary and apply their skills well.

In some cases, teachers do not have expert knowledge of the subjects they are teaching and/or leading. Some teachers do not choose activities that focus well on subject content.

Leadership for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been recently strengthened.

Leaders are taking the right actions to improve the help and support given to pupils. They have rightly prioritised making sure that staff know their pupils' needs. They have advised staff of the strategies they should use to meet these needs.

Leaders have planned further training for staff. It is too soon to see the impact of all this work.

Leaders introduced a new phonics programme during the last academic year.

Pupils learn phonics right from the start of Reception. Books generally match the sounds that pupils are learning. However, some staff do not have the same level of expertise as others.

When they listen to pupils reading, they do not systematically make sure that pupils use their phonics to decode words. Weaker readers, including those with SEND, are not keeping up with their peers as well as they should.

Leaders opened a new library last year and found creative ways to fill it with a range of books.

However, some older pupils do not enjoy reading. They do not talk with enthusiasm about books or authors, for example.

Too often, teachers do not use assessment well.

They do not check whether pupils have understood what they have been taught before they move on to new learning. Pupils therefore develop misconceptions and do not build up an accurate understanding of the subject. Teaching does not give enough focus to revisiting important knowledge and concepts.

Knowledge is not 'sticking' in pupils' memory. In mathematics, too many pupils in Years 3 and 4 do not securely know their multiplication tables. Some younger pupils cannot count confidently as well as they should.

Pupils learn to become resilient in all sorts of ways. This helps them to manage the challenges they may face as they grow up. Leaders take pupils of all ages to places like the seaside and the theatre.

There are also trained Year 6 peer mediators helping other pupils. Visitors to the school also help pupils to learn how to stay safe, for example from the local children's hospital. Children in the early years are well supported with their physical development.

Staff make effective use of the well-resourced outdoor and indoor areas.

Leaders manage attendance well and everyone says that behaviour has greatly improved over the last year. Teachers are well supported in learning to manage behaviour.

Pupils enjoy receiving rewards for their hard work.

Governors have not engaged in sufficient training on their role in relation to the quality of education. They do not ask probing questions about the school's curriculum.

As a result, governors do not have a secure grasp of the weaknesses that have built up over time.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils and their families well.

They are quick to offer help and support when they become aware of any potential worries or concerns about a pupil. Leaders quickly refer to external agencies when their concerns may be more serious.

Leaders make sure that everyone is well trained about how to keep pupils safe.

Pupils are taught about how to stay safe, including online. They also learn about making healthy choices in an age-appropriate way. Parents are right to have confidence that their children are well looked after.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are inconsistencies in the teaching of early reading. Some staff do not have the same level of expertise as others. Some do not systematically check pupils' understanding as well as they should.

As a result, weaker readers, including those with SEND, are not well supported on their journey to becoming fluent readers. Leaders need to tighten their training and monitoring so that they iron out these inconsistencies. ? In some subjects, including in the early years, leaders have not focused their curriculum thinking enough on what they want pupils to learn and when they should learn it.

Some subjects lack the rigour of the ambition of the national curriculum. Consequently, pupils are not learning and remembering the body of knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they should be. Leaders need to review their curriculum thinking.

They need to make sure that in all subjects the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils should learn is clearly set out. They should ensure that the early years is the starting point of their curriculum thinking. ? There are inconsistencies in how well teachers use assessment to check pupils' understanding.

On too many occasions, misconceptions go unnoticed and therefore are not corrected. As a result, some pupils do not develop an accurate body of knowledge that prepares them well for future learning. Leaders need to focus their training on helping teachers to improve their use of assessment.

• Some teachers lack the subject knowledge needed to plan and deliver the intended curriculum. Sometimes, they do not choose activities or use strategies that help pupils to learn well. This creates gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills.

Leaders need to develop staff subject expertise across the curriculum. They need to support teachers in understanding how activities and strategies should support pupils in learning subject-specific knowledge and skills. ? Governors do not know enough about the school's curriculum.

They lack the knowledge and skills to gain an accurate strategic view on the quality of education. As a result, they do not give enough support and challenge to senior leaders. Governors should quickly arrange training in helping them to ensure and assure themselves on the quality of education being provided by the school.