Green Lane Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Green Lane enact the school's motto of 'positive, hardworking and polite'. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning in lessons.

Most pupils respond well to these expectations, are motivated to learn and produce work of good quality in different subjects.

Pupils feel safe and are kept safe. Bullying is rare.

Pupils are confident in sharing any concerns they might have with adults in school and are reassured that any difficulties will be swiftly resolved.

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that supports all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to le...arn and remember more. The curriculum is enriched through visits to the local area.

Pupils across the school experience what it is like to stay away from home. For example, pupils attend forest school, camp overnight on the school field or attend an outward bounds adventure centre.

Pupils attend a range of additional activities.

These include art, sewing, cooking and sports. Leaders organise regular 'showcase' events, where talents and interests can be shared. For example, at the local theatre, pupils have recited poetry they have learned.

Pupils are rightly proud of their school and enjoy representing it in the local community. For example, they take food donations to the local church and raise money for different charities.

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

Reading is a priority.

From Nursery, children engage positively with books, rhymes and songs, which prepares them to learn phonics from their Reception Year. Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained to teach reading. Teachers model sounds accurately and precisely, using books that are closely matched to the sounds pupils have learned.

They identify weaker readers quickly and support them to catch up. As a result, most pupils develop into fluent, confident and accurate readers, who enjoy reading and being read to. Older pupils are well motivated to read a range of increasingly complex books as they move through the school.

This supports them to access the ambitious curriculum in other subjects.

All pupils study a broad curriculum that matches the scope and ambition of what is expected nationally. Leaders have identified the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn and remember.

The curriculum has been logically sequenced so that pupils return to, practise and embed important ideas. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for the more challenging learning they will encounter throughout the school. For example, in mathematics, children in early years practise counting in different steps.

This helps them later when learning their multiplication tables. Pupils go on to use this knowledge effectively when solving increasingly complex mathematical problems. Similarly, in computing, children in early years begin to use words to describe position and direction.

This helps them in key stage 1 when programming moving toys. Older pupils use this knowledge when writing and using increasingly complex algorithms.

Teachers check pupils' understanding of what they have learned.

While this is sometimes effective, errors and misconceptions are not consistently identified. This means that errors remain in some pupils' work.

Pupils with SEND are swiftly and accurately identified.

Leaders have ensured that staff have received appropriate training to address specific needs. As a result, pupils with SEND are well supported to access the same curriculum as their peers wherever possible.

Pupils typically behave well in lessons.

This is because routines are clear and consistently applied. Pupils engage well with activities provided in the playground and are usually considerate towards each other. Movement around the school is sometimes less well managed.

On these occasions, learning in other classes can be disrupted. Leaders have systems in place to help pupils attend school regularly and on time. These have had a positive impact on the attendance of many pupils.

Leaders have identified families for whom this is still a priority.

Pupils' personal development is well considered. The curriculum is designed to help pupils understand the importance of maintaining good physical and emotional health and the importance of respecting others.

For example, pupils in Year 6 have undertaken resilience training and have a range of techniques if they feel anxious. Pupils have regular opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and lead projects. For example, the eco-committee has worked with the parents' association to make pencil cases for each pupil from second-hand school uniform.

Leaders and those responsible for governance understand the school's strengths and have identified appropriate priorities for improvement. This includes refining assessment practices so that the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning across subjects can be consistently evaluated. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive to develop professionally.

They are united in their view of how well leaders manage workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that staff are trained to recognise and report any pupils who may be at risk of harm.

This information is shared with appropriate agencies. As a result, pupils and their families receive the support they need swiftly.

The curriculum has been designed to help pupils understand how to stay safe, including when online.

For example, pupils learn about road safety, stranger danger and the importance of healthy relationships. Other professionals, such as local police officers, help older pupils to understand the risks associated with drugs and gang affiliation.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not consistently check what pupils have learned.

This means that errors and misconceptions are not routinely identified and addressed and, therefore, remain in some pupils' understanding. Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils' understanding so that they receive the help they need in order to learn and remember more. ? Assessing endpoints across the broader curriculum is at an early stage of development.

This means that subject leaders are not sufficiently clear about the impact of the curriculum on these subjects. Leaders should ensure that assessment systems are sharpened. This will help to ensure that subject leaders, especially those new to role, have the information they need to evaluate the impact of the curriculum in these areas.