Greenbank Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident and happy in school. They value the care that they receive from staff, who know pupils as individuals. Pupils are considerate and compassionate towards each other.

Pupils strive to uphold the school's code of conduct. They are polite and show exceptional levels of respect to adults and to each other. Pupils are attentive in lessons.

They move calmly around the school building.

Pupils enjoy the many extra-curricular activities on offer. They develop their own interests through opportunities, such as chess, dance and basketball club.

They particularly appreciate the chance to learn outdoors, in the school's woodland area. Pupils re...lish the opportunities to perform as a choir at the cathedral. Older pupils spoke enthusiastically about their recent residential visit.

Pupils are proud of their diverse community. They enjoy meeting the many visitors to school. Pupils shared their recent experience of the Eid playground party with excitement.

They appreciate the range of experiences that the school offers to them.

The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils rise to these aspirations and typically achieve well across different areas of the curriculum.

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

The school has made teaching pupils to read a priority. It provides staff with suitable training, so that they deliver the phonics programme well.

Children start to learn the sounds that letters make at the very start of the Reception Year. Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 read books that are well matched to their phonics knowledge. Those pupils who find learning to read more difficult benefit from well-tailored support.

This allows them to catch up with their peers. Older pupils spoke with pleasure about the stories that they have read and their favourite authors.

The school places a sharp focus on developing children's and pupils' language and vocabulary from the start of the Nursery Year through to Year 6.

For example, children in the early years are regularly encouraged to repeat new words aloud. They share their 'special words' with a real sense of achievement. They build an extensive range of vocabulary through the curriculum.

The school has successfully developed an ambitious and well-organised curriculum. In most subjects, the curriculum sets out clearly what pupils will learn across each year group. In some other subjects this is less clear.

This means that teachers are not sure what knowledge they should teach and emphasise in these subjects. At times, this results in pupils not securing new knowledge.

In most subjects, the school has thought carefully about how to check what pupils know and remember of their learning.

In some other subjects, the school's approach to assessment has only been developed recently. In these subjects, teachers are not as adept at identifying gaps in pupils' learning. On occasion, this hampers teachers from designing learning that builds on what pupils already know.

In the main, pupils achieve well. However, the school's published data in 2023 shows that, by the end of Year 6, pupils' progress in mathematics was significantly below the national average. The school has introduced new approaches to strengthen its mathematics curriculum and the way that it is delivered.

This means that pupils across key stage 2 are making greater gains as they progress through the curriculum.

The school has recently strengthened its approaches to identifying pupils' additional needs, including SEND. Staff support pupils with SEND very well within lessons.

For example, staff provide additional resources to help pupils with their learning. The school works successfully with a range of external specialists, who support pupils' emotional well-being.

Pupils display positive attitudes to learning.

Staff work well with children in the early years so that they sustain their attention. Older pupils focus well in lessons. The school has put effective strategies in place to improve pupils' attendance.

As a result, absence has reduced, and most pupils attend school more regularly.

The school provides an array of opportunities to enhance pupils' personal development. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy.

They know that it is important to keep active and to eat a balanced diet. Pupils demonstrate a strong knowledge of different religions and faiths. They learn how to keep safe online and in their local community.

Governors are clear about what is working well at the school and they understand the priorities for improvement. Governors hold leaders to account and offer effective support and challenge.

Parents and carers value the way that they are included in the life of the school.

They appreciate that the school is a reflection of the community that it serves.

Staff said that leaders are considerate of their well-being. They appreciate the support that they receive to manage their workload.

For example, the additional training that they receive, which enables them to carry out their roles effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the school has not identified the essential knowledge that pupils must learn.

This makes it difficult for teachers to know what should be taught. In these subjects, pupils do not develop a deep body of subject knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers have the guidance that they need so that they can design learning that helps pupils to know more over time.

• In some subjects, the school's approach to assessment is in its infancy. This means that teachers do not remedy gaps in pupils' learning quickly enough in these subjects. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies to spot gaps in pupils' learning and then to design learning that builds on what pupils already know and can do.

Also at this postcode