Greenfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Greenfield Primary School is a happy, nurturing school where pupils achieve well.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour and attainment. Everybody in the school enjoys living up to the school's motto that, 'everyone can grow in a Greenfield.' Pupils work hard and behave well.

They follow the 'golden rule' to 'treat others as you would like to be treated'.

Pupils feel safe and cared for; they know that there is always an adult to talk to if they have a worry. Effective pastoral support helps pupils who might find the bustle of school life challenging.

Pupils value this. Pupils enjoy the opportunities on offer to develop their talents a...nd interests. At the time of the inspection, pupils in Years 3 and 4 were enthusiastically rehearsing for their upcoming stage performance.

Trips to a local living history museum and the town library help pupils to feel part of their community. Clubs, including sports, arts and science clubs, help pupils to gain new skills and work together.

The school's core values run through all areas of school life.

Pupils learn, for example, about resilience and endeavour. From early years, children know not to give up if they don't succeed the first time.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has made some necessary changes to the curriculum.

The changes have been well considered. The school has identified what pupils need to learn and when. This means that, in both the single year group and mixed age classes, pupils learn the right things, in the right order.

Starting in early years, teaching focuses on ensuring that children learn the skills they need to succeed. For example, when making clay pots for their seeds to grow in, children concentrate on rolling, squeezing, pinching and pushing the clay. This focus on precise skills means that they can all enjoy success and produce work they are rightly very proud of.

In mathematics, the school ensures that pupils have opportunities to consolidate essential skills and facts. Daily fluency lessons help pupils to build on previous learning and make links between concepts. Where pupils might need some extra practise, before- and after-school sessions give them an extra boost.

The school has rightly prioritised the teaching of reading. Staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme, which starts as soon as children begin school in Reception. Pupils regularly read books which match the sounds they already know.

Pupils who struggle to keep up with the phonics programme are mostly given the right support to catch up. However, the support for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is variable.

In other subjects, the curriculum is equally as ambitious.

In art, pupils enjoy opportunities to use different media and build on their skills over time. In science, there is a focus on developing investigative skills. For example, in Year 3, pupils use sound sensors to observe the effects of pitch on the distance sound can travel.

In physical education (PE), learning is most successful when video examples and careful demonstrations help pupils to see what is expected of them. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils do not consistently learn and remember the specific vocabulary they need. For example, Year 2 pupils discussing mixing colours in art were not confident with the word 'primary' and did not know some colour names.

Older pupils could not remember terms such as 'texture' or '3 dimensional'. This hampers their ability to articulate their learning and deepen their understanding.

The school's pastoral support helps pupils to manage and understand their feelings.

The additional needs of pupils with SEND are identified quickly. Pupils with SEND particularly benefit from the very nurturing environment. However, in some lessons, in some subjects, the adaptations to help pupils with SEND to access the learning are not effective.

Sometimes, they limit what pupils can learn.

Pupils behave well. Lessons are calm and pupils move safely around school.

Routines for this start in reception, where provision is strong. Pupils show respect for each other and understand difference. A small number of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should, but the school's work to improve attendance for these pupils is paying off.

Overall attendance at school is high.

Pupils' broader development is well considered. For example, pupils have many opportunities to perform on stage and represent their school in sporting events.

Older pupils in school take on responsibilities in school such as Head Pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The adaptations made to support the learning of pupils with SEND are not always effective.

When this happens, the quality of learning for these pupils is affected. Sometimes, adaptations prevent pupils from accessing all of the curriculum content. The school should ensure that teachers receive the support and development they need to plan and put in place consistently effective adaptations for all pupils with SEND.

In a small number of subjects, some pupils do not learn all of the subject-specific vocabulary that the school intends them to. This hampers their ability to explain their thinking and understanding. The school should further develop strategies for checking that the right key vocabulary has been identified and taught, so that pupils can use it to deepen their learning.

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