Greenfields Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to Greenfields Community School.

It is a welcoming and inclusive place where pupils say they are 'heard and seen'. The school has a deep ethos of care for everyone it serves. Parents and carers confirm this.

The school is aspirational for all of its pupils. Many pupils achieve well, particularly in the core subjects of English and mathematics. They study a wide range of interesting topics and read books that enthuse them to learn new and ambitious vocabulary.

Pupils enjoy the enriching ex...periences that the school provides. These include residential trips, visiting experts and learning outdoors. Links to a university raise pupils' aspirations.

Pupils appreciate the many musical and sporting opportunities. These activities help to nurture their interests and talents.

The school is calm and orderly.

Pupils understand and follow the school's aims to 'Be kind, Be curious, Be your best'. They behave well in lessons. At social times, they play together happily.

Pupils are proud to make their own contribution to the school. For instance, some are conscientious members of the eco-team, while others are playtime buddies. Pupils say that they feel safe at school.

They trust staff to help them if they have any worries.

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

The school's curriculum sets out the core knowledge pupils need to learn. Teachers use this information to design effective lessons.

However, the curriculum in some subjects is still being developed. In these subjects, the exact knowledge that pupils need to learn, and the sequence for learning it, is not clear enough. When this is the case, pupils sometimes do not build or deepen their learning as the school intends.

Reading is prioritised. Phonics is taught well right from the start, so children become confident readers. Pupils who need help to catch up get the right support.

From the Nursery Year to Year 6, pupils experience a wide range of texts, including poetry books, stories and non-fiction titles. Texts often link to topics from other subjects. Pupils become confident readers and enjoy talking about the books they study.

The mathematics curriculum is well sequenced from the early years to Year 6. Teachers use their expert subject knowledge to spot and quickly resolve pupils' misconceptions. Consequently, pupils progress well through the mathematics curriculum, building their knowledge and understanding effectively.

In English and mathematics, teachers use careful checks to identify precisely what pupils need to learn next. In other subjects, teachers' checks are not as accurate. Consequently, in these subjects, teachers do not always have a clear picture of what pupils know and can do.

When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they should.

Pupils learn subject-specific vocabulary as part of each topic they study. This starts with communication and language being threaded through everything from the moment children join Nursery.

Pupils' confidence to use increasingly sophisticated language in their spoken and written explanations builds as they move through the school. This benefits all pupils, but particularly pupils who speak English as an additional language.

The school takes seriously its role in providing an inclusive learning environment for all pupils.

Staff are skilled at adapting teaching and giving sensitive support to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities can access the same curriculum content as their peers.

Opportunities to promote pupils' well-being and help them make safe choices are woven through everything they do. Pupils learn to respect and appreciate difference, including different cultures, beliefs and family structures.

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

The school works hard to ensure pupils attend school often and are safe. The school's personalised support for individual pupils and families has resulted in pupils' attendance improving.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They value being part of a supportive team and the helpful training they receive. They appreciate leaders' actions in considering workload and respecting their health and well-being.

New leaders have an accurate view of the school. They have identified suitable next steps to help move the school further forward in its journey. Governors are knowledgeable.

They hold leaders closely to account while supporting them in taking appropriate action to continue the school's improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum does not identify closely enough the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember.

It does not always make clear the sequence for building knowledge over time. As a result, learning does not always help pupils to gain a deeper understanding in these subjects. The school should identify exactly what pupils need to learn, and when, to ensure that learning focuses sharply on this so pupils achieve well in all subjects.

• The school's approaches to checking pupils' knowledge are not well established in foundation subjects. Consequently, teachers do not consistently identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that checks of what pupils know in the foundation subjects are effective and that this information is used to inform what pupils need to learn next.

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 March 2020.