Greengate Lane Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Greengate Lane Academy continues to be a good school.

The school principal is Kara Robinson. This school is part of the Astrea Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Rowena Hackwood, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ben Brown.

What is it like to attend this school?

Greengate Lane Academy is proud to serve its community. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement.

These are realised. Pupils attain well in the school's published outcomes. Pupils are happy and safe at the school.

Behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes i...s positive.

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn and experience. This is having a clear impact.

Visits link to the curriculum and enhance pupils' understanding. The school also takes account of the locality and has adapted the curriculum accordingly. As a result, pupils learn about road safety and water safety.

Pupils take on leadership roles. These include as 'go green leaders' and librarians. Through these roles, pupils learn how they can have a positive impact on others.

Pupils are well-prepared to be active members of the community. They debate current global events. This develops skills such as accepting difference and considering other people's points of view.

The school is committed to providing pupils with appropriate wider opportunities. The school takes on board pupils' ideas. As a result, pupils develop skills in line with their interests.

There is a range of enrichment and after-school activities. These clubs include fencing and volleyball. These are inclusive and popular.

They are valued by pupils.

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

The school prioritises reading. Pupils are taught phonics in a structured way.

Staff access regular training. They skilfully deliver daily phonics sessions. Staff make sure that the books pupils read help them to practise the sounds they are learning.

If pupils fall behind in reading, they are quickly identified. They receive the help they need to catch up. As a result, pupils learn to read with fluency and accuracy.

The school promotes a strong culture of reading for pleasure. This is effective. Pupils enjoy reading.

They talk confidently about their favourite authors and the types of books they like to read.

Pupils benefit from the clear sequence of learning across curriculum subjects. Adults regularly check what pupils understand.

Leaders use this information to identify curriculum impact. Adults then access training linked to any areas of the curriculum that are less effective. This provides adults with the subject knowledge to implement the curriculum well.

Pupils take pride in their work. In most subjects, adults use strategies in lessons to revisit prior learning. Pupils make clear links in their learning to develop their knowledge.

However, in some subjects, such as geography, these strategies are not used with the same precision. As a result, the extent to which pupils develop a depth of knowledge is not consistent across all subjects.

Staff are well trained to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff accurately identify pupils' additional needs. A variety of resources are used to help these pupils to learn the same curriculum as their peers. These include writing frames and practical resources.

As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

The school has ensured that adults in the early years access training to support the development of children's communication and language knowledge. Adults consistently model the use of new vocabulary.

This helps children to improve their own language skills. Children work well together in small groups. Many of the learning activities that children access are effective.

They are well considered, with a clear understanding of what children need to learn next. However, some writing activities are not designed with the same accuracy. Children are not as engaged by these activities.

They access them less often. As a result, children in the early years do not learn to write as well as they could.

Personal development is a strength of the school.

Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths. They have an accurate understanding of the similarities and differences between religions. Pupils learn about British values.

This is reinforced through school activities such as voting for the academy council.

Leaders are committed to raising attendance. They have robust systems of checking and addressing poor attendance.

The school works closely with families and other agencies. Attendance is improving. As a result, more pupils are accessing the curriculum more often.

School and trust leaders take responsibility for the well-being and workload of staff. Changes have been made to how adults mark pupils' work and check learning over time. This has made a positive difference.

Staff value such consideration. They work well together as a cohesive team.

Governors and trustees access appropriate training.

This helps them understand their responsibilities. They meet school leaders and visit the school regularly. This provides them with an accurate picture of the school's strengths and areas to improve.

They use their understanding to offer effective challenge and support to the school.

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, such as geography, the strategies adults use to support pupils to remember more are not used with precision.

As a result, some pupils do not build or develop their knowledge as effectively as they could. The school should ensure that strategies to help pupils remember and apply their learning are used consistently across all subjects. ? Sometimes, writing activities in the early years are not closely aligned to the children's learning needs.

This means that, at times, children do not learn as much as they could. The school should ensure that writing activities match what the children need to learn next.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 school to be good in October 2018.