Greenpark Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this warm and welcoming school. Everyone values being part of the school community.

Pupils are caring to one another. Those new to the school, including pupils arriving from overseas, settle in quickly and are made to feel welcome.Staff expect pupils to work hard and do well.

Pupils rise to these challenges. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress and achieve well.Pupils behave well in class and around the school.

They understand the school rules and why behaving well is important. Pupils who find it more difficult to maintain good behaviour get the help they need to i...mprove it. Well-established routines and expectations mean that pupils' learning is rarely disturbed by the behaviour of others.

Pupils have opportunities to try new things. They benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including a variety of after-school clubs. The partnership with the nearby sports centre enables pupils to pursue sporting interests, including gymnastics and roller skating.

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

Pupils study a carefully thought-through curriculum. The school is ambitious for all pupils. In many subjects, curriculum leaders have identified the key knowledge pupils need to know and remember.

This is organised so that pupils' knowledge builds clearly from one year to the next. In these subjects, teachers plan activities and sequences of lessons that help pupils use what they already know to learn about more complex ideas. In a few other subjects, the school's curriculum plans are not as fully developed.

In these subjects, there are still gaps in pupils' knowledge because teachers do not focus precisely on the essential knowledge pupils need to remember to understand new, more complex content when planning sequences of lessons.

The school prioritises pupils' learning to read well. This starts when children join the Nursery.

Daily checks on how pupils are faring with their reading ensure that pupils get extra help straight away to help them keep up. Pupils practise using their phonics each day, using books that are well matched to their reading stage. The school has recently developed the library.

This provides a good resource for pupils to read more widely and deepen their knowledge of the subjects they study.

In the early years, children make an excellent start to their learning. Staff are highly knowledgeable about how to help children learn.

Staff provide opportunities for children to learn across the full curriculum through carefully planned activities. Storybooks are chosen so that they link to activities and themes. This helps ensure that children are highly motivated and stay on task.

Relationships between children and adults are positive. Children leave Reception with the knowledge and attitudes that mean they are ready for learning in Year 1.

The school shows real ambition for pupils with SEND.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Teachers' regular checks on pupils' progress allow them to adapt learning when needed. This means that pupils with SEND usually make strong progress.

The school has developed links with a wide range of external agencies so that pupils with more complex needs benefit from expert support.

Pupils' personal development is promoted well. The school helps pupils develop an understanding of the importance of valuing difference.

Pupils who are play leaders and peer mediators learn the right questions to ask to help resolve situations calmly. Pupils learn how to manage risk, for example through activities in the forest school. They have opportunities to attend a range of trips and residential activities.

These visits, such as a recent visit to the seaside, let pupils try new things and bring classroom learning to life.

Governors and trustees know the school's strengths and what needs to be done to keep improving. The school ensures that staff are supported with their well-being and the management of their workload.

The trust has helped to improve teaching by providing training for staff. The trust challenges and supports the school 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, staff are not sufficiently clear about what important knowledge pupils should learn and remember. This means that pupils struggle to recall and use this important subject knowledge, which slows their progress. The school should ensure that teachers understand precisely what knowledge should be taught in each subject so that they can plan activities and sequences of lessons that help pupils know and remember the key knowledge they require.