Greystoke Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Greystoke Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to attend school. Parents and carers typically comment that their children 'skip into school' happily every day.

Pupils know that staff will listen to their views and take good care of them. Pupils often learn outdoors, to make learning more memorable.

Pupils enjoy playing with their friends.

Older pupils take responsibility for looking after younger ones. For example, they help to serve them food at lunchtime. Pupils feel safe in school.

They campaigned successfully to make the village safer for everyone by asking adults to park sensibly and cle...an up after their dogs.

Pupils want to learn. They know that leaders and teachers always expect them to do their best, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The vibrant displays around the school show that pupils meet these high expectations and help to foster pupils' pride in their work.

Pupils know that leaders and teachers expect them to behave sensibly. Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful.

They know that bullying is not acceptable. Pupils are confident that adults will deal with any incidents effectively.

Pupils take part in a range of activities after school, including cooking, drama and sports clubs.

Pupils also participate in interesting trips and visits. Recently, pupils visited a museum where they learned about life in Victorian times and the experiences of children evacuated during the Second World War.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum and have carefully considered what they expect pupils to learn in each subject.

Teachers routinely check and ensure that pupils are learning and remembering the curriculum in the right order. Consequently, pupils achieve well across a range of subjects.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders and teachers worked hard to minimise disruption to pupils' learning.

In most subjects, pupils' work is of high quality. Despite missing out on so much time in school, pupils have few gaps in their learning. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunities to revisit their learning well enough to remember some of the subject content.

Leaders and teachers ensure that pupils quickly learn to read. Children learn phonics from their earliest days in Nursery. They soon recognise letters and the sounds that they represent as they begin to read simple words.

Adults in early years and key stage 1 are skilled in building up pupils' phonics knowledge. By the time pupils begin key stage 2, most are fluent and confident readers. Pupils continue to develop their skills in understanding and interpreting a wide range of texts, including poetry and play-scripts.

Leaders have fostered a love of reading so that pupils read for pleasure both in school and at home.

Children joining early years swiftly settle into school life. Leaders ensure that they have ample opportunities for playing and learning outdoors.

For example, on 'Welly Wednesday', children walk to the local castle, where they use the grounds to explore and to build dens without worrying about getting muddy. This helps them to develop confidence and independence.

Pupils behave very well.

They show respect for one another and for adults in the school. They do not disturb other pupils' learning. Pupils learn about their rights and responsibilities, both as children in school and as future citizens.

Links with schools in different countries and in urban areas of Great Britain support pupils' understanding of cultural and religious differences.

Teachers accurately identify pupils with SEND at the earliest possible stage. This leads to effective support for these pupils' needs as they move through the school.

Teachers make sure that these pupils have the support that they need to learn the same curriculum as other pupils. Pupils with SEND are very much part of the school family. They are valued as friends who have many strengths and skills to share.

Leaders ensure that pupils have rich opportunities to broaden their experiences. Trips, visits and visitors to the school underpin all aspects of the curriculum. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and the wider world.

Governors are highly supportive of the school and the local community. Governors and leaders take into consideration staff's workload, well-being and work–life balance when making decisions. Staff feel respected and valued in school.

They participate in opportunities for professional development, for example in building their skills as subject leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that the procedures in place to protect pupils are robust.

All staff have regular and up-to-date training, including in safeguarding. They understand that it is everyone's responsibility to keep pupils safe. Staff know how to spot the early signs that a child might be at risk, what to do about it and whom to contact.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They understand the dangers of misusing social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunities to revisit earlier learning to help them remember some key subject knowledge.

This limits pupils' ability to develop their subject-specific knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that pupils are given opportunities to consolidate their learning so that they remember the essential knowledge that leaders want them to learn.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.