Grove Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The values of 'honesty, respect and trust' are at the heart of daily life at Grove Primary Academy. Pupils are polite and respectful. They work hard in lessons and do their best.

At social times, pupils are kind to one another. Play leaders help pupils to play games and enjoy activities. Staff consistently apply the school's 'traffic light system' approach to managing pupils' behaviour.

Adults deal effectively with the rare incidents of poor behaviour. Pupils are safe.

Staff warmly greet pupils on their arrival at school each day.

The school works hard to make sure pupils attend regularly. Recent work is having a positive impact on improving rates of... pupils' attendance.

Turbulence in staffing has hampered the school's progress in recent years.

However, the school is now back on track. A rigorous and accurate appraisal by leaders has identified the right priorities for improvement. The school's work to address these priorities is well underway to ensure that pupils achieve consistently well.

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

Children in the early years settle well into school life. Staff identify what children know and can do. They plan learning experiences that interest and engage children.

Children learn to read and write simple sentences. They count and order numbers. When working independently, children enjoy practising and rehearsing new knowledge and skills.

They learn to share and take turns. Children cooperate well with each other and enjoy making new friends. All this helps children to be well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

The school has adopted a well-sequenced curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. Recent improvements have brought greater clarity and consistency to curriculum delivery. Teachers know what to teach and when to teach it.

They present new learning clearly in ways that interest and engage pupils. However, sometimes teachers do not check how well pupils understand what has been taught over time. This means that teachers are not always clear on how well pupils have learned the curriculum and do not identify what pupils need to do to improve.

Reading and writing are prioritised. Pupils read and are read to every day. A wide range of diverse high-quality books are available to all pupils.

Pupil librarians, book club sessions, reading competitions, author visits and a book tasting café create a buzz about reading. This helps instil a passion for reading in pupils. Skilled staff teach early reading very well.

Pupils who fall behind in their reading are quickly identified and receive effective support to catch up. Pupils learn to read with the confidence and accuracy expected for their age. The writing curriculum has been revised and thoughtfully developed to reflect the needs of pupils.

There are, however, inconsistencies in the way writing is taught across the school. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in writing.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified swiftly.

They get effective support to be successful in school. This includes support from additional adults or adaptions to their work. Most pupils with SEND achieve well.

However, some pupils, including those with SEND, do not attend school as regularly as they should. This means they miss out on valuable learning and support.

The school's work to enhance pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is high quality.

Pupils learn right from wrong through the school rules and class charters. Restorative conversations help pupils to think about the impact of their actions or words on others. Pupils learn about different religions, including Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity.

They learn about the importance of celebrations and festivals to different faiths. Visits to different places of worship help pupils to understand and respect differences. Pupils learn about democracy through the work of a local councillor.

They enjoy taking on school responsibilities, such as digital leaders or school councillors. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff feel valued and listened to.

The school prioritises staff well-being and has reduced teachers' workload. The trust has improved how it holds the school to account for its performance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Despite the school's work, some pupils do not attend school regularly, particularly those with SEND. This means they miss important learning and do not achieve as well as they could. The school should identify the barriers to good school attendance and engage with parents and carers to seek effective solutions so pupils attend school regularly.

• Teachers do not consistently check how well pupils have learned the curriculum. As a result, it is not always clear how well pupils are achieving and they do not always know what to do to improve. The school should ensure that teachers assess the curriculum and use the information to inform teaching to help pupils learn more and remember more.

• There are some inconsistencies in how writing is taught. This means pupils do not communicate through writing as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils are taught to write with the confidence and accuracy expected for their age.

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