Grove Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils who attend this school are happy and feel safe. This is because they have staff who care about them.

At playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils play well together. The younger pupils enjoy the games that the sports leaders organise.

Some of the older pupils feel that school would be a better place if everyone was kind, and no one was mean.

They feel, and some parents and carers agree, that staff do not deal with bullying when it happens. Leaders gave evidence to inspectors to show that staff do act, and that this action is appropriate.

Recent improvements in some areas of the curriculum are helping more pupils to know and remember more.

...>However, leaders have not thought carefully enough about how pupils' learning is organised for different age groups. This means that in many subjects, pupils do not get the chance to build on what they have done before.

Most pupils say that they enjoy their learning.

In lessons, many pupils listen carefully to staff and work sensibly to complete their work. There are lessons, however, where pupils do not listen and disrupt the learning of others through talking and calling out. Some staff allow this to happen.

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

The school has faced significant challenges during the last few years. This is not solely related to the pandemic. An interim executive board replaced the governing body last year.

Working with the local authority, it has secured external support for leaders. This has led to a clearer focus on improving the quality of education. However, leaders have not acted quickly enough to address the weaknesses, especially in teaching and pupils' learning, that have existed for many years.

With some external support, leaders have worked on improving the curriculum in physical education, early reading, English and mathematics. This means that there is a clear sequence of learning in these areas that matches the ambition of the national curriculum. However, leaders have not given enough consideration to many of the other subjects that are taught.

Pupils' learning in too many subjects is not good enough.

This year, leaders introduced a new science curriculum. This curriculum requires all pupils to study the same objectives across the whole of key stage 2.

As a result, pupils in the older year groups are not building on previous learning and pupils in the younger year groups are doing work designed for Year 6. There are similar issues with the geography curriculum.

In some of the other subjects, such as history and modern foreign languages, there is very little structure or coherence to the curriculum.

Pupils' learning is jumbled and disconnected. Consequently, pupils are not able to build on their knowledge, understanding and skills progressively.

Early reading and phonics are coherently sequenced.

There are clear expectations for what pupils should know and by when. Staff training has led to a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Pupils needing additional support are identified quickly by staff.

As a result of these actions, children in early years and pupils in key stage 1 can read with increasing confidence and fluency. Daily story reading promotes a love of reading. Children in early years join in eagerly with staff during these sessions.

This gives the youngest pupils a growing vocabulary and understanding of language.

In mathematics, the children in early years develop a secure understanding of number. This is because staff model the learning, give clear explanations, and make sure that children understand the vocabulary.

Across the school, the sequence of learning is clear, so that pupils build on what they have done before.

Leaders' ambition is for all pupils to access the age-appropriate curriculum. For pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), this was not happening before this year.

Since September, some pupils have started to receive more effective support to access the curriculum. The quality of this provision, however, is not yet consistent across the curriculum.

Pupils' attendance is low.

The pandemic is a factor, but there are high numbers of pupils who miss too much school. Pupils' behaviour in lessons is inconsistent. Many listen attentively and have positive attitudes to their learning.

However, others disrupt learning. Not all pupils are respectful to adults.

The personal, social and health education programme in school is well established.

Pupils know how to stay healthy and activities such as yoga support their well-being. The wider opportunities to develop pupils' character and interests are more limited. Pupils' knowledge of the wider world and values such as democracy are underdeveloped.

Pupils are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders check adults' suitability to work with children.

Staff know how to keep pupils safe because of the safeguarding training they complete. Leaders quickly respond when staff raise concerns. They work with families and other agencies to get the right help at the right time to make sure that pupils are safe.

Pupils know how to stay safe when online. They know whom to talk to if they are worried about something. Pupils learn how to stay safe through a range of in-class and out-of-class activities.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Many areas of the school's curriculum are not coherently sequenced. In some subjects, the curriculum is not ambitious enough and does not meet the requirements of the national curriculum. As a result, pupils do not know or learn as much as they should and are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Leaders should make sure that there is a coherently sequenced curriculum in place that is implemented as soon as possible. ? The quality of the provision for children and pupils with SEND is inconsistent across the curriculum. Consequently, children and pupils with SEND do not do as well as they should.

Leaders and staff should make sure that these groups of children and pupils have the necessary opportunities, support and guidance so that they can access an ambitious curriculum. Leaders should make sure that children and pupils with SEND develop their knowledge and understanding in line with their abilities and aspirations. ? Behaviour across the school is inconsistent because not all staff are applying the expectations agreed at whole-school level.

Consequently, low-level disruption occurs in some areas of the school and not all pupils are respectful. Leaders should make sure that all staff are supported to apply the behaviour principles and expectations consistently. ? The attendance of some pupils is not good enough.

Leaders and staff should work with children and their families to reinforce attendance expectations and to make sure that pupils attend more regularly. ? The current curriculum and wider opportunities the school provides do not develop pupils' understanding of British values and other cultures, faiths and religions well enough. As a result, pupils' knowledge of different faiths, cultures and British values is limited.

Leaders must ensure that this aspect of the school's curriculum is developed, so that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. ? Leaders' plans for improving the school have not addressed weaknesses quickly enough. Leaders have not prioritised the right areas for improvement at the right time.

As a result, pupils are not receiving an acceptable standard of education. Leaders should ensure that they take urgent action to ensure that pupils receive a better education.

Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.