Grove Street Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy attending this caring and harmonious school.

Staff make sure that pupils are happy and safe. Adults forge strong relationships with pupils. Leaders ensure that pupils have every opportunity to learn, grow and develop into young adults.

Pupils were keen to tell inspectors that the school's teachers were one of the best features of their school.

Leaders and staff set out high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), respond positively to the high expectations set out by staff.

Pupils achieve well due to a strong and effective curriculum. Children in ...the early years are well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

Staff expect pupils to behave very well.

Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around school. They are polite and kind to each other. Children in the early years share and take turns.

Pupils said that if bullying ever did happen, adults in school would sort it out.

Leaders make sure that pupils have many opportunities to develop their character and their wider understanding of the world. For example, pupils benefit from learning about different jobs which they have never heard of before.

This raises pupils' aspirations for their own future.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum which begins right from the moment that children enter the early years. Leaders continually refine the curriculum to make sure it meets the needs of pupils, including children in the Nursery and Reception classes.

They have carefully considered what pupils must learn in each subject. Subject leaders are well informed about their curriculum areas through continuous training and research.

Teachers successfully implement the curriculum.

They ensure that pupils acquire a broad range of knowledge and skills about different topics and concepts. Pupils with SEND benefit from well-thought-out adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum. This ensures that these pupils learn effectively.

In most subjects and areas of learning, staff use leaders' assessment systems well. This is especially the case in reading, English, mathematics and science. Adults identify any misunderstandings that pupils may have.

They prepare future learning activities to make sure pupils, and children in the early years, develop a secure understanding of the subject. Overall, teachers are quick to address pupils' misconceptions. Pupils can recall much of what they have learned previously.

Despite the overall strengths in how teachers check pupils' learning, in a minority of subjects in the wider curriculum, leaders are still reviewing and improving their assessment systems. In these curriculum areas, leaders' approaches to assessment do not allow teachers to identify in sufficient depth what pupils know or understand. This hinders some pupils from learning all that they could.

Leaders and teachers live and breathe reading. They promote the benefits of reading at every opportunity to pupils, children, parents and carers. Reading is woven throughout the curriculum.

Pupils enjoy reading. They spoke at length about different books and authors that they enjoy.

Pupils begin to learn sounds at the earliest opportunity.

In the Nursery class, children learn initial sounds. This enables them to get off to a flying start with the phonics programme in the Reception Class. Children in early years enjoy learning different songs, nursery rhymes and poems.

Pupils and children enjoy 'Magic Storybox' time. This helps the youngest children to foster a love of reading and the acquisition of language and vocabulary.

Leaders have introduced a structured phonics programme.

Staff deliver lessons which help pupils learn the sounds that they need to know. Leaders make sure that staff have accurate information about any sounds that pupils do not know. Staff make sure they concentrate on those sounds.

This helps pupils keep up with the phonics programme. Pupils who may be struggling receive extra support which helps them catch up quickly with their peers.

In early years, children learn routines that help them become confident and independent learners.

They are taught about how to control their own feelings, which continues throughout the school. Relationships between children, pupils and staff are the foundation for all learning. Pupils and children concentrate well in lessons.

They focus on their work.

Through the careful identification of their needs, staff make sure that pupils with SEND receive the help that they need so they can access the full curriculum. Leaders work with external agencies effectively to support pupils with SEND.

Leaders provide a wealth of extra opportunities for pupils' personal development. Children in early years begin by learning about how people are similar and different. This continues into key stages 1 and 2, with pupils learning much about different faiths, cultures and religions.

Pupils understand and can articulate how they live out British values.

Leaders successfully ensure that pupils learn about the importance of physical and mental health. Pupils enjoy becoming well-being champions.

Teachers take care to link all personal development activities to how this may affect pupils' mental well-being. For example, when pupils learn about good money management, they also learn about the negative effects of money.

Governors know the strengths of the school.

The headteacher, alongside her wider leadership team, has inspired staff to make the necessary improvements since the previous inspection.Leaders are very supportive of staff's workload and well-being. They work well with staff.

Staff spoke positively about the training and support leaders have provided for them to improve the quality of education for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that there is a strong culture of safeguarding.

Safeguarding has a high priority for all staff in school. Teachers are highly trained to spot any possible signs of harm in pupils and younger children. They know how to report these worries to leaders.

Leaders are tenacious in working with outside services to make sure that pupils receive the help that they need.

Pupils have many planned opportunities to learn to keep themselves safe, including when online. Leaders make sure that pupils learn about dangers which can come from their local area.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few foundation subjects, some teachers do not have a sufficiently secure understanding of how well pupils are learning the essential content of the curriculum. On occasions, this prevents some pupils from achieving all that they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers are equally well trained to assess what pupils know and can do across the full range of curriculum subjects.