Grovelands Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Grovelands Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to come to this inclusive and nurturing school. They learn the values of trust, determination, uniqueness, friendship, kindness and respect which are woven throughout every aspect of their school day.

Pupils treat each other kindly, for example sharing equipment in the playground and laptops in lessons. They are welcoming and considerate towards visitors, holding doors open and eagerly discussing what they have learned.

The school values also underpin consistent expectations of behaviour.

As a result, there is a calm and respectful culture. This means a...ll pupils can concentrate in lessons. Bullying is the exception, but if it were to happen, pupils rightly trust their teachers to help them.

Pupils know their views are valued because leaders listen to them through pupil forums such as the school council and the eco team. Through these groups, pupils organise events to celebrate diversity and support the environment. They are taught to appreciate different faiths and cultures by visiting the synagogue, the church and the Hindu temple.

Pupils learn about healthy relationships, celebrating uniqueness and being determined to achieve. As one pupil put it: 'Our teachers push us to our limits but reward us for our effort. They are strict and joyful.'



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

Pupils attain well. Leaders are passionate that every pupil will have an excellent education. They have developed a coherently sequenced curriculum where teachers know what must be taught and when in every subject.

The mathematics, English, physical education and music curriculums are well developed. Recently, leaders have further refined other curriculums, such as computing, history and geography. They are also in the process of enhancing the early years curriculum.

This is so the precise knowledge pupils must learn and remember is clearly identified by subject leaders and children can remember the exact knowledge needed for the next stage of their education.

Reading is taught well. Leaders ensure that all staff have strong subject knowledge in early reading.

On entry to Reception, children rapidly learn to identify sounds and write the corresponding letter formations. Any pupils falling behind are particularly well supported through daily catch-up and one-to-one reading sessions. Pupils read books matching the sounds they know.

They speak enthusiastically about the books they borrow from the school's well-stocked library and daily reading time with their teachers. Leaders have identified books containing vocabulary which closely matches the curriculum pupils learn. This means pupils read frequently and learn new vocabulary every day.

Teachers present subject matter clearly. They expertly break the learning down into small steps, which enables all pupils to keep up. Teachers adapt the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) so that they learn the same content as their peers.

Pupils with SEND are further supported using tailored resources. They receive additional adult support from teachers and support staff who have a detailed understanding of pupils' individual needs. Leaders are quick to identify any pupils who may have SEND.

They work closely with families to put effective support in place through school and external agencies.

Teachers use assessment effectively. They give pupils frequent opportunities to remember what they have learned through revisiting and discussing previous topics.

In the early years, for example, children rehearse what they know through songs and rhymes about stories or numbers. Right from the start of early years, adults use targeted questioning to support pupils remembering specific knowledge. Well-established teaching routines provide plenty of opportunities for repetition and recall, embedding knowledge into pupils' long-term memory.

However, in some lessons, staff do not check carefully enough how well pupils have understood the intended curriculum. This means that while pupils learn well overall, they could achieve even more highly.

Leaders plan opportunities for pupils to develop self-esteem and confidence by taking part in a wide range of after-school clubs available to every pupil.

Within the curriculum, pupils experience trips beyond their local area to Whipsnade Zoo, Windsor Castle and the British Museum. The local rabbi, theatre companies and wildlife experts visit the school to deepen pupils' understanding of the curriculum. Pupils are taught to respect themselves by learning how to recognise their emotions and take responsibility for their choices and actions.

Governors support and hold leaders to account effectively as they realise the highly ambitious strategy for the school. They carry out their statutory responsibilities well. All leaders are deeply committed to achieving the shared vision for an inclusive community where everyone is welcome.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong culture of vigilance throughout the school. All staff are trained to recognise when a pupil might need help or be at risk of harm and report concerns, no matter how small.

Leaders track concerns meticulously, which enables them to take effective and timely action. Leaders form supportive relationships with families and involve external agencies when pupils and families need it. Governors check regularly that leaders are taking the right actions to keep pupils safe.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. They know personal information must not be shared and how to protect their identity from fraudsters.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, teachers do not check effectively how well pupils have understood what they have learned.

This limits how well pupils develop their knowledge and understanding. Leaders need to continue to develop teachers' pedagogy so that all pupils learn well across the different subjects in the curriculum. ? The precise knowledge children must know and remember is not yet fully identified in the early years curriculum.

Children are not as well prepared for the next stage in their education as they might be. Leaders should continue to refine the early years curriculum, so it builds sequentially and all children are even better prepared for key stage 1.

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

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2017.

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