Harrogate, Grove Road Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Harrogate, Grove Road Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in this school are happy, friendly and confident. They embrace the school's 'PRIDE' values.

These link to, for example, resilience and empathy. Pupils attend school regularly. They have positive attitudes to learning.

Pupils are keen to talk about what they do at school. For example, some of them are proud to be a member of the school council. They are currently thinking of ways to raise money for charity.

The school ensures that its pupils are safe. Bullying is not a problem. Pupils are confident that adults would sort it out if it did happe...n.

Many pupils behave very well. They are clear that everyone should be treated equally. They are respectful of adults and of their peers.

Sometimes, pupils need reminders about how to behave in lessons.

The school is ambitious for its pupils. However, this is not currently reflected in pupils' achievement.

In recent years, the school has experienced significant turbulence in leadership and staffing. The new leadership team members have identified the right priorities to work on. They are taking action to ensure that outcomes for pupils improve.

This action is already having a positive impact in some areas, for example mathematics. Staff are optimistic about the future of the school. They are supportive of leaders.

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

There is a coherently planned and sequenced curriculum in place for all subjects. The school breaks learning into small steps. Leaders consider how the early years curriculum prepares children for Year 1.

Systems are in place for checking what pupils know and remember. In some subjects, such as mathematics, pupils can talk about their learning confidently. They can make links between what they have learned before and what they are doing now.

This shows that their knowledge is building over time. However, this is not the case in all subjects.

Leaders make checks on what is being taught and how it is taught.

Sometimes, these checks are not sufficiently rigorous. This means that leaders do not have an accurate view of how well their subject is taught. In some lessons, a minority of pupils show off-task behaviours and do not show high levels of pride in their work.

This is because the chosen teaching approaches are not consistently effective. In some subjects, for example music, the key knowledge identified in curriculum plans is not taught explicitly enough. This means that pupils are not remembering this key knowledge and cannot talk about their learning.

The school prioritises the teaching of early reading and phonics. The phonics programme is embedded. It starts in Nursery, where children learn to recognise environmental sounds, rhythm and rhyme.

Teachers use a consistent lesson structure for teaching phonics. Pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics screening check. The school supports pupils who find learning to read difficult to catch up with their peers.

Sometimes, the reading books that teachers give to pupils are too hard for them to read. Leaders are acting to ensure that pupils' achievement in reading improves. They are working on developing a positive reading culture in the school.

As a result, pupils show positive attitudes towards reading.

The environment in the early years supports children to get off to a good start. Adults interact well with children.

They extend their language and learning through play. The school quickly identifies any children with potential special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The local authority offers staff training in how to support pupils with SEND.

The targeted mainstream provision provides a calm, safe environment for pupils with more complex needs. Pupils who access this provision are fully included in the life of the school. They have regular opportunities to integrate with their peers.

The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. For example, there are some sports after-school clubs and a singing club. Pupils can take part in events in the local community, such as carol singing at the local nursing home.

Educational visits support pupils' learning in different subjects. For example, pupils visit a Viking museum as part of their learning in history.

Governors are supportive of the new leadership team.

They have remained committed to the school throughout its period of turbulence. Governors fulfil their statutory duties. They have a secure understanding of the quality of education in the school.

The local authority has increased the support that the school receives. New leaders are working regularly with a senior education adviser who knows the school well. Leaders consider staff's workload and well-being.

Staff appreciate this and are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The checks that leaders make on what is being taught, and how it is taught, are not sufficiently rigorous.

As a result, some leaders have an overly positive view of how well the curriculum in their subject is implemented. The school should make sure that subject leaders are supported with how to ensure that the implementation of their subject aligns with their ambitious intent.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2014.