Keresley Grange Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school with a real sense of community. The headteacher has worked with grit and determination to build a strong team of staff in order to improve the quality of education at the school. From the moment pupils step into Keresley Grange School, their curiosity and interest in reading high-quality books is ignited.

Whether walking down the corridor into Narnia, or following the yellow brick road to Oz, it is clear from displays that reading and writing is of the highest priority. Pupils are hooked on books!

Everyone works together to keep pupils safe. Pupils told us about the school rules that help to keep them safe.

Pupils behave well at school... because they enjoy learning. Leaders keep a close eye on any behaviour incidents, including bullying, and make sure that these are dealt with quickly. If pupils have any concerns, they know that they can speak to a member of staff or use the 'worry box'.

Leaders have built good relationships with parents and carers. Staff are available to speak to parents every day. Parents are getting involved in school activities in a variety of different ways, such as the golden ticket event and the grandparents' tea party.

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

Expectations are high across the school. Relationships are warm and nurturing enabling pupils to make a positive start to school. Children's interest and curiosity in learning is sparked in Reception by carefully planned activities, often linked to story themes.

The safe, stimulating environment is rich in vocabulary. Captain Hook's 'great word net' celebrates some of the exciting words that children use, such as 'smidgen' and 'humongous'. Teachers provide children with different levels of challenge within activities.

The outdoor environment provides an appropriate range of activities. However, resources are not of the same high quality as those seen in the classroom.

Leaders place the highest priority on learning to read, from the moment children start school.

All teachers are well trained to teach phonics. They do so with skill and enthusiasm, engaging children's interests. There is a seamless approach to teaching phonics, reading and writing, beginning in Reception.

Children learn the early rules of grammar, and why they are important. As one child explained, full stops are important because 'You won't be finished – you'll just be waiting and waiting …!'

Reading books are well matched to pupils' phonics skills. Pupils read with growing confidence and fluency.

Pupils who need help to improve their reading get timely support by trained staff. Pupils also access quality texts, matched to their abilities, through the 'million words' reading challenge. Weekly quizzes check pupils' understanding of these books.

Leaders and staff have developed a curriculum that now enables pupils to achieve well. Teachers benefit from high-quality professional development. English, mathematics and geography are well planned and taught in a coherent way.

Work in pupils' books shows that pupils are developing their skills and knowledge over time. In mathematics, pupils talk about the skills they need to tackle new problems. Pupils use subject vocabulary confidently.

Improvements in the teaching of writing have led to better-quality writing. Pupils now have positive attitudes to writing. Regular pupil progress meetings enable staff to check that pupils are getting the help they need.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported.

Staff are developing the wider, or 'expert', curriculum, incorporating all the national curriculum subjects. Plans provide clear intent of what will be taught and when.

Leaders are still in the process of implementing these plans. Consequently, some subjects, including science, are less well developed than others.

Pupils enjoy a range of enrichment activities.

They also benefit from visiting speakers, quality music experiences and performances. Pupils take part in local community projects. For example, they planted a peace orchard in the local park to commemorate the D-Day Normandy landings.

Pupils enjoy being 'respect ambassadors'. They talk about the importance of respecting everyone's differences and beliefs.

Over time, leaders have made significant improvements to all aspects of the school.

Leaders have made excellent staff appointments as well as 'growing their own' experts. Trainee and newly qualified teachers are well supported. Pupils are now doing well in key stage 1.

Pupils in upper key stage 2 still have a way to go to catch up on some learning. This is due to the legacy of poor teaching and assessment, and staffing instability.

Governors and trustees are highly skilled.

They provide good oversight and challenge to leaders. While they have an accurate knowledge of the school's strengths and weaknesses, some of the leaders' improvement planning is not as focused as it could be. This has the potential to hamper governors' oversight of school improvement over time.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There are strong systems in place to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Thorough checks are made on staff before their appointment to make sure they are suitable to work with children.

Staff are well trained in all aspects of safeguarding. They know how to report any concerns they have about a pupil. Leaders are tenacious when they have concerns about pupils.

Even when different agencies stop helping a family, the school keeps looking for other options to make sure that they are supported.

All staff are aware of local risks and help pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Pupils told inspectors about how they keep themselves safe when cycling to and from school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school is in the process of developing its wider('expert') curriculum. While some foundation subjects are well planned and implemented, other subjects are not yet at the same stage of development. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken in planning their curriculum that they are in the process of bringing this about.

Leaders should ensure that curriculum planning and staff training continues to enable the expert curriculum to be fully implemented. . The outdoor provision in Reception is not of the same standard as the indoor provision.

Some of the equipment needs replacing. As a result, children are not experiencing as rich a learning experience in the outdoors area. Leaders should ensure that the quality of the outdoor provision is improved so that children experience a more engaging outdoors environment.

. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development for the school. However, improvement plans lack detail in terms of actions, timescales for improvements and milestones.

This means that governors and trustees are not able to check on progress towards outcomes and hold leaders to account as easily as they should. The trust and governors should ensure that leaders receive the necessary training and support in order to develop improvement plans that set out proposed actions and intended outcomes. This will enable the trust and governors to hold leaders to account for specific improvements.

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