Greenfield Primary School (Closed Academy Converter - Aug. 31, 2012)
Novers Lane
Novers Park
Bristol
BS41QW

Phone:0117 *** ***
Head Teacher: Mrs Elaine Cain

312 pupils, Mixed

ofsted.gov.uk

© Crown copyright 2009

Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. Inspectors observed 17 lessons and sampled several sessions in the Early Years Foundation Stage and work in withdrawal groups. Twelve teachers were seen teaching. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, staff, governors and the school improvement officer. Inspectors observed the school's work and looked at data on pupils' progress, samples of pupils' work, school improvement planning and monitoring information. Questionnaires returned by 22 parents and carers were scrutinised. Those completed by staff and pupils in Years 3 to 6 were also taken into account.

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following.

• The impact of a range of strategies to raise standards.

• The effectiveness of measures to improve attendance levels.

• The effectiveness of the school's approaches to dealing with challenging behaviour.

Information about the school

The school is slightly larger than most primary schools. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. Most children in the Early Years Foundation Stage attend Nursery on a part-time basis before transferring to a Reception class. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average. A significant number of these pupils has statements of special educational needs. Most, but not all, of these attend a unit for pupils with social, behavioural and emotional difficulties that serves a city-wide area.

There have been several changes of staff over the past three years and there are still some temporary arrangements in place. The headteacher and deputy headteacher took up post in January 2009.

Main findings

Strong and determined leadership by the headteacher and deputy headteacher is having a positive impact in reversing a sharp downward trend in pupils' attainment. Weaknesses in teaching have been tackled rigorously. A comprehensive programme of training, supported by the local authority, has resulted in lessons being better adapted to meet pupils' learning needs. The introduction of regular checks on progress means that leaders get a good view of where pupils are making expected gains and where additional support needs to be targeted to boost achievement further. Assessment information is shared with teachers so that they are able to plan a variety of activities to meet a wide range of learning needs in each class. While this is successful in ensuring at least satisfactory, and often good, progress for the majority of pupils in each lesson, there are occasions when more able pupils are not sufficiently challenged. Opportunities are missed to provide them with tasks that would allow them to use and apply their skills, for example in making decisions about how to organise their work or through using information and communication technology (ICT) independently for research and presentation.

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress and develop confidence and an enthusiasm for learning. In past years, this good start has not been built on, pupils have not made the progress that they should and there has been widespread underachievement through to the end of Year 6. As a result, performance in national tests in the past two years has been exceptionally low. Leaders have tackled this through reorganisation of teaching arrangements, providing extra support to address gaps in pupils' learning and introducing specific programmes to boost their skills. Pupils are now making up lost ground at a good rate. This is resulting, for example, in the majority of Year 2 pupils being on course to attain at least average levels in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of this year. A high proportion of Year 6 pupils are making good progress and the vast majority are expected to make the gains that they should by the end of the year. These outcomes represent considerable improvement in pupils' achievement. A strong focus on improving literacy skills is resulting in a more consistent rate of progress in reading and writing throughout the school. In mathematics, the picture is more patchy, particularly in Years 3 to 6. There are residual weaknesses in pupils' skills in calculation and many pupils lack confidence and understanding of how to use what they know in solving problems.

Changes in the curriculum to make learning meaningful and relevant are resulting in the majority of pupils showing increasing enthusiasm for school. They are particularly keen on the range of opportunities to participate in sports-related activities and many show a good understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Visits, visitors and good links with a variety of organisations contribute to pupils' enjoyment of learning.

The majority of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from well-targeted support and make steady gains in relation to their targets. For those with significant and complex difficulties, particularly related to behavioural issues, good attention is paid to planning support strategies and tracking improvements in their emotional and social development. However, checks on their academic progress are infrequent and unsystematic and, as a result, the tasks that they are given are not always effective in helping them to learn.

Effective systems for regularly checking on the school's strengths and weaknesses mean that action taken to bring about improvement is swift and effective. The successes in tackling underachievement, the impact of initiatives to improve teaching and the curriculum, and the commitment of governors and leaders at all levels to maintain the momentum of change, indicate that the school has sound capacity for sustained improvement.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve attainment in mathematics so that the majority of Year 6 pupils attain at least average levels in national tests in 2011 by:

• implementing a structured programme for teaching skills in calculation

• improving pupils' confidence and understanding in using their skills in problem-solving activities.

• Accelerate the progress of more able pupils by:

• providing a greater level of challenge in lessons

• providing more opportunities for them to engage in open-ended tasks, making use of ICT where appropriate.

• Implement a systematic approach to planning for, and tracking, the academic progress of pupils with significant behavioural and emotional difficulties so that the curriculum better meets their learning needs.

The majority of pupils show good application in lessons and often work well together at their assigned tasks. In a Year 2 lesson, for instance, all pupils participated in a lively session of 'place value aerobics' and were keen to demonstrate their understanding of hundreds, tens and units. Year 6 pupils were very focused as they discussed with their partners how to formulate questions related to writing a report. Pupils themselves say that lessons are, 'more fun than they used to be'. However, for many of the older pupils, work rate is slow and they still struggle with the structure and presentation of written work.

The behaviour of most pupils in lessons is good and they show consideration of others as they move around the school. A minority present challenging behaviour and this has resulted in a high number of exclusions, usually of pupils who are new to the unit and who have significant barriers to learning. However, for more settled pupils, there are few exclusions.

Attendance has been well below national averages in recent years and a key focus for improvement. A variety of strategies is in place to promote and celebrate good attendance and to work with families where children's frequent absences cause concern. There has been notable success in tackling the number of persistent absentees, which has been reduced by two thirds over the past year. Attendance overall showed improvement in the first two terms of this academic year, but plummeted in January during adverse weather and an outbreak of swine flu. Although recent figures show at least satisfactory attendance for the vast majority of pupils, the school is unlikely to meet its target for improvement this year.

Pupils are keen to take on a range of responsibilities and the school council is involved in initiating fundraising events and suggesting improvements, for example in the range of playground equipment. Play leaders from Years 5 and 6 are well regarded by their peers and proactive in making decisions about organisation of games at break times to ensure fairness in the use of space.

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

¹ The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low

How effective is the provision?

There are instances of good lessons throughout the school and strategies to promote effective practice are helping to ensure a more consistent quality of teaching. Where teaching is most effective, teachers are very attuned to pupils' levels of understanding and lessons are carefully organised to build on what they know. This was evident in a Year 6 lesson where the teacher used a variety of resources and well-structured strategies to enable pupils to understand how to construct complex sentences. There are occasions, however, where pupils who need to consolidate their learning do not have enough opportunity to do so and those who are capable of making quicker progress mark time doing the same activities as the rest of the class.

A strong focus on improving pupils' basic skills is proving successful, particularly in addressing low attainment in reading. Links across subjects have been established and pupils are given a range of opportunities to write for a variety of purposes, for instance to explain their findings in science. Work in mathematics has been supported through the introduction of new teaching material, but this is not sufficiently well adapted to address the residual weaknesses in pupils' understanding of number operations. The school recognises that ICT is underused, largely as a result of difficulties with equipment, and there are plans to address this when a new suite is established in the near future.

Individual pupils are well known and they are confident that they can turn to an adult if they have concerns. The school works well with a range of agencies to support individual pupils and their parents and carers where necessary. There are clear systems for managing unacceptable behaviour in lessons, but these are not always followed and, as a result, there is confusion about who is responsible for addressing any issues that arise. Learning support assistants make a significant contribution to supporting individuals and groups of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in lessons throughout the school.

These are the grades for the quality of provision

How effective are leadership and management?

Senior leaders, middle managers and governors share a commitment to improving pupils' achievement and have achieved considerable success in addressing past weaknesses in provision. Rigorous monitoring of teaching and support for individual teachers has had a positive impact, although leaders recognise that there is still work to do to establish the consistently good quality to which they aspire. Improved assessment systems mean that the school is better placed to analyse the progress of different groups and address issues that arise. The information is being used well to raise expectations of pupils' achievement, although this still needs to impact on the progress of the more able.

Governors are well informed and becoming more proactive in reviewing the strengths and weaknesses in the school's performance. A review of statutory responsibilities has resulted in gaps in policies being addressed. A large deficit in the budget has been reduced and staffing reorganised to provide additional support in order to boost pupils' progress, particularly in literacy.

Safeguarding arrangements are secure, with all necessary checks carried out on a regular basis. The school is generally an harmonious community; all pupils are welcomed and there is no room for discrimination. A variety of strategies have been implemented to engage parents and carers in their children's learning and these are proving successful, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school makes good use of links within the locality, such as that with Bristol City Football Club, to extend pupils' experiences. Pupils' awareness of global issues is raised through, for instance, work on life in India and fundraising for Haiti. However, their awareness of the diversity of cultures represented in the United Kingdom is limited.

These are the grades for leadership and management

Early Years Foundation Stage

Most children start Nursery with very limited skills, particularly in relation to language. They make good progress so that, by the end of the Reception Year, their attainment is close to expected levels in most areas. While spoken language develops well, and most children are able to explain their ideas and to ask and answer questions, writing and aspects of number are weaker areas and these are a current focus for improvement. A structured programme for teaching letters and sounds is having a positive impact and this has been extended into other year groups to maintain the momentum of learning.

Staff work well as a team and children's progress is carefully tracked so that the curriculum can be adapted to meet their needs and interests. Parents are invited to contribute to 'learning diaries' and to get involved in weekly reading and 'stay and play' sessions with their child. A relatively new outdoor area is well equipped to promote children's physical and creative development and to extend their knowledge and understanding of the world. Leaders recognise that there is scope to enhance it further in order to support learning in aspects of literacy and numeracy.

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

Views of parents and carers

There was a very low response rate to the questionnaires, which the school attributes to the inspection coming immediately after a bank holiday weekend. Of those parents and carers that did respond, all were happy with their child's overall experience in school. Several made positive comments about the approachability of staff and how pleased they are with their child's progress. A small number had concerns with how the school deals with unacceptable behaviour. The inspection confirmed that behavioural issues are always addressed but that procedures outlined in the behaviour policy are not always followed.

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Greenfield Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

The inspection team received 22 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 293 pupils registered at the school.

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

Overall effectiveness of schools

19 May 2010

Dear Pupils

Inspection of Greenfield Primary School, Bristol BS4 1QW

You may remember that a team of inspectors visited recently to see how you are getting on at school. Thanks to all of you who talked to us about your work in lessons and the activities in which you get involved. Particular thanks to the groups of Years 5 and 6 pupils who met with us. We found that your school provides you with a sound education and there is a lot of work going on that means it is improving all the time.

These are some of the strong features.

• Children in Nursery and Reception get off to a good start and your teachers are making sure that this is being built on in Years 1 to 6.

• Many of you have not done as well as you should in your learning in the past, but you are now making up for lost time, particularly in reading and writing.

• Most of you behave well, help each other and are keen to learn.

• Your attendance has improved recently and, although there is still some way to go before everybody comes to school regularly, those that do are learning lots of new things.

• You understand how important it is to stay healthy and active. You told us how much you enjoy sport and taking part in competitions.

We have suggested three things that the school needs to do now.

• Make sure that you do as well in mathematics as you are doing in English by helping you to become better at number work and problem solving.

• Those of you who are quick to learn need to be given more activities that make you think and use your good skills.

• For those of you who struggle to behave, make sure that activities that will help you to learn are carefully planned and your progress tracked.

You can help by continuing to work hard and getting to school every day that you possibly can.

Thank you again for your help.

Yours sincerely

Shirley Billington

Lead inspector