Greenfield St Mary’s CofE School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school School leaders have very successfully addressed a worrying dip in pupils' outcomes. Their excellent leadership has ensured that weaknesses have been robustly and effectively addressed and the school is now back on track and moving forward strongly.

Current pupils are making strong progress in reading and mathematics. This is especially true for pupils who are currently working within key stage 2. Leaders' work to improve pupils' writing has had a significant, positive impact.

Pupils typically spell and punctuate their work accurately and many are now writing with a good degree of flair, choosing ambitious vocabulary for effect well. Gover...nance is a major strength of the school. Governors provide a wealth of knowledge and experience and very effectively hold school leaders to account.

Children get off to a flying start in the early years. Outstanding teaching and leadership have ensured that the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is consistently above average. First-rate phonics teaching has ensured that a high proportion of pupils reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

The curriculum is broad and well balanced. It is very well enhanced by a broad programme of extra-curricular activities and educational visits. Pupils' work in science and art is particularly strong.

Pupils' behaviour around school and attitudes to learning are first class. Pupils' excellent attendance rates illustrate how much they enjoy coming to school. Provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

The school works very well with other local schools, and teachers value the chances they have for professional development. Teaching across the school is of a consistently good standard, and some is highly effective. Teachers typically have good subject knowledge and use questions effectively to advance pupils' learning.

Over time, teaching in key stage 1 has not consistently made the most of the excellent start that children make in the early years. Not all teachers have the same high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Where this is the case, pupils' progress is not as strong and fewer pupils reach the higher standards of attainment.

Information about this school

This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils with SEND is broadly average. Very few pupils in the school are eligible for pupil premium funding and, at the time of the inspection, there were no pupils who speak English as an additional language.

The school runs breakfast and after-school clubs, which together are known as St Mary's Diamonds. This provision is overseen by the governing body. The school is a member of The Dovestone Learning Partnership, which is a collaborative group of local schools.