Grove Primary School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Children are Fully Supported
Grove Primary School is located in the middle of a housing estate in Carlton Colville, Lowestoft and most families are working families. The number of children on Free School Meals (FSM) is 25% and Pupil Premium (PP) is 23%. There is a direct correlation between PP and SEND, with almost 80% of PP children having SEND needs. The percentage of SEND pupils is 25% and the number of children with Educational, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) is 8% which is higher than national averages. In Key Stage 1 (KS1)/Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) the percentage of children with EHCPs is 10%.
The school is part of The Active Learning Trust which has 21 schools across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The North Suffolk Hub comprises seven primary schools and the Executive Headteacher oversees Grove Primary and Westwood Primary Schools. The leadership of the Executive Headteacher, the Headteacher and the SLT in association with the Active Learning Trust ensures that all children are fully supported to achieve their full potential and they set the framework in which all the work in the school takes place.
The school works closely with Westwood Primary School which is situated close by. There is a crossover of staff and shared staff meetings, SLT, Governors and Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time to ensure continuity and consistency across the two Trust schools. Both schools work closely in partnership including collaborative planning, staff meetings and having the same opportunities and offers for pupils. Both schools are used as a flagship by the Trust, and they receive regular visits from the Trust staff.
Children are valued as individuals within a caring atmosphere and there is a celebration of all the school’s pupils in order that they feel understood. Teachers and Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) know their pupils well and have an excellent rapport with their children. Support staff are totally involved in the learning process and there is a highly supportive relationship between staff and pupils. Staff wellbeing is well addressed, and staff feel very well supported and respected by school leaders. They know that their wellbeing is a priority and senior staff are fully aware that for staff to be emotionally available to the children, they need to feel supported and recognised themselves.
Broad Range of Knowledge and Skills
The long-term and medium-term curriculum planning is structured to ensure a progression of a broad range of knowledge and skills from Nursery to Year 6. Outcomes in all subjects demonstrate age-appropriate opportunities to make links between prior and new learning and apply this in different contexts. The school has developed a curriculum, which is rich in oracy, key skills and real-life experiences to support all pupils and the fact that the locality does not allow for the appreciation of a range of cultures and cultural capital opportunities.
The rigorous monitoring systems and procedures inform high quality professional development, which in turn is systematically evaluated for impact. As a result, pupil outcomes evidence a growing depth of knowledge and understanding being applied in all subjects over time. The school has achieved Arts Mark Silver and Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) recently and this reflects the school’s ambition to ensure a rich and balanced curriculum and sustain best practice in every aspect of its provision.
Parents are well informed, and the school aspires them to be active partners in the school. Parents are provided with pupil reports and year group specific curriculum leaflets. Both the school’s website and the Facebook page provide information on the curriculum and current learning. Disadvantaged pupils’ progress and attainment in reading and mathematics is in line with that of National at KS2 but is below that of National at KS1 and EYFS. Writing for disadvantaged pupils is an area for improvement. The percentage of most able disadvantaged pupils achieving a high standard in reading, writing and mathematics is below National at KS2, KS1 and EYFS. This is an area of focus. By the time the children reach KS2, the disadvantage gap is closing or is closed.
Stable Staff
The school has a stable staff and is well led and consequently this has moved the school forward in all its aspects over the last few years. The strong leadership of the Headteacher, her accessibility and her commitment to inclusion and improving the opportunities for all children and the leadership of the Executive Headteacher and IQM lead in ensuring that the IQM process is articulated by everyone are strengths of the school. Everyone spoke about the change in attitudes and direction over the past few years at the school.
National attainment and progress data has risen across both key stages, but more importantly the behaviour and attitudes of the children towards their education have changed significantly for the better. Children are encouraged to take part in looking more closely at their environment. There is a promotion of high self-esteem and high aspirations for every child. Everyone at the school has high expectations for behaviour and strong, consistent routines are in place. These have been developed with staff and explicitly taught. Low level disruption is rare and classrooms are calm and purposeful. Children are keen to learn, take pride in their work and are engaged.
Good work is carried out with families, pupils and the community generally to ensure that children are cared for and valued. There are good communication systems which give parents and carers confidence in the school and in its support for their child’s needs. Email, texting, newsletters and parent consultations as well as one-to-one conversations keep parents regularly informed about their child’s education and needs.
A café for the parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), parent workshops and the support and advice of an excellent Family Support Worker (FSW) provides parents and carers with the reassurance they need to reassure them that the school can provide a good education for their children. The school has a uniform exchange and food bank to support families that are need, and this is appreciated by families. The Safeguarding and Pastoral Team are well versed in providing an understanding point of view to parents and families but can also challenge when the need arises. They use ‘MyConcern’ to log incidents and concerns and conduct home visits when they have a worry about a family or child. The office staff also plays a big part in understanding the needs of parents and pupils.
Proud to Attend Grove Primary
Ofsted in October 2022 stated: ‘Pupils are happy and proud to attend Grove Primary. The school is a welcoming community with a strong focus on accepting everyone and celebrating people’s differences. Pupils are polite and friendly. They work hard and have positive attitudes towards their learning. The school is a lovely place in which to learn.’ The Assessor can confirm that this was the case on the day of this assessment.
The Self Evaluation Report reflects the high quality of evaluation that exists in the school. It is comprehensive and reflects the school as seen by the Assessor. Grove Primary School is an example of a school committed to meet the needs of its children and in its implementation of inclusive practice.
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