pdf School inspection report - Ofsted

satisfactory, is still a significant improvement on the previous inspection report. A number of parents
come into school to help with their children’s reading and others help with cooking and sewing. There
is a Family Literacy class held each week during the course of the year. The curriculum is broad and
balanced and fully meets with all statutory requirements. It is planned to ensure equality of access
and opportunity for all pupils. Those pupils who enter the school knowing very little English are
supported very effectively in their literacy work. The school continues to provide a safe and caring
environment. There are effective arrangements in place to ensure the health, safety and protection of
its pupils. The school continues to have very good procedures in place to promote very good
behaviour and there are no incidents of bullying recorded. The procedures for monitoring attendance
and punctuality, however, are currently unsatisfactory. The home-school link workers try very hard
and use different strategies in an attempt to improve pupils’ attendance, but it remains unacceptably
low and pupils are frequently late.
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Aspect Comment
Leadership and
management by the
headteacher and other key
staff
How well the governors
fulfil their responsibilities
The school’s evaluation of
its performance
The strategic use of
resources
How well the school works
with parents
The headteacher, principal teachers and senior staff of the school are
very effective leaders and managers of the school. They have ensured
that effective school development continues during the absence of the
headteacher.
Apart from some active governors, of whom the chair is one, the
governing body is ineffective.
The school evaluates itself effectively to improve standards. A
comprehensive monitoring programme is in place and this is effective
at curriculum development but is insufficiently focused on teaching
skills.
The school development plan is effective and focuses expenditure
closely on current initiatives and the aims of the school. The school
enjoys substantial additional funding which is mostly spent on
additional staff to enable the school to effectively overcome significant
pupil disadvantage.
The school has put considerable efforts at developing links with
parents and now has helpers in the school, and received a curriculum
award for involvement of the community in the curriculum.
Teachers have an appropriate range of qualifications and their skills have been developed well by
effective in-service education. They are very well supported by a range of assistants who are used
very well to promote pupils’ learning, especially English. The headteacher (and the acting
headteacher), principal teachers, senior staff and subject managers ensure that the school is very
well led and managed. They are very well supported by the chair of governors. The governing body,
overall, is less effective, does not have a clear vision for the future of the school or hold the school to
account. Accounting procedures, although manual, are effective and the school follows the principles
of best value, comparing costs with the Glodwick Schools' group and checking that goods and
services are competitively tendered.
Greenhill Community School - 11