pdf School inspection report - Ofsted

41. The curriculum 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. Work is also well matched to the needs of pupils on
the register of special educational needs, including statemented pupils. This
provision, together with the effective deployment of support staff, ensures that they
enjoy access to the full range of the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs
in Year 6 are also given the opportunity to join the Booster Club which provides extra
lessons in English and mathematics after school on three days of the week in addition
to two hours on Saturday mornings. In combination with the homework club and the
increasing use by pupils of E-mail and the Internet, this has provided more
opportunities for independent learning. This is an improvement from the previous
inspection findings.
42. There is very good provision for personal and social education. Written policies have
been drawn up for sex education and health education. These topics are effectively
covered in circle time in Reception and at Key Stage1. At Key Stage 2, science and
physical education make a prominent contribution to their coverage and the science
curriculum also includes an element of drugs education.
43. The school provides an extensive programme of extra-curricular activities to broaden
the experience of pupils. Their athletic abilities are developed through the gym club
that meets at lunchtimes and there are football teams for both boys and girls. Pupils
can also play snooker, draughts and various board games. A steel band and an art
club cater for pupils’ musical and artistic talents and a computer club allows them to
refine their information and communication technology skills. A Brownie pack, for
which members have developed their own uniform blend, and a Rainbow group meet
after school.
44. There are regular visits to museums, heritage and local interest centres to support
pupils’ work in history, geography and science. To help increase their understanding
of different faiths in religious education, pupils visit an Anglican Church, a mosque and
a Hindu temple.
45. The school has established several important links with the community which enhance
pupils’ learning. Both staff and pupils exchange visits with three secondary schools.
In one of these, Year 10 pupils have worked with Year 6 pupils at Greenhill to produce
a newspaper. Children in the Nursery and in Reception benefit from using the toy
library whilst pupils in Key Stage 1 are given talks by visiting police and fire service
officers when they study the theme of People who help us.
46. The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is good. Provision for their
spiritual development remains less effective than it is in other areas, which was the
case at the time of the previous inspection. There are short prayer sessions at the
end of key stage assemblies during which a devotional atmosphere is created. Each
class has contributed two lines to prayers entitled Our School and Our Friends and
pupils read these out in assemblies. Some pupils in Key Stage 2 have requested that
a memorial garden should be laid out at the site of the new school for a child and
teacher who died and they will plant trees in the designated area. However, although
there are occasions, particularly in science and design and technology lessons, when
pupils are induced to express their awe and admiration, these do not occur often in
other areas of the curriculum.
Greenhill Community School - 19