A formerly ‘inadequate’ primary school where pupils’ achievement was ‘poor’ has transformed, a watchdog has found.
Ofsted had handed Greenfield Primary Academy – then Greenfield Primary School – its lowest possible rating in 2019 after finding that the quality of education was ‘not good enough’.
But following an inspection in March of this year, the body has upgraded its assessment of the Tameside school to ‘good’ in every area.
The primary school, on Queen Street in Hyde, joined the Harmony Trust as an academy conversion in 2020 and has around 216 children on its roll.
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The trust says that changes were implemented under the new leadership of Melanie Eccles, executive principal, and Zoe Neophitou, head of academy.
Inspectors from Ofsted said that now leaders have ‘designed a suitably ambitious curriculum with reading at its heart’.
“Staff ensure that pupils know that they have the right to learn, feel safe and be successful,” the report states. “Pupils achieve well across the curriculum.
“Pupils behave well in school.
“There is little disruption to learning. They interact respectfully with each other and adults. They trust that staff in school will deal with any issues quickly, including any incidents of bullying.”
Ofsted highlighted positive schemes within the school, such as the ‘Harmony Pledge’ which saw a freestyle footballer visit the school, and the election of a ‘mini mayor’ to develop pupils’ understanding of democracy.
Following the publication of the report in May, Ms Eccles said: “This report is testament to the hard work of staff and families at Greenfield Primary Academy who have worked tirelessly to ensure all children are able to reach their full potential.
“We were particularly pleased that our approach to reading was highlighted as a strength, along with the high aspirations we have for every child in our care, no matter what barriers to learning they may face.”
To improve to reach ‘outstanding’, Ofsted said that leaders at the school must make it clear in all subjects the knowledge that they want pupils to learn, enabling teachers to design lessons.
“Leaders should ensure that they support teachers to check on how well pupils have learned and remembered the intended curriculum so that staff can identify, and then deal with, the gaps in pupils’ knowledge,” inspectors said.
Antony Hughes, the CEO of The Harmony Trust said: “We are incredibly proud of staff, children and families at Greenfield for reaching this standard of excellence.
“Greenfield was in a very challenging position when it first joined the Harmony Trust, but the dedication and determination of all involved with the academy to achieve the very best for its pupils has been inspirational.”
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