Our school is a vibrant one-form entry school with a very strong sense of community. We have 285 amazing 3 to 11-year-olds at Grinling Gibbons. We are all very proud to learn – we love coming to work and seeing our children.
The Nursery has 25 morning and 25-afternoon places. It is easily accessible from an entrance which is to the right of the main school entrance. Our children are enthusiastic and inquisitive learners. We are a “good” school as recognized by Ofsted in May 2017. Everyone at Grinling Gibbons is passionate about ensuring we continue to thrive and improve.
We are an innovative school, always looking at how we can develop and make learning more exciting and relevant for the children. We are all learners committed to researching how children learn ensuring we always adapt our practice to make sure the children get the best learning experiences possible.
Some of the important roles the advocates have, include:
- Planning and leading assemblies when we are raising money for charities
- Helping to run events like ‘The Winter Ball’ and ‘The Summer Fair’
- Deciding how money should be spent e.g. books, playground equipment
To be a school advocate, you must be a good role model to others. You must be responsible and be a good listener, as well as confident enough to speak out in front of others. School advocates wear special badges so everyone, including visitors, knows that we are excellent ambassadors for our school.
- Pupils receive a good and improving education. The new senior leaders’ swift and decisive actions have led to the school being transformed. They have stopped the decline in standards.
- The executive headteacher and head of school work very well together to provide excellent leadership. Together they work well with other staff to ensure that they have the highest aspirations for pupils. Staff responds well to the headteacher’s openness, and morale is high.
- Leaders at all levels, including the governors, have the highest expectations for pupils regardless of their backgrounds. Pupils know this and they are, in turn, highly ambitious.
- The school’s attention to safeguarding pupils is effective. Staff are alert to pupils’ needs and do not allow potential barriers to affect pupils’ learning.
- The quality of teaching is good. The art of teaching, which places pupils at the center of planning, is now at the heart of teachers’ work.
- Leaders and teachers analyze assessment information well to identify the progress of different groups. They select interventions carefully that will improve outcomes. The school’s assessment system is under review.
- Governors hold leaders to account rigorously for their work. Under the new culture, accountability is strong at every level of management.
- Pupils’ behavior is good. Pupils are friendly, polite, and respectful. They feel safe in their school and have very trusting relationships with staff.
- Pupils reach average standards and make good progress in literacy, mathematics, and other subjects.
- In-school assessment information shows that disadvantaged pupils, including the ablest, make similarly good progress as others nationally.
- Most pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make similar progress as others. Leaders recognize that some pupils’ needs are not identified early enough.
- The ablest pupils are now making good progress, but teachers do not consistently challenge them sufficiently to apply their knowledge.
- Standards in key stage 1, early years, and the phonics screening check are consistently above average.
