Adderley Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching by making sure that teachers:
  • set work for the most able pupils which consistently presents a stiff challenge and enables them to make rapid progress
  • stimulate pupils’ curiosity and encourage pupils to apply their knowledge in new ways so that they deepen and consolidate their understanding
  • extend pupils’ use of spoken language to explore their ideas and develop their ability to reason.
• Improve leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that the school’s self-evaluation precisely identifies strengths and weaknesses to help leaders and governors identify the next steps
  • making sure that improvement plans are sharply focused on the current priorities for the school
  • enabling teachers regularly to check their judgements about pupils’ achievements against those made more widely, and helping staff to benefit fully from best practice.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders and governors have successfully addressed the issues identified in the previous inspection report and maintained high expectations for staff and for pupils. As a result, they have sustained a good quality of teaching and pupils’ strong progress despite quite a high turnover of staff.
• Leaders have created a distinctive culture, in which all pupils feel valued and which celebrates their diversity. The school promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education most effectively, so that pupils treat each other with conspicuous respect and have an open-minded view of the wider world. Imaginative, informative displays reinforce these values and contribute to an outstanding school environment.
• Pupils have an excellent understanding of British values because they learn about the importance of rules and about democracy, and leaders routinely ask their views. Pupils can apply formally to serve the school community, for example as library pupil leaders, and appreciate the opportunity to make a contribution in this way.
• Leaders set pupils ambitious individual targets for academic progress and make sure that pupils understand what they are required to do. They have established a clear system of regular assessment in all core and foundation subjects. Teachers check their judgements with each other, and once a year with those made by teachers in other schools. Leaders use the results to plan additional support for pupils at risk of falling behind.
• Leaders hold teachers rigorously to account for their pupils’ progress and base their guidance to teachers on an ongoing record of observations. Staff, including those new to the school, explained that they were confident to ask for advice and that training is constantly enabling them to develop their skills. Teaching assistants are effective in supporting pupils with particular needs because they have been specifically trained to do so.
• Pupils benefit from a broad and imaginative curriculum, which places due weight on knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects in addition to English and mathematics. A number of extra-curricular activities, including those in sport and the creative arts, further enhance pupils’ learning. The school has established a social enterprise hub, where pupils learn about business, and organises visits to universities to broaden pupils’ horizons and encourage them to think about challenging careers.
• Leaders spend the physical education and sport premium effectively to increase the involvement of pupils in voluntary sport and to promote off-site activities and competitive matches with other schools. The school spends the pupil premium well on a wide range of strategies, both to ensure that disadvantaged pupils are fully involved in the life of the school and to boost their academic progress. Leaders evaluate the impact of each strategy carefully.
• Subject leaders are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and ensure that teachers plan lessons based on the key skills for that subject. Those who lead provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are skilled at identifying the particular assistance that some pupils require and enlisting the support of other agencies when appropriate. They check carefully that this help is improving pupils’ progress and make amendments when necessary.
• Inspectors verified the accuracy of leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. However, their written evaluation does not identify clearly enough for their colleagues and for governors those specific aspects of the school’s performance that require the most immediate attention. Likewise, improvement plans are rigorous and relevant but are too long, so that they lack a clear focus on current priorities.
• School leaders have healed the breach with the local authority identified in the previous inspection report. Local authority officers now provide checks on standards and classroom practice, and leaders have been very willing to act on any guidance provided. School leaders are beginning to develop links with other schools, but these are not frequent enough to enable staff at all levels to learn from excellent practice.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors have taken effective action in response to the review of governance conducted in 2014. They have reduced the size of the board and identified ‘link governors’ who meet with leaders to gain a detailed knowledge of particular issues. Governors have successfully sought training to help them evaluate the information that leaders provide. They visit the school frequently. Records of meetings show clearly that governors hold leaders to account for the progress made by different groups of pupils.
• The governing body, supported by an independent financial adviser, checks carefully on expenditure, including the spending of additional money provided for particular pupils. Governors have invested the previous underspend in a planned building development and now intend to carry forward a much smaller sum.
• Governors play a full and effective part in keeping pupils safe. They ensure that the right checks are made on all staff who work at the school or otherwise come into contact with children, and question leaders regularly on their procedures to keep pupils safe from all types of risk, including those associated with extremism.
• Governors involve an independent adviser in their management of the headteacher’s performance so that decisions about her role are well founded. They provide an independent perspective on the pay and performance of other staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school’s arrangements meet all statutory requirements, and all policies and procedures are up to date. The headteacher has ensured that staff are familiar with child protection guidance and have been fully trained. Leaders ensure that parents are fully aware of the school’s policies and how they can play their part in keeping children safe.
• Inspectors found that staff keep detailed records and work very well with others to help pupils whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Observations of learning, scrutinies of pupils’ workbooks and the school’s records of both pupils’ progress and lesson monitoring all show that teaching is typically good and of a consistent quality across the school. Leaders’ clear expectations for teachers and their effective support and guidance for less experienced colleagues have maintained high standards in the face of some staffing turnover.
• Learning is characterised by very strong relationships between pupils and adults in the classroom. Teachers have appropriate subject knowledge and almost always use the correct technical terms. Teachers give pupils a full understanding of how they are learning and why, and this contributes to their strong commitment to the work.
• Teachers plan carefully to make sure that the work set is pitched at the right level. They check on pupils’ progress during lessons so that they can move on those pupils who have already grasped a particular skill. Teachers are alert to pupils’ misconceptions, and take care to consolidate their understanding as a whole class, in a group or as individuals.
• Pupils benefit from consistent feedback, in line with school policy. They are encouraged to reflect on their work, and the opportunity to learn from their mistakes enhances their progress. Homework, which is often set at different levels to correspond with pupils’ ability, makes a valuable contribution to their learning.
• Learning plans for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities ensure that teachers set work which meets pupils’ particular needs. Teaching assistants are skilled at refocusing teachers’ questions and breaking learning down into smaller steps. Small-group teaching typically takes place before lessons start in the morning, so that pupils’ attendance at normal classes is not disturbed.
• Teaching in mathematics builds up pupils’ knowledge and calculation skills, and provides pupils with some opportunity to reason mathematically and to solve practical problems. Staff reinforce pupils’ learning by using physical resources, such as money, counters or measuring sticks, when required.
• Starting in the early years, adults develop pupils’ phonic knowledge well because they introduce letters and sounds in a structured sequence and use a variety of different techniques to enable pupils to read and to record the sounds in writing. Older pupils are taught to use an appropriately wide range of reading strategies. In all subject areas, teachers pay particular attention to the need to use ambitious vocabulary correctly, and thereby make a most effective contribution to developing pupils’ literacy.
• Inspectors’ scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks showed that teachers provide a wide range of contexts in which pupils can develop their writing, especially in the older years. Teachers ensure that pupils pay careful attention to their handwriting and to accurate spelling and punctuation.
• Teaching routinely provides pupils with new material and interesting topics, but inspection evidence also showed that teachers rarely ask questions or set tasks which stimulate pupils’ curiosity or require them to think really deeply. There is some inconsistency in the teaching of the most able pupils. Often teachers set tasks for them which are genuinely demanding. On other occasions, the work set has an appropriate starting-point, but does not lead them far enough in developing new skills and understanding.
• Teachers sometimes encourage pupils to talk at some length to explain their ideas, but inspection evidence showed that across the school they would benefit from more opportunities to do so.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils feel entirely safe in school and say that there is no bullying, adding that they would know whom to turn to if any problem arose. The school teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe from a wide range of different risks, including abuses of the internet, fire and the danger of drowning. The headteacher’s newsletter warns pupils and parents about the importance of road safety at the beginning of every school holiday.
• Pupils are very proud of their school. They contributed to the naming of the school’s houses after the attributes of humility, diversity, respect, equality and integrity, and across the school pupils have a mature understanding of these terms. They welcome the opportunity to act as pupil leaders and ambassadors, helping both staff and other pupils in practical ways. Year 6 pupils support Year 2 pupils in their reading. A high proportion of pupils join the school in-year, and pupils explained that each is given a buddy to help them to settle.
• The school employs a nurse, who provides effective care for a number of pupils with medical needs and also gives advice on topics such as fitness and healthy eating. Parents explained to one of the inspectors that the school had met their child’s medical needs most effectively. This term, staff have encouraged pupils who attend breakfast club to go on an extended walk round the park to help them prepare physically and mentally for the day at school.
• Leaders have ensured that pupils have an excellent appreciation of the habits which make for effective learning and a developing understanding of how education can equip them for their future careers and lifestyles. The school takes specific steps to help pupils prepare for secondary school, for example by providing planners and lockers for pupils in Year 6.
• Leaders’ willingness to listen to pupils’ views, both about their day-to-day learning and about the organisation of the school, enhances pupils’ confidence and contributes to their excellent general attitudes to learning.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils have a very good understanding of the value of rules and of their own responsibilities. They follow staff instructions quickly and with no fuss. Their conduct at social times is sensible and polite. Pupils play happily together, in part because leaders provide pupils with plenty of equipment in pleasant and well-maintained outdoor areas.
• Pupils very much enjoy learning and are willing to work hard. They take a pride in their written work and present it neatly. They collaborate effectively in pairs and groups when asked to do so and help each other with their work. They apply themselves consistently well when asked to work on their own, making conspicuously good use of prompts, checklists and other learning resources. Pupils say that a few of their peers occasionally talk too much, but that they respond well to teachers’ correction.
• Leaders keep meticulous records of behavioural incidents and check carefully to see whether these reveal any trends that require attention. They involve parents at a very early stage when there is any pattern of misbehaviour. The school’s records show a sharp reduction in incidents of poor behaviour, matched by a fall in the rate of fixed-term exclusions to be in line with the national average.
• The school provides a series of rewards for high attendance and works intensively with the families of those pupils whose attendance begins to slip. Leaders are well aware of how absence from school indicates that a pupil may be at a greater risk and act accordingly. Pupils’ overall rate of attendance, and that for particular groups of pupils, is in line with the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the last inspection, good teaching has enabled pupils to make consistently strong progress. Information supplied by the school and confirmed by a comprehensive scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks shows that in all year groups, pupils make strong progress in English, mathematics and several other subjects, including art, personal, social and health education and modern foreign languages.
• In 2015, pupils left Year 6 with a level of attainment which was above average overall, having made progress from their different starting points at a rate which was also above that made by pupils nationally. Pupils’ progress was particularly strong in writing and in mathematics. In 2016, only the writing results have been published, and these show that a high proportion of pupils attained the expected standard, having made progress that was at least in line with the national average.
• In the last two years at key stage 1, pupils have attained standards above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. In both 2015 and 2016, the proportion of Year 1 pupils attaining the expected standard in the phonics check was high, reflecting the school’s effective approach to phonics teaching.
• Pupils who spoke with the inspectors enjoy reading and understand its importance in their education. They have access to a wide range of books, and staff ensure that the books pupils read for pleasure are well matched to their abilities. Many pupils read frequently at home, but staff ensure that the others read aloud in school several times a week. Weaker readers know how to use their phonic knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words and appreciate the support and encouragement they receive in school. The most able readers can read fluently and with good expression, taking full account of all the cues in the text.
• Almost half the school’s pupils are disadvantaged, and published results, information supplied by the school and inspection evidence all show that their progress has been at least in line with that of other pupils in the school, and in many instances above that of other pupils nationally. Leaders are skilled and relentless at identifying the barriers which may restrict disadvantaged pupils’ progress and ensuring that the expenditure of the pupil premium addresses their needs.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress because teachers have an informed understanding of how to meet their needs, effectively aided by well-trained teaching assistants.
• Pupils at an early stage of learning English make rapid progress. Specialist staff, some of whom are bilingual, use varied and imaginative teaching strategies to increase these pupils’ vocabulary and knowledge of English syntax.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, make progress which is at least in line with national expectations. However, inspection evidence suggests that it is sometimes not quite as strong as that made by other pupils in the class. Teachers generally set work at the appropriate level for the most able pupils, but on occasion it does not succeed in leading them on to make rapid gains in their knowledge and understanding.
• Both pupils’ achievements and their excellent attitudes to learning prepare them well for secondary school. The school’s broad curriculum and high standards of attainment mean that pupils starting Year 7 have the opportunity to thrive in all areas of learning.

Early years provision Good

• The majority of children start the Reception Year with skills and abilities which are typical of their age, but a minority have skills and abilities which are less well developed. Leaders rapidly identify those children who require particular support, drawing on the assistance of other agencies when necessary.
• Information supplied by the school and confirmed by inspection evidence shows that, since the last inspection, almost all pupils have made good progress, and those who enter the school with weaker skills start to catch up. Recent information indicates that the proportion of children who left Reception in 2016 having attained a good level of development was above the national average, and that this proportion is rising year on year.
• Teaching in the early years is consistently good. All staff contribute to the planning of a wide range of activities both indoors and outdoors. These ensure that children gain a rich experience of all seven areas of learning. Teachers pay particular attention to developing children’s phonic knowledge, and opportunities to read and to write are imaginatively combined with other learning.
• Adults assess effectively what children can do and record their achievements in learning journals. They intervene to correct any misconceptions, but are sometimes too quick to provide support. As a result, some children are too reliant on adult guidance and approval, and do not learn quickly enough to think for themselves.
• The school has rigorous procedures to keep children safe and promote their welfare. Teachers have established strong routines and a calm and purposeful learning environment. Children feel happy and secure in the setting. They learn and play well together, sharing resources and cooperating readily with each other.
• Leaders know the strengths and relative weaknesses of the setting well, and act to improve the provision. For example, they have identified literacy as the weakest area in pupils’ achievement and taken further steps to promote reading. Leaders ensure that all staff have a detailed knowledge of each individual pupil, and so are well placed to guide their learning.
• Leaders are most effective at involving parents in their children’s learning. Staff visit each home in September to ensure that they have a rounded view of each child, and parents are regularly invited into school to learn about the curriculum. Learning journals provide parents with a detailed picture of what their children have achieved.
• Leaders have also established a strong relationship with the 14 nursery settings which children commonly attend before the Reception Year, and close cooperation helps to ensure that children settle quickly.
• Children are well prepared for learning in key stage 1, because a high proportion achieve the early learning goals and several pupils exceed the expected standard. Importantly, the setting also establishes the culture of respect and celebration of diversity which characterises the whole school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 103159 Birmingham 10019994 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 602 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Rahila Waqass Rizvana Darr 0121 464 1500 www.adderleyprimary.co.uk/ enquiry@adderley.bham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 16–17 September 2014

Information about this school

• Adderley Primary School is a much larger than average primary school. The school runs a well-attended breakfast club.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and receive support from the pupil premium is well above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is a little below average.
• The majority of pupils are of Pakistani heritage. One in five pupils is of Black African heritage.
• Many pupils speak English as an additional language, and several are at an early stage of learning English.
• The school has experienced quite a high turnover of staff, and five teachers have joined the school this academic year.
• The school is a UNICEF rights respecting school and holds a number of other awards, including the Leading Aspect Award for the teaching of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• In 2015, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in 20 lessons and two learning walks. Three observations and one learning walk were conducted jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also visited registration time and a Christmas nativity play performed for parents, and observed pupils’ conduct at break and lunchtimes.
• The inspectors held discussions with senior leaders, other leaders and class teachers. The lead inspector met with governors and with two representatives of the local authority.
• Three groups of pupils, two chosen at random, met with inspectors. Inspectors spoke with a large number of pupils informally. One inspector listened to pupils from all year groups read.
• The inspectors looked at many workbooks in their visits to classrooms and, sometimes with senior leaders, scrutinised in depth all the work produced by several pupils this academic year. They considered a wide range of information about pupils’ current and recent performance.
• The inspectors looked at a wide range of documents, both electronically and on paper. These included development plans and their evaluations; policies; the headteacher’s reports to the governing body, the minutes of their meetings and an external review of governance; a review conducted by the local authority of the school’s testing arrangements; and information provided for parents, including reports on pupils’ progress. Inspectors scrutinised in detail records showing how the school supports vulnerable pupils.
• The inspection team took account of the 10 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire, a letter from an individual parent and the school’s own extensive recent survey of parental opinion. Inspectors spoke with parents delivering their children to school on the second day of the inspection. The inspectors also considered the 27 responses to the questionnaire for staff.

Inspection team

Martin Spoor, lead inspector Michael Onyon Julie McCarthy Michael Appleby

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector