Cherry Orchard Primary School

Cherry Orchard Primary School Cherry Orchard Road, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, B20 2LB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Teachers check carefully how well pupils are doing and encourage them to judge their own progress. As a result, all pupils know their targets and achieve well in their work.  A distinctive approach to developing the pupils’ personal, moral, social and cultural skills ensures that they have a good understanding of how to stay healthy and safe.  Leaders and managers have ensured that the school has continued to develop since its last inspection. Their thorough checking of how well the staff perform is resulting in rapidly improving teaching and learning.  Teaching is good with some excellent practice, especially in Key Stage 2.  Attendance is above average and pupils enjoy school.  Behaviour is good.  The stimulating range of subjects is well matched to the needs and abilities of the pupils. They have good opportunities to practise their literacy and numeracy skills across different subjects.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governors’ good awareness of the school’s strengths and weaknesses helps them to continually question its performance while providing the right support.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In Key Stage 1 in particular, teachers do not always use the information they gather on pupils’ progress precisely enough to plan helpful support at just the right level.  In mathematics, marking does not provide as much guidance to pupils as it does in English.  Younger pupils in Key Stage 1 are not given enough practical opportunities to explore and develop their own ideas, so they can build on their good learning from the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons, with senior leaders accompanying inspectors in seven of these observations.  Meetings were held with governors, a representative of the local authority, senior leaders and managers and pupils. Several parents also spoke to inspectors informally.  Inspectors took note of 24 staff responses to questionnaires and 22 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Ronald Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Richard Boswell Additional Inspector Fiona Arnison Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Cherry Orchard is a larger-than-average primary school.  A minority of pupils attending the school are of White British heritage. The proportions from other minority ethnic groups and/or who speak English as an additional language are well above average.  An average proportion of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is above average, but the proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  There is childcare provision on the school site, but it is not run by the governing body and was not included in the inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by:  making efficient use of the wealth of progress information available, so that teachers and teaching assistants can rapidly provide support and ‘catch-up’ strategies that help the pupils who need them  ensuring that marking in mathematics is focused on informing the next steps in pupils’ progress, following the existing good practice in English.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve progress further in Key Stage 1, by ensuring a smooth transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage so that all children are able to learn in a style well matched to their stage of development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s information on pupils’ progress and attainment, the results of national tests, and observations of pupils in lessons demonstrate that pupils achieve well. This is especially so in Key Stage 2, where pupils’ progress and attainment are consistently above average by the time they leave the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The children’s skills on entry are broadly in line with those expected for their age. They make a good start in the nursery and reception classes before moving into Key Stage 1. Attainment in Key Stage 1 is above average and progress good, but for some pupils the formal approach to teaching does not suit their style of learning. They do not have enough opportunities to explore practically activities that stimulate them, or to develop their skills in working on their own.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ reading skills in both key stages are good. Pupils use their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) effectively to tackle new words.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Sustained good, and at times outstanding, progress through Key Stage 2 and the generally effective support provided for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs ensure that pupils are exceeding nationally expected rates of progress for this group.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers generally use assessment information well to track pupils’ progress and meet their future needs, but they and the teaching assistants do not always make the most efficient use of this information to accurately match support and resources to pupils who find learning more difficult.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils for whom the pupil premium provides support make good progress and achieve above their peers nationally. This funding is used to provide specialist teaching assistant support and one-to-one provision. This demonstrates the way the school successfully ensures equality of opportunity for all pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching observed throughout the inspection was consistently at least good, and some was outstanding. Pupils’ workbooks and the progress they have made also confirm a picture of good teaching over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In Key Stage 2, teachers develop pupils’ confidence, self-esteem and desire to learn through lessons that are interesting and well matched to pupils’ abilities. As one pupil stated, ‘The teachers make our learning fun, lessons are really interesting.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in Key Stage 1 is good, but the younger pupils are not always provided with opportunities to explore ideas practically, as they are used to doing in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, they are not quite so thoroughly engaged in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good questioning and explanations are key features in lessons, and teachers typically ensure that all groups are catered for. In a Year 3 mathematics lesson, pupils were exploring giving and receiving change and the teacher’s questioning and discussion ensured that all groups were fully challenged. The teacher made sure that the right resources were available and that pupils of all abilities were able to use them effectively.  Teachers generally ensure that pupils know their targets, but marking in mathematics books is not as informative as that found in English books, and so pupils are not as sure about what they need to do to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school collects a wealth of information on the progress and attainment of the pupils, but this is not always used effectively by teachers and teaching assistants, especially in Key Stage 1, in pinpointing when and where extra guidance and adult support are needed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers encourage pupils to assess their own work and this is increasingly successful in Key Stage 2, where older pupils this technique well to help them improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is typically good across the school. Where teaching is at its best, behaviour is outstanding because pupils respond so well to the stimulating and practical activities available. Just occasionally, there is some low-level disruption when the pace in lessons dips.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Discussions with pupils clearly indicate that they feel safe and secure. This view was further supported by the results seen in the teachers’ questionnaires and the responses by parents and carers to the online survey (Parent View).

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Relationships are excellent between pupils, and between pupils and adults. Pupils are courteous and polite, both to each other and adults. They are adamant that there is no bullying in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There has been only one exclusion over the past year, and no recorded incidents of racial abuse.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All staff promote the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through well- developed topics that involve a range of subjects such as the Second World War.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are nurtured and cared for effectively and pupils say they feel cared for. As one explained, ‘We feel safe because everyone cares for us.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and have a positive attitude to learning, which is demonstrated in their above-average attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has made steady progress since the last inspection and ensured all areas of improvement in the last report have been effectively tackled. This shows its capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher is robustly supported by the middle management team and governing body. Subject leaders check teaching carefully and help to ensure that it is improving. The governors visit the school regularly to both formally and informally monitor its work.

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The leadership and management are good

 New systems have been introduced to improve the way in which information about pupils’ progress is collected and used. For example, senior leaders and managers identified that some aspects of their tracking and monitoring systems were not providing the information they required, and so developed systems to overcome this. However, the changes in the school’s systems are too recent for their effectiveness to be measured.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers, including the governing body, monitor, evaluate and develop the quality of teaching and learning effectively. The senior leadership team are skilled in liaising with the governing body to provide a programme of staff training that takes account of, and meets the needs of, both the pupils and the school. These systems ensure that the national ‘Teacher Standards’ are met.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team ensures a broad and well-balanced curriculum across the whole school. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there is a good balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 All adults are expected to have high aspirations, provide positive role models and ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities and reach their full potential. These expectations are demonstrated clearly by the consistently good achievement by the end of Key Stage 2.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works well with a wide range of partners, including other local schools and community groups, to provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils. Specialists are used where necessary to ensure all the pupils’ needs are fully met.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides ‘light touch’ support for this good school. This support has been beneficial in helping to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements.

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The leadership and management are good

 A wide range of after-school activities enrich pupils’ experiences. As one explained, ‘We love our clubs as we can do a range of other things we can’t do in school such as the eco-club and gardening activities.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  ensures that safeguarding and pupil welfare arrangements meet current statutory requirements, and that the vetting system for all staff and those who support pupils at the school is comprehensive and robust  contributes well to guiding the strategic direction of the school, as seen, for example, in the creation of the private nursery which sprang from a governing body initiative to help support the school and local community.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103178 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 402908

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 471 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tariq Begg Headteacher Paul Moore Date of previous school inspection 14 November 2007 Telephone number 0121 554 0862 Fax number 0121 554 4162 Email address p.moore@cherryorchard.bham.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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