Redhill Primary School

Redhill Junior and Infant School Redhill Road, Hay Mills, Birmingham, B25 8HQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Pupils make good progress throughout the school in English and mathematics.  Standards in English and mathematics are rising. Most pupils now reach broadly average standards by the time they leave the school.  Teaching is mainly good and sometimes outstanding. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make equally good progress.  Behaviour is good. Any issues that arise are dealt with effectively. Pupils report they feel very safe in school and parents agree. There are good relationships between pupils and teachers.  The headteacher provides strong leadership and is supported by a good leadership team. Leaders and governors have done a good job of improving teaching and raising pupils’ achievement in the last two years, particularly in Key Stage 2.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding.  Too few pupils reach the higher levels in English and mathematics, particularly those who speak English as an additional language.  Pupils do not have enough chance to work on their own and find things out for themselves.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes, including two joint observations with the headteacher and two with the deputy headteacher. A total of 15 lessons were observed including extra teaching groups. Inspectors made short classroom visits to observe pupils at work and to look at pupils’ books.  Inspectors had discussions with representatives of the governing body, a representative from the local authority, the headteacher, other members of the school leadership team, teachers and two groups of pupils. Inspectors also listened to pupils of different ages read.  Inspectors looked at documents including past and current information about pupils’ progress, including the school’s pupil entry assessment records and pupil tracking information, documents relating to behaviour, safeguarding, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and the school’s own self-evaluation and school improvement documents.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the views of 34 parents from the school’s latest parent questionnaire, one letter received and a number of parents who were met informally at the start of the school day. No results were shown in Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) because there were an insufficient number of responses.  Inspectors also considered 19 staff questionnaires

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Inspection team

Kathryn Skan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Stephen Cox Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds with Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils being the largest groups.  Most pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked-after children, or pupils with a parent in the armed forces, is high.  The school does not use off-site alternative provision to support any of its pupils.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move teaching from good to outstanding by:  teaching advanced English language skills to older pupils who speak English as an additional language, so they are able to reach the higher levels in reading comprehension, mathematical word problems and creative writing  making sure work is always hard enough for more-able pupils in all subjects and right from the start of the lesson  giving all pupils the chance to work on their own and with others, without direct input from adults, to find things out for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The number of pupils making and exceeding nationally expected progress has increased considerably over the last two years. This is due to improvements in teaching. Pupils are now making strong gains in English and mathematics across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage the school meets pupils’ needs extremely well from below expected starting points. A clear focus on language, communication and early mathematical skills means pupils enter Key Stage 1 at much improved levels for their age compared with when they joined the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils also make good progress in Key Stage 1. At the end of Year 1 pupils do well in the national reading check and then leave Year 2 with broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress in Key Stage 2 is also good and now matches the rest of the school. Most pupils achieve average standards in English and mathematics by the time they leave at the end of Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. This is consistent with their peers because teachers plan for their learning well and the school makes sure their specific needs are met.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium also make good progress. Extra funds have been used to recruit additional staff to meet pupils’ specific needs, release leaders to support improvements in teaching, purchase extra reading materials, and for specialist training and teaching resources. These measures are helping pupils known to be eligible for free school meals to narrow the gap in attainment with all pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has made solid gains since the last inspection. Pupils are now more effectively developing and applying a range of skills in reading, writing, communication and mathematics due to a strong focus on improvement. However, too few older pupils have the more-advanced English language skills required to reach the higher levels in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in most subjects is usually good, including English and mathematics. Some outstanding teaching was observed in mathematics. Teachers plan thoughtfully to develop a range of skills through different subjects and topics. They check pupils’ learning well in lessons and make sure that pupils understand and improve their skills, building effectively on what they have learnt previously.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan carefully to set work at the right level for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the work is not always difficult enough to stretch the more-able pupils in all subjects, especially early on in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make learning interesting for pupils by choosing engaging tasks, including practical problem-solving related to the pupils’ own lives, and often include the use of laptop or netbook computers. However, pupils do not have enough chance to work without direct input from adults to find things out for themselves.  Marking is used very effectively to move pupils’ learning on and is strong across the school. Teachers clearly show pupils what they have to do next to improve their work. Pupils are also very clear about their own individual targets in writing and mathematics and have some element of choice so remember them well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are good at using other adults in lessons to support learning. Assistants are well trained and play an important role in helping pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Many are also further trained to support pupils who need a boost in a particular area of reading, writing or mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school prepares pupils well for the next stage in their education. The clear focus on teaching pupils the basic skills in reading, writing, calculations and mathematical problem-solving is effective. For older pupils though, their skills in recognising the words themselves are better than their understanding of what they have read, particularly as the books get harder.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are courteous and show good manners towards adults. They are proud of their school and say behaviour has improved over the last few years. The very large majority of parents say the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved and deals with any unacceptable behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Bullying is infrequent and pupils say appropriate action is taken should it occur. Most parents agree bullying is dealt with effectively. Pupils have an understanding of different types of bullying and most say they feel very safe in school. All replies on the staff questionnaire were overwhelmingly positive on safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ eagerness to learn and their good behaviour contribute to their improved progress. They are enthusiastic and they say that lessons are rarely disrupted by others. Relationships between pupils and teachers are good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Reward systems are consistent across the school. Pupils appreciate these. They particularly like being chosen by their teachers in the Friday ‘rewards assembly’ to sit on ‘top table’ in the dinner hall the following week.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There is a positive feel in the school and the atmosphere is warm and supportive. Pupils are well supervised and there is a sense of calm. Any incidents of boisterous behaviour are dealt with well by adults.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance rates are average. They improved strongly last year due to the robust stance taken by the school against term-time holidays and extended absences. This improvement has been maintained this year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has a clear vision and communicates high expectations for improvement. All members of the strong leadership team have successfully raised achievement through improving the quality of class teaching and by tailoring booster groups to meet the specific needs of pupils across the school. Leaders have the capacity to continue this upward trend.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s view of itself is accurate. Actions have been well planned to improve progress and have raised standards. Topics have been planned to meet the needs of the school’s community. These include opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development such as understanding everyone is special, focusing on values for life and learning about inspirational people from different cultures. Pupils also took part in a national record attempt for signing and singing at the same time (sign language for deaf people).

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has good systems to check its work. Whole-school training linked to the school’s plans for improvement has borne fruit. Appropriate training, matched to the needs of individual staff and linked to their targets, has contributed to improvements in teaching. Teachers appreciate the support they receive. The staff work as a cohesive team together for the benefit of the pupils, something that parents recognise and appreciate.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works well with parents and has laid on workshops to help them support their children’s learning. Parents say they would like to meet their child’s teacher earlier in the school year.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and governors make sure that all pupils have equal opportunities and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has confidence in the school’s leadership. It brokered helpful support for the school for mathematics from an outstanding school locally and support has been made available for governance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is effective in giving support and in asking searching questions of the leadership team. Governors have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement, compared with all pupils nationally, and know what the school is doing to improve it. They make sure finances are used in a way that supports pupils’ learning effectively and know how the pupil premium is being spent and how it is raising standards. The governing body uses its knowledge to make decisions about staffing and to make sure pay is linked to performance. It knows what is happening to tackle any underperformance. The health and safety committee meets regularly and procedures are well established. The arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet current requirements.

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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 103247 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 400599

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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 250 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tahmeena Suhail Headteacher Jennifer Cunningham Date of previous school inspection 11 March 2010 Telephone number 0121 4646322 Fax number 0121 4646323 Email address enquiry@redhill.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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