Colebourne Primary School

Colebourne Primary School Stechford Road, Hodge Hill, Birmingham, B34 6BJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement. Progress in mathematics in Years 1 to 6 has slowed down and is not as good as at the time of the previous inspection.  There are not enough planned opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematical skills in other subjects.  Teaching requires improvement as it varies too much in different year groups. Pupils, particularly the more-able, are sometimes given work that is too easy.  Lessons are sometimes too slow, which limits pupils’ learning and does not give them enough time to demonstrate what they have learned.  Marking does not always tell pupils how to improve or give them opportunities to respond to teachers’ comments.  Leadership and management require improvement. Leaders and managers do not analyse information on pupils’ progress in enough depth to underpin actions for school improvement.  School development planning does not clearly identify the main actions to improve areas and

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

how they are to be checked.  Checks to assess the quality of teaching do not focus enough on how well pupils are learning.  The governing body is not sufficiently involved in checking progress towards the main areas identified for improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and make good progress in their learning.  The quality of teaching has improved in English. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ writing which is improving well.  Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes towards their learning.  Pupils are cared for and supported well. They enjoy learning. Relationships between staff and pupils, and the pupils themselves, are strong.  There are many opportunities for pupils to learn from practical and interesting activities in a wide variety of subjects. The school has positive links with the local community.  Senior leaders and managers have a clear vision for the school, which is shared by staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons taught by 14 different teachers, and held meetings with governors, staff, groups of pupils and a representative of the local authority. Five joint lesson observations were conducted with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at planning documents, monitoring records, assessment data and pupils’ work.  Inspectors took account of 23 responses to Parent View (the online questionnaire) together with the school’s own survey of parents’ and carers’ views, and 19 responses to the staff questionnaire in reaching their judgements about the school.

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Inspection team

David Shears, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Andrew Beckett Additional Inspector Enid Korn Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Colebourne Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also well above average. However, the vast majority of these are not at the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium, which is extra government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and pupils from service families, is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this school

 A breakfast club and after-school care are both provided by the school. These formed part of the inspection.  Beaufort School, which provides for pupils with special educational needs, shares the site with Colebourne. Their rooms are integrated with Colebourne’s but the two schools run separately. Consequently, the work of Beaufort School was not part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress so that it is consistently good or better, particularly in mathematics, by:  using on-going accurate assessment to provide suitably demanding work throughout all lessons for all pupils, and particularly for the more-able  ensuring the pace of teaching is such that pupils have enough time to independently demonstrate their learning so that teachers can check on this  ensuring that marking consistently tells pupils how to improve their work and gives them opportunities to respond to comments  systematically planning regular opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematical skills in a wide range of other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  analysing pupils’ progress data more thoroughly to help develop actions that will drive whole- school improvement  recording clearly in a plan what needs to improve and the proposed action, how this is to be checked to see whether action has been effective, and the expected impact on pupils’ progress  focusing the checks on the quality of teaching more closely on the quality of learning for different groups of pupils and how it can be improved  an external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because while children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the progress they make in Years 1 to 6 is too variable from one year group to the next.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children begin school with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age group, and sometimes well below expectations. They make a positive start in the Early Years Foundation Stage because good relationships are developed with parents and carers and the children settle quickly into school routines. They make good progress, particularly in their literacy and mathematical development. For example, in one lesson children made good progress in learning which numbers add together to make ten and in finding one more or one less than a given number. By the time they enter Year 1 children have made good progress and their skills and knowledge have improved well to be broadly in line with expectations.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Years 1 to 6, pupils make good progress in some year groups, but not in all. By the time pupils leave at the end of Year 6, their attainment is still average because their rate of learning has been inconsistent.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress pupils make in literacy is better than in mathematics. This is because the school has focused well on improving pupils’ reading and writing skills and this is having a positive impact, particularly on their quality of writing. For example, pupils were seen to make good progress in learning how to write in the past tense because the teacher used carefully crafted questions to explore their understanding. However, progress in mathematics requires improvement because teaching in mathematics is less effective. For example, in a number of lessons observed, pupils were not given enough challenge to extend their thinking and did not learn as much as they could have done.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils from minority ethnic groups, those at the early stages of learning English, and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs all make similar progress to the other pupils in their classes.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, who make up all of those who receive extra support through the pupil premium, make similar progress to other pupils in the school. Compared with other pupils in the school those known to be eligible for free school meals attain the expected standards at Level 4 in English and mathematics but fewer attain the higher Level 5.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is too variable through the school. While there is some good teaching, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage, progress information and inspection findings indicate that the majority requires improvement and that there is very little outstanding teaching.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Mathematics teaching requires improvement. Assessment is not always used carefully to provide pupils of all abilities with demanding work that will help them learn well enough to make good progress. They are sometimes given work that is too easy. This is particularly the case for more- able pupils who do not achieve as well as they should.  In some lessons teachers talk for too long and the pace of learning is sometimes too slow. When this happens, pupils do not have enough time to demonstrate their learning. This makes it difficult for the teacher to securely assess the next steps individuals need to take to move forwards.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are often supported by teaching assistants. The effectiveness of this varies between classes, however, so these pupils make better progress in some classes than in others.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Work is regularly marked and teachers write positive comments to praise pupils. Nevertheless, pupils are not always told what they need to do to improve their work and there is too little evidence of pupils responding to the marking to show that they have improved their skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in English is improving because there has been a good focus on teaching phonics (the sounds letters make). Consequently, pupils’ writing has improved. However, while pupils have regularly planned opportunities to practise their writing skills in most subjects, this is not the case in mathematics. This limits pupils’ opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in practical problem-solving, which contributes to their slower progress in this subject.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are always told what they are going to learn in lessons. They all have individual writing targets which are clearly evident in literacy lessons. However, while there are group targets for mathematics displayed on classroom walls, pupils are less aware of these which limits their impact.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Good relationships are clearly evident in all lessons and teachers consistently use positive language that encourages pupils to ‘have a go’. Teachers use computer technology well and plan interesting activities to engage pupils. Pupils have a good attitude to lessons and enjoy learning. They work well together, giving each other helpful support, and are equally able to work independently.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents and carers, pupils and staff all say that pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite and courteous and have positive relationships both with each other and with adults. In particular, the behaviour of pupils is consistently good in the playground. They enjoy break times and all play well together. They are well supervised and say they feel safe.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes bullying and the forms it can take. They say that this is a rare occurrence in school, and that if and when it does happen, it is resolved quickly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons because they are interested in their work and want to do their best. They listen carefully and respond well to the activities they are given. Even when teaching does not sufficiently meet their learning needs, the majority of pupils still maintain their positive attitudes. Nevertheless, a few find this difficult and sometimes lose concentration.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils who attend the breakfast club say that it prepares them well for school. One pupil commented, ‘it gives us energy for the rest of the day’. There are both physical activities, such as indoor tennis, as well as opportunities for reading or painting which pupils enjoy. Pupils attending the after-school care say that they enjoy similar activities. Arrangements for supervision and care for both clubs are secure.  The attendance of pupils improved following the previous inspection and was above average last year. However, attendance this year has fallen due to more holidays being taken during term time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There are good links with Beaufort School and pupils from both schools work together as far as possible, such as enjoying break times together. This is beneficial for pupils from both schools in terms of sharing resources and in the development of pupils’ social and moral skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leadership and management of the school require improvement. The analysis of information on the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment and progress is not deep enough and does not sufficiently link together the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school development plan correctly identifies the main areas for development, such as the quality of teaching in mathematics. However, some of the numerous actions outlined are not linked closely enough to improving pupils’ progress. They do not always clearly identify what exactly should be done to bring about improvement, or how this improvement should be checked.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has implemented the national arrangements for checking teachers’ work and setting them targets for improvement. Senior staff check the quality of teaching and teachers are told where teaching is good and what they need to do to improve. However, these checks generally do not include consideration of pupils’ progress, and so areas identified for improvement are not always focused on helping pupils to learn more effectively.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the previous inspection, the responsibilities for leadership are now better shared among a greater number of staff. Leaders responsible for different age groups are now much more involved in checking the progress of all pupils in their group. Any pupils identified as at risk of under-achieving are given extra support. Most of these pupils are beginning to make better progress as a result.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leaders and managers have been successful in establishing a consistent approach to the teaching of reading and writing. This has resulted in pupils making better progress, particularly in writing. However, the quality of mathematics teaching is inconsistent. While the school has identified this as an area for development, work to improve it has not yet been effective.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils are given a suitable, wide range of subjects which they enjoy. Subject areas are supported by various practical activities, such as educational visits, which develop their knowledge and skills well. This, coupled with the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their good care gives pupils a positive experience of learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school checks to see that any discrimination is quickly tackled and eliminated. However, its drive to ensure that all pupils have an equal chance to succeed is not yet fully successful, as progress still varies between year groups and between English and mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority does not routinely provide support but responds to the school’s requests.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is very committed to the school and are keen to see it improve. Members take an interest in all aspects of school life and have a clear understanding of the main areas of strength. They also know where the school needs to improve, although they are not sufficiently involved in monitoring arrangements to improve these priorities. The governing body has recently received training in understanding the national information about the progress of different groups of pupils. They are beginning to use this to compare Colebourne’s performance with other schools’ and to challenge the school about its results. Governors are informed of the quality of teaching, and any particular strengths and weaknesses in individuals’ work. They know how teaching effectiveness relates to pay and promotions, but do not link this closely enough to pupils’ progress. The governing body is aware of the way

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The leadership and management requires improvement

pupil premium money is spent and the impact this is having on these pupils. Governors have good links with parents and carers.

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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 103263 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 413183

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 418 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Matt Green Headteacher Stuart Guest Date of previous school inspection 4 May 2010 Telephone number 0121 6758500 Fax number 0121 6758499 Email address enquiry@colebourne.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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