All Saints CofE Primary School

All Saints CofE Primary School Wilford Road, West Bromwich, B71 1QN

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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.  Almost all pupils make consistently good progress across the school in English, mathematics and all other subjects.  Teaching is lively and imaginative. Lessons are well planned and capture the interest of all pupils.  Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. They are confident and courteous. They behave very well in lessons and around the school.  There is a wide range of activities on offer for the pupils. There are particularly good opportunities for pupils to learn outdoors.  The headteacher has created a very strong team where leaders, all staff and governors work together for the pupils.  Leaders constantly focus on improving the quality of teaching.  Parents are very positive about all aspects of the school. It is a popular school which is expanding quickly.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not outstanding because in a few lessons the precise learning points different groups of pupils are intended to cover are not made sufficiently clear to them.  Teachers’ expectations of what less able pupils can achieve are not always high enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes, visiting 23 lessons and part lessons and observing all teachers. Four lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors observed a collective worship assembly and also carried out a ‘learning walk’ with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with pupils, the headteacher and other leaders and managers as well as representatives of the governing body and of the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s development plan, records of the governing body meetings, safeguarding arrangements and work in pupils’ books.  Parents and carers were asked for their views at the beginning and end of the school day and the views of the 22 parents who contributed to the online Parent View survey were analysed.

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Inspection team

Simon Griffiths, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Judith Tulloch Additional Inspector Lesley Voaden Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school and is expanding.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is similar to the national average.  There are more pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds than in most schools of this size. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teaching is never less than good and often outstanding by ensuring:  teachers and pupils use the correct technical vocabulary in all lessons  all pupils, particularly the less able, are given the time they need reflect on their answers to teachers’ questions  all teachers have consistently high expectations of what less able pupils can achieve  all pupils know exactly what it is they need to learn in all lessons  leaders’ lesson observation notes identify exactly what has been learned by different groups of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school with skills and knowledge which are below the levels normally found in children of this age. They quickly learn routines and the well-organised activities offered in the Nursery help them catch up by the time they enter Reception. In the Reception classes a good balance of teacher-led and carefully chosen play activities mean they usually enter Key Stage 1 with skills much closer to typical levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 New approaches to teaching phonics (the linking of letters and sounds) have improved the rate of progress pupils make, and in the national Year 1 check, a higher than average proportion of pupils reached the expected level. Pupils quickly learn to say and write sounds accurately.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Strong progress continues in Key Stage 1, and particularly in Year 2. Results are improving and pupils typically achieve levels in line with those expected. This represents good progress from their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in Key Stage 2 make consistently strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics across Key Stage 2. Nearly all pupils make at least expected progress and more pupils leave the school having exceeded the progress expected of them than is normally the case. The most recent results show that pupils leaving Year 6 in 2013 had made good progress from the end of Key Stage 1. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More pupils are reaching the higher levels. Work in the books shows that expectations for more able pupils are high. There are examples of high quality writing for different purposes, and in mathematics pupils are tackling decimals in Year 4 and algebra and equations in Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Writing has improved since the last inspection and is now well above the level normally found. Reading results dropped slightly last year but the improvements in mathematics were sustained. This means that, overall, pupils have made good progress from their starting points since first entering the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in the new spelling and grammar test were lower than expected because, despite being effective writers in many other respects, pupils were unsure of the proper technical vocabulary to be used in grammar exercises. The school is already taking steps to rectify this.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy reading and read confidently and fluently, and can explain how and why they chose their own books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is smaller than usual. Many of these pupils have not been in the school from the normal starting point. Very close tracking of their abilities and good support for their individual needs enable them to make secure and often strong progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are supported by pupil premium make similar progress to other pupils in the school and better progress than that found nationally. The school has used this additional funding to provide extra small group teaching for reading and writing, the training of volunteers for the reading programme and ensuring pupils can take part in all school activities. Results are improving although there is still a gap of about two terms between these pupils and their classmates in English and mathematics.  Pupils whose first language is other than English make very good progress. Pupils from minority ethnic groups generally make good progress and some make significantly better progress than is normally expected.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good gains in all areas of their learning and this reinforces their progress in English and mathematics. Their physical attainment is good as a result of careful use of the new funding for sport and they have a very good awareness of the environment and the outdoors.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is mostly good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers are very enthusiastic and lessons are usually lively and interesting. They are fast paced and questioning is sharp and carefully matched to the abilities of different pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and prepare their lessons carefully. Effective use is made of technology and resources are carefully chosen to interest the pupils and support their learning. Pupils have good opportunities to solve problems and teachers often encourage them to act as detectives and find out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is calm and purposeful. Lessons are well-planned to allow pupils to choose activities that interest them. Pupils are taught in small groups in attractive bays and teachers are skilled in prompting children when they are choosing activities for themselves and helping them to deepen their understanding and develop their writing and mathematical skills. Adults regularly encourage the children to record their work. Good use is made of the outdoor area to give children different choices.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics is effective. Teachers are able to help the pupils sound out words accurately and carefully. More able pupils are often moved on more quickly whilst other pupils are given more help. Lessons build well on previous learning. Mistakes are used positively as teaching points to deepen understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Learning is fun and pupils are praised for trying, with teachers saying, for example, ‘You are sparkling today’. One classroom door is labelled ‘Welcome to the dream factory. In here we dream of being whatever we aspire to be and strive to get there one day at a time’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a good contribution to the learning and work well together with teachers. Their questioning often moves learning on and encourages pupils to use their own initiative.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The marking of work is very thorough and helpful to pupils. Time at the start of lessons is often taken to discuss how well pupils did last time and what needs to be done next.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The best teaching always ensures pupils with different abilities know precisely what they have to learn. In these lessons teachers constantly check how well the pupils are doing and move them on quickly when needed. In less effective lessons, however, it is not clear exactly what each group of pupils is expected to learn, and sometimes the teachers’ rapid questioning does not give less forthcoming pupils time to reflect and consider their answers. In a few lessons, teachers’ expectations of less able pupils are not high enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well taught in small groups and also in some larger groups, where additional adults have been put in to provide extra support. Activities and small group support sessions are carefully checked and changed if needed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the outdoors is effective and there are strong procedures for ensuring safety which enables pupils to experience exciting outdoor activities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Parents all say that teachers care for their children and are helping them make good progress. Teachers are always available to talk to parents and this is appreciated.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are almost always well behaved and are polite and friendly. They say that behaviour is good in lessons and around school. They appreciate always having someone to talk to and ‘Family Time’ gives them good opportunities to share and reflect.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils play together happily at playtime despite the current playground being small for the number of pupils. They understand the school rules and like the system of dot cards and merits which encourage them to behave well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe and free from bullying and name calling. The older pupils understand the different types of bullying. Detailed school records show that incidents are usually very minor and there have been no racist incidents recorded.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in the dining room is good. Lunchtime staff takes the trouble to put flowers on the tables and provide other opportunities such as ‘fine dining’ for pupils who have been good role models. The lunchtime staff are an important part of the team and are a good example of the strong teamwork in the school, where all adults pull together.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very strong in most lessons, particularly when they try hard and work well, both as individuals and in groups. Behaviour is not outstanding because less able pupils are not always ready to challenge themselves and try to improve unless teachers specifically prompt them and show them how to do so in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is below average but the school has put in many effective strategies, such as the ‘One hundred percent club’, and attendance is improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is well supported by the deputy headteacher and other leaders. Together they have created a very supportive staff team who share the same approach to helping the children learn. The school improvement plan clearly and accurately identifies the areas where the school needs to improve to become outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has high expectations of staff and pupils. Teachers have clear targets for improving their teaching. New teachers are given a lot of support and they comment on how helpful this is. Lesson observation notes are very detailed but do not always pick out clearly whether particular groups of pupils made enough progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual and moral understanding is well developed and is an important part of what the school values most. Pupils come into assembly to the sound of the choir singing and the reflective and calm atmosphere that is created is exceptional.  Main subject leaders are new to their responsibilities but are knowledgeable about what is happening in their subject and have identified what is going well and what needs to be done next. A good example of this is how they have responded to the spelling and grammar test, by insisting technical vocabulary is always used in all classes by both teachers and pupils. They are enthusiastic and set high standards for themselves and the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding arrangements are detailed and meet requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is a wide range of interesting topics for the pupils to learn in all subjects. Visitors and visits, as well as after school activities, are carefully combined to increase pupils’ understanding. There are very good opportunities for outdoor learning and pupils have the opportunity to climb trees, identify birdsong and find and identify minibeasts in the woods on a regular basis.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have considered carefully how grants such as the sporting premium funding should be used. The school is investing in improving the skills of its own staff in teaching sport so the benefits will be there for all of the pupils, year on year. The quality of gymnastics and dance lessons in school is improving as a result.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides light touch support to the school because it has confidence in the leaders’ capacity to continue to improve the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are rightly proud of the school. They understand the school’s strengths but also know what needs to be better still. They use published data to help them ask leaders the right questions and also monitor standards, for example, by attending meetings about pupil progress. They have used this knowledge to direct resources to where further improvement is needed, for example, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and those supported by pupil premium. A new governor has been appointed to oversee the impact of pupil premium funding. They have ensured the school is financially sound and understand the principles governing performance management and pay progression. They are fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching and support and challenge the headteacher and all staff well.

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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 103990 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 427083

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 299 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair A Hobday Headteacher Mrs Jacqueline Beech Date of previous school inspection 27 November 2008 Telephone number 0121 588 4075 Fax number 0121 588 4075 Email address office@allsaints-sch.co.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

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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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