Nansen Primary School

Nansen Primary School - A Park View Academy Naseby Road, Birmingham, B8 3HG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Governance, safety, pupils’ cultural development, equal opportunities and the teaching of religious education are all inadequate.  The governing body and senior leaders do not adopt effective strategies that develop pupils’ awareness of the risks of extremism or radicalisation.  Leaders do not sufficiently develop pupils’ understanding of the different customs, traditions or religions that exist in Britain. This does not prepare pupils adequately for life in modern Britain.  Pupils are not taught how to deal with different types of bullying.  The governing body does not give leaders and teachers reasonable scope to exercise fully their day-to-day management responsibilities.  Teachers and support staff are not given a fair chance to apply for jobs within the academy. Many staff are placed on temporary contracts, including those in senior leadership roles. This

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

is leading to instability in school leadership and slowing improvement.  Pupils do not get a broad education. The governing body has removed some subjects, such as music, from the timetable.  Many staff are fearful of losing their jobs if they challenge the governing body’s decisions.  Pupils have limited knowledge of religious beliefs other than Islam.  Pupils’ handwriting, presentation and spelling are common weaknesses across the school.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs requires improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils’ achievement is improving in reading, writing and mathematics. Arabic is taught well. Early reading skills are developing quickly. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress.  Pupils take pride in their appearance and their academy.  The acting Principal has high expectations of the quality of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was initiated under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 with an initial focus on safeguarding, leadership and management. It was subsequently deemed a Section 5 inspection due to the extent of concerns surrounding safeguarding, leadership and management.  The inspectors observed 18 lessons. A number of these were observed jointly with the senior leadership team.  In addition to lesson observations, inspectors listened to pupils reading and reviewed pupils’ work with the Vice Principal. They also observed playtime and lunchtime activities.  Meetings were held with the acting Principal, other senior leaders, groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and representatives of the trust, including the Chair and the Executive Principal. Inspectors spoke informally with parents and carers at the start and the end of the school day.  Inspectors considered 27 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) prior to

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Information about this inspection

and during the inspection.  Questionnaire responses from 37 members of staff were reviewed.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s action plans, information about pupils’ achievement, governing body minutes and information relating to teaching, attendance, behaviour and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Jacqueline Wordsworth, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Usha Devi Her Majesty’s Inspector Rachel Howie Her Majesty’s Inspector Sa'ad Khaldi Additional Inspector Joanne Harvey Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are British children of Pakistani or Somali heritage. A high proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is well above the national average. In this school the funding provides additional support for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below the national average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The acting Principal was appointed in September 2013.  Nansen Primary School became a sponsored academy as part of the Park View Educational

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Information about this school

Trust, a multi-academy trust, in October 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that all leaders and managers keep pupils safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain by:  ensuring that pupils understand how to deal with all types of bullying  working with other agencies to make sure that pupils recognise the dangers and risks associated with extremism and radicalisation  implementing a programme of religious education that helps pupils understand the main beliefs of all major religions  making sure there is a suitably qualified person to administer paediatric first aid.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that the governing body fulfils its legal responsibilities by:  having fair and transparent recruitment processes  ensuring equal opportunities for staff and pupils  making sure the academy provides a broad range of subjects for all pupils  providing effectively for pupils’ cultural development  improving the management and checking procedures of the academy’s finances.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teachers improve their teaching and raise pupil’s attainment, particularly for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, by:  making sure that leaders check on the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make  checking that teachers’ marking helps pupils improve their work  insisting that teachers take account of what pupils already know and understand when planning activities, especially for the more-able pupils and those who are disabled or have special educational needs  making sure that teachers always spell words correctly  making sure that pupils spell correctly, use grammar and punctuation appropriately and write legibly  using information about pupils’ achievement to check carefully how well different groups of pupils are learning  using assessment information to identify pupils needs more quickly  appointing a full-time and qualified special educational needs coordinator.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Inspectors strongly recommend that the academy should not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance and the academy’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken urgently to assess how these aspects of leadership and governance may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Ofsted has also made recommendations for action on governance to the multi-academy trust.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement is improving steadily in reading, writing and mathematics. However, it requires improvement because the progress that pupils make is not consistent as they move through the school. Children start the Nursery with skills and knowledge that are well below those typical for their age. Despite the progress made during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage, children start school with below average attainment.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s data, and work in the pupils’ books, show that in Key Stage 1 pupils are reaching the standards expected for their age. They are making reasonable progress. In 2013, the proportion of Year 1 pupils who met the expected standard in phonics (letters and sounds) was broadly average. However, the standards attained by pupils in Year 6 were below average in reading and mathematics in 2013. They were well below average in writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Boys generally achieve less well than girls; boys’ attainment is around two terms behind girls’ in reading and writing. More-able pupils do not always reach the standards of which they are capable, particularly in reading and writing where few pupils gained the higher Level 5.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although the achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is improving, as a result of appropriately chosen support, their progress is not tracked or analysed well enough to enable staff to identify pupils’ needs quickly enough for them to make rapid gains in their learning. This is because the academy does not have a permanent teacher in charge of special educational needs; much of the work is undertaken by a higher- level teaching assistant.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding requires improvement. These pupils benefit from additional targeted support such as being taught reading, writing and mathematics in small groups. As a result, they are achieving at the same level as their classmates in most subjects, but their attainment is around half a term behind in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement in physical education is improving as a result of the new primary sport funding. The academy has worked well with other organisations to encourage pupils to increase their fitness levels. For example, a group of pupils was given pedometers to record how much exercise they engage in during the day. This resulted in pupils competing with each other to see who could record the most steps.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time has not been good enough to lead to good achievement. Some teaching is good, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Year 2, Year 5 and Year 6, but the majority of teaching still requires improvement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, the more-able pupils do not make enough progress, particularly in reading and writing, because the work they are given does not build well enough on what they already know and understand; they are not moved on quickly to harder work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in religious education is inadequate because it does not achieve the necessary gains in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding of all the major religions. Work in pupils’ books shows that teachers’ expectations of the amount of work that pupils should do are not always high enough.  Subjects such as art and music have been removed for some year groups at the insistence of the governing body.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils’ handwriting, presentation and spelling are common weaknesses across the school. Pupils do not always know how to correct their spelling errors. Teachers’ own spelling and grammar are sometimes incorrect.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Asking challenging questions, to make pupils think hard, is a strength of the teaching.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The allocation of pupil premium funding, together with additional support for disabled pupils, and those who have special educational needs, is helping pupils to keep up with their classmates.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ marking in most subjects is ineffective, although the marking of pupils’ writing skills is improving and becoming more consistent across classes. Nevertheless, in subject-related marking, the guidance given to pupils to tell them how to improve is often too vague to be helpful. In some classes, marking is irregular or inaccurate.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Most pupils are making generally good progress in reading because of the emphasis placed on the teaching of the sounds that letters make (phonics) and the importance of reading. However, in many classes more-able pupils should be achieving better in reading and writing. The teaching of phonics and other reading activities is well organised. Teachers are skilled in teaching early reading. Consequently, pupils are confident in tackling new words and develop a love of reading. Younger pupils are given soft toy dogs and encouraged to read to them, which motivates them well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Arabic is well taught with pupils making good progress in their word and sentence-level work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The academy’s systems for keeping pupils safe and secure are inadequate. Pupils do not know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. Inspectors found that the computers did not have an adequate level of protection to prevent access to inappropriate websites.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Pupils do not have secure understanding of all of the different types of bullying, particularly those associated with prejudice-based bullying. For example, pupils do not fully understand the consequences of intolerance and the damaging impact that this behaviour may have on the self- esteem of others who are different from themselves. They have an adequate understanding of dealing with racism and know who to tell if there is a concern.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Behaviour requires improvement because in some lessons pupils are restless and inattentive. This reduces the amount of work they complete and slows down their progress. This is most noticeable when pupils are taught by temporary teachers or, during planning and preparation time, when they are not taught by their regular teacher.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Parents, pupils and staff, who gave their views, agree that most pupils behave sensibly. Records show that incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with well when they do occur. However, leaders do not apply appropriate procedures for formal exclusion when pupils are sent home at lunchtime as a sanction for misbehaviour.  Pupils’ work in books is not always neatly presented, although pupils do generally take pride in their school. During the inspection, pupils were seen to make sure that displays in the corridors remained undamaged. They are proud of how they look in their new school uniform. Pupils are polite to school staff and visitors. It is the custom for pupils to hold doors open for adults and to say ‘good morning’ or ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ without being asked to do so.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Attendance is average. The newly appointed attendance officer is beginning to develop new computerised systems for recording and checking up on pupils who are persistently absent.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Since the academy opened 17 months ago, it has been led and managed by two temporary principals. This lack of stability and clarity about who is going to lead the academy on a long- term basis has stopped the academy from improving quickly.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Many leaders have temporary contracts. There are vacancies for several important roles. There is no-one with responsibility for pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs. In a number of year groups, particularly Year 5 and Year 6, the curriculum is narrow with heavy emphasis placed on English and mathematics at the insistence of the governing body. Subjects such as history, geography, religious education, music and art do not have a coordinator, so there is no clear oversight of the achievement of pupils in these subjects.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Pupils in Years 5 and 6 told inspectors that they felt it was unfair that they could not have music lessons. They also told inspectors that there had been a music room where pupils were taught to play a musical instrument before the school became an academy. Since then, this had been taken away. Pupils also said that they would like the opportunity to learn a European language, such as Spanish or French, as they wanted to know more about people from other countries and backgrounds.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Pupils have only a superficial knowledge and understanding of religions and beliefs other than Islam. The lack of leadership of religious education means that teachers are ill-informed about what to teach and how to teach this subject. Pupils’ cultural development is inadequate because the academy does not help pupils to develop an understanding of the diversity of traditions, religions and customs in modern British society. This leaves pupils at risk of cultural isolation.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Omissions in key policies such as those for anti-bullying, child protection and safeguarding mean that pupils are not adequately kept safe from all risks. There is no member of staff who is suitably qualified to administer paediatric first aid. The governing body and senior leaders have not engaged with the government’s ‘Prevent’ agenda. Consequently, pupils are not taught or prepared well enough to deal with any potential exposure to extremism or radicalisation.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Many staff have little confidence in the multi-academy trust. Some teachers report that a recent staffing re-structure was neither open nor fair. They say that staff were appointed to posts without interviews and with minimal testing of their abilities to fulfil leadership roles. Many staff reported that the academy has imposed changes without sufficient involvement or consultation. For instance, teachers were informed that they would no longer be teaching a class or teaching the full range of subjects but would be required to become a specialist in one subject. Some staff feel that they are not provided with enough training or professional development. Senior school leaders are unaware of what is done with the money deducted from the academy’s budget and paid to the trust.  Parents who spoke to Her Majesty’s Inspectors have a very mixed view of the academy. Many spoke of a lack of confidence in how the trust had made changes. For example, one parent

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The leadership and management are inadequate

questioned the value the trust had brought to the school. Another said that it had led to those in charge becoming disrespectful to parents. Several parents commented on the negative attitudes they believed that teaching assistants have towards Somali children.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Gaps in the subjects and activities on offer to pupils, omissions in the policies stated above, parents’ perceptions of inequality, along with weaknesses in the recruitment process, mean that the governing body does not adequately promote equal opportunities.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The newly appointed acting Principal has a reasonable understanding of the academy’s strengths and weaknesses. She has challenged some of the governing body’s decisions regarding the academy’s organisation. She has rightly identified the need to appoint a teacher to be responsible for religious education and for someone to be in charge of special educational needs. The acting Principal has quickly set about providing more support for teachers, including newly qualified teachers.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The academy uses a large proportion of the additional government funding it receives to employ extra staff to help improve the literacy and numeracy skills of eligible pupils. This is having a positive impact as the gap between these pupils’ achievement and that of their classmates is closing.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The new primary sport funding is used to develop pupils’ physical well-being and participation in competitive sports through after-school clubs and the use of sports coaches. The academy has checked the success of the funding through pupil questionnaires and by checking on the quality of the sessions on offer. The teacher responsible for primary sport reports that many more pupils participate with enthusiasm in physical education lessons.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Senior leaders carry out regular checks on teaching by visiting classrooms, looking at pupils’ books and talking to pupils about their work. However, not all these checks focus sharply enough on pupils’ progress. Judgements about teaching are often too generous; leaders have not taken sufficient account of the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The governance of the school:  Governance is inadequate. The governing body has failed to fulfil many of the terms and conditions of its funding agreement. For example, by not providing a broad and balanced curriculum.  Currently, the academy has a weekly whole-school assembly, which is of an Islamic character. The governing body has not received permission from the Education Funding Agency for an exemption from providing a broadly Christian act of worship. This means that governing body fails to meet this aspect of their responsibilities.  At present, there are no home-school agreements in place. The governing body also fails to ensure that pupils are taught how to deal with the risks involved with extremism or radicalisation. The Chair of the Governing Body is unaware of the correct procedures to follow should there be any allegations made against the acting Principal.  The governing body is overly controlling in the day-to-day running of the school. For example,

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The leadership and management are inadequate

when the teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage wanted pupils to take part in a nativity play, governors insisted on vetting a copy of the script for its suitability and told staff they must not use a doll as the ‘baby Jesus’..  The governing body holds the academy to account for the achievement of pupils and the quality of teaching. Governors know how the pupil premium funding is spent and the impact it is having on raising pupils’ attainment. They do not check on the impact of the new sport funding. Rewards and pay progression for some staff are not always linked to their performance or abilities. 

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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 138799 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 444501

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 820 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tahir Alam Acting Principal Razia Ali Date of previous school inspection N/A Telephone number 0121 4645760 Fax number 0121 4644571 Email address enquiry@nansen.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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