Adderley Primary School

Adderley Primary School Arden Road, Saltley, Birmingham, B8 1DZ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Governors do not have an accurate enough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. As a result they are not able to sufficiently question senior leaders about the work they are doing to improve the school.  Governors rely too much on the information that they receive from the school leaders and do not have systems in place to make checks on school improvement for themselves. They do not ensure that the financial resources made available to the school are managed as effectively as they could be.  More-able pupils in Years 5 and 6 are not always challenged sufficiently and as a result they do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Senior leaders and governors have been distracted from their main functions by a breakdown in the relationship with the local authority and an ongoing situation with regard to allegations made by former staff.  Leaders responsible for the progress of disabled

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

pupils and those with special educational needs do not make regular checks to ensure that these pupils make at least good progress.  Plans that set out how to improve the school are unclear. It is difficult for leaders and governors to use these plans to check whether their actions are having an impact.  Teaching assistants in Key Stage 1 are not always used effectively to help pupils to learn.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching is good and as a result most pupils, including those who are eligible for pupil premium funding and those in Early Years Foundation Stage, make good progress. Achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is rising steadily.  As a result of determined work by senior leaders, pupils experience a wide range of learning opportunities, including numerous exciting visits, clubs and activities.  Work to keep pupils safe, including from the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism, is thorough. Pupils feel safe and talked knowledgably to inspectors about how to stay safe in a range of situations.  Pupils work and play together well and behaviour is good. Pupils take a pride in their work and enjoy coming to school. They learn about and are respectful of different cultures and beliefs. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strong feature of this school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons or parts of lessons, one of which was undertaken jointly with the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors undertook ‘learning walks’. These comprised of short visits to a number of lessons to speak to pupils and look at their work, examine displays and to look at reading, including phonics (the link between letters and the sounds they make).  Meetings were held with senior leaders, two groups of governors, a group of staff members, teachers who hold additional responsibilities, the school’s legal adviser and the finance consultant. In addition, two meetings and a number of telephone conversations were held with representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors talked with groups of pupils, listened to them read and observed them during playtimes and lunchtimes. Two assemblies were also visited. Inspectors spoke to pupils informally around the school.  Inspectors took account of the 14 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View) and the 55

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Information about this inspection

replies to the staff questionnaire. The views of parents were also sought at the start of the school day as they brought their children to school. Inspectors also looked at surveys of staff and parents that had been carried out by the school but it was not possible to verify that all returned surveys were included in the information provided.  The inspection team reviewed a range of documentation including the school development and action plans, safeguarding policies, minutes of meetings including those of the governing body, information about pupils’ progress, an overview of the school budget and records of financial transactions.  Inspectors were made aware of an external investigation into allegations made against the school by former members of staff.

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Inspection team

Rachel Howie, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Adderley is an above-average-sized primary school.  More than half the pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care).  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action, school action plus and those with a statement of special education needs is below average.  Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The largest groups represented are Pakistani and African. A large proportion of pupils do not speak English as their first language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by making sure that:  the governing body have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and a systematic and focused way of finding out for itself the impact of the actions taken by the senior leaders to improve the school  governors ensure that policies and procedures related to identifying the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism are implemented consistently by all staff  systems are in place to check on the progress of all groups of pupils, including those with disabilities and special educational needs and the more-able pupils in Years 5 and 6, to ensure that they make at least good progress  the governing body closely checks the impact of the pupil premium funding  the school budget is managed effectively in the short and long term to enable year-on-year funding to be allocated without an excessive surplus  action plans set out clear targets and measures of improvement so that senior leaders and governors

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

can check if their actions are making a difference  senior leaders analyse behaviour records to check for trends and patterns  governors respond fully to all recommendations set out in the recent review of governance  the main focus of the work of the senior leaders and governors is on the continued improvement of teaching and outcomes for pupils.  Ensure that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable by:  ensuring that pupils are able to use a range of strategies to help them to read and make sense of their books  ensuring teaching assistants in Key Stage 1 are deployed effectively to help pupils to learn.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Steps should be taken to reinstate a functional working relationship between the local authority and the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the procedures for monitoring the impact of the school’s work are not sufficiently rigorous and governors do not have clear systems in place to fully hold the school to account. Unresolved issues relating to staffing and a poor relationship with the local authority have distracted senior leaders and governors from some of their core functions. This has prevented the school from improving as quickly as it could.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s plans for improvement do not state clearly how, when or by whom success will be measured. This makes it difficult for senior and middle leaders and governors to use the plans to check whether their actions are making a difference.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Until recently, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs have not been making the progress that is expected. This is because the impact of the support they receive has not been checked well enough by those who have responsibility in this area. More recently the progress of these pupils has improved and most now make the progress that is expected.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school keeps parents well informed through regular newsletters and parent workshops. The majority of parents who spoke with inspectors are supportive of the school and would recommend it to others. However, there is a small group who remain dissatisfied with the school’s work.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Performance management is rigorous and the targets set for staff are appropriately challenging. Teachers who spoke with inspectors identified that their individual coaching programmes have been helpful in improving their teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum covers a wide range of subjects. It has been updated to reflect the requirements of the new National Curriculum and leaders are in the process of updating the assessment system in order to track pupils’ progress. Pupils’ learning is enriched by a range of after-school clubs and trips, and pupils also have a range of opportunities to learn musical instruments. Through the curriculum pupils gain a good understanding of and a respect for a number of different religions. Older pupils spoke knowledgeably with inspectors about what it means to be British. They also demonstrated that they had a secure understanding that not all families are made up in the same way. The curriculum contributes exceptionally well to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Following the inspection in April 2014, leaders and governors acted swiftly to review the policies and procedures related to identifying the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism and these are now in place. Systems are not yet in place for the governors to check that these policies are being implemented consistently.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The procedures to keep pupils safe are thorough. As recommended in the inspection report in April, thorough background checks are now made on staff and governors and outcomes are recorded in a systematic way.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The national sports funding for primary schools has been spent effectively, resulting in increased attendance at after-school sporting clubs, increased physical activity at playtimes and opportunities for more pupils to visit sporting events to raise their aspirations.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The relationship between the school and the local authority is characterised by mistrust and antagonism. As a result there is a lack of clear and transparent communication between the two and the school is not benefiting from the partnership with and oversight by the local authority that is usually expected in a maintained school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors do not have clear systems in place to fully hold the school to account. Governors have been too reliant on the information that the school’s senior leaders have presented and do not have other ways of checking that the information is accurate. As a result they are not able to provide robust challenge to senior leaders.  Although governors come into school for visits, these are not planned strategically or linked with school improvement actions.  Governors do not check closely the impact of the pupil premium funding. As a result they do not know if the funding is improving the progress of eligible pupils.  Despite regular finance meetings, governors have not monitored spending sufficiently rigorously to prevent a £1.2 million under spend at the end of the financial year 2013/14.  The governing body ensures that current government requirements for safeguarding are met.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 A review of governance took place in September 2014 but the recommendations from this have yet to be received.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are calm and orderly as they move around school. In lessons they listen attentively and respond well. They make good progress as a result. Pupils are welcoming to visitors and demonstrate very good manners. They are respectful to adults and to one another. They are keen to talk about their school and their learning, and are articulate when they do so. Pupils report that school is a safe place to learn and play. Staff, governors and most parents agree.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Any incidents of poor behaviour are recorded clearly. There were a number of exclusions last year, and they were dealt with appropriately and recorded thoroughly. Senior leaders do not analyse these records of behaviour to check for any trends or patterns.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a well-developed sense of right and wrong and are taught to have respect for others. Pupils who spoke with inspectors had a broad understanding of people from a range of different faiths and for those who belong to different types of families. One pupil summed it up by saying ‘we are all unique in our own right’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are offered a range of opportunities to take on responsibilities and share their opinions and ideas with adults. They enjoy these responsibilities and take them seriously. They were particularly enthusiastic to tell inspectors about the ‘Adderley Bazaar’. As a result pupils are proud of their school, take pride in their work and enjoy coming to school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. School leaders ensure that staff, volunteers and visitors to the school have the appropriate checks. Staff understand what to do if they have concerns about a pupil’s safety or well-being.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils’ safety. Pupils learn how to recognise different forms of bullying and older pupils learn about the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation. Pupils told inspectors that bullying does occur from time to time but they trust adults to deal with it appropriately. A ‘drop-in’ room is provided so pupils can access adults quickly with their concerns. Pupils could explain clearly about actions they would take if they had concerns when using the internet and about the rules the school has in place to keep them safe online.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Since the inspection in 2012 the playground has been redesigned and a range of play equipment installed. Playtimes are busy and well supervised. Children play together well. A small number of pupils said that playtimes can sometimes be boisterous due to a large number of games being played simultaneously, but confirmed that adults would intervene if a problem arose.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 School leaders have been persistent in ensuring that pupils and their families understand the importance of attending school regularly. Regular newsletters, weekly assemblies and a range of rewards including bicycles support this. Currently attendance is in line with the national average for primary schools.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good across the school. Teachers are keen to improve their practice and have benefited from a range of training, for example in the teaching of phonics, and also from the personalised coaching that they receive from senior leaders. There is a culture of continuous improvement in the school and any less than good teaching is identified quickly and measures put in place to improve it. This is helping pupils to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers provide pupils with a range of well-planned and exciting opportunities to learn through a range of different subjects. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and generally try their best in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics is consistent and secure. Pupils are confident to use what they have learned to tackle new words confidently. However, some children rely too much on this strategy in their reading and do not use other methods to help them read and make sense of their book.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants in the Reception classes and in Key Stage 2 work effectively with pupils to help them to learn new things. They ask questions that make pupils think hard and encourage pupils to learn new things. Sometimes, most noticeably in Key Stage 1, teaching assistants are not deployed as effectively as they could be.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers encourage pupils to answer questions in full sentences and to use increasingly challenging vocabulary to explain their ideas. Classroom and corridor displays are vibrant and stimulating and provide helpful ideas for pupils to make their writing more interesting. This is helping pupils to be confident and articulate when expressing their ideas and opinions and to be creative in their writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils receive helpful written and verbal feedback from teachers which helps them to make improvements to their work. Pupils present their work neatly and generally finish their tasks in the time they are given, producing a good amount of work. This is because teachers show that they have high expectations.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers usually provide tasks that are at the right level of difficulty for pupils. However, school data and evidence from pupils’ books show that more-able pupils in Years 5 and 6 are not always challenged as much as they could be. This is preventing them from making the progress they are capable of.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are fully included in lessons and have individual programmes that provide extra support for their learning. Recently these pupils have begun to make better progress than has previously been the case.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are taught how to develop successful learning habits. This has a positive effect on their attitudes to learning and as a result most pupils make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 2 has been rising steadily for the last three years, and in 2014 it was above average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Unvalidated results from 2014 show that at the end of Year 6, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics has increased from the previous year, most noticeably in reading. This improvement in reading is as a result of a clear focus from senior leaders on improving this area of learning. Almost all pupils made the progress expected of them and an increasing proportion made good progress. This represents a picture that is above the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Slightly fewer pupils than the national average reach the higher levels of achievement in spelling and grammar and mathematics at the end of Year 6. This is because the most able pupils are not always sufficiently challenged in Years 5 and 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although the school promotes the enjoyment of reading well and achievement has improved, many pupils are not yet able to speak confidently about the authors they like or the type of books they enjoy reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Funding received by the school for pupils supported by the pupil premium is used very effectively to enhance the level of support for these pupils. As a result eligible pupils progress at least at the same rate as, and in many cases faster than, their classmates. The gap between the attainment of these pupils and their peers has closed completely and in most cases eligible pupils achieve better than other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the most recent screening check for phonics (the sounds that letters make), the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard was well above the national average. This is because the teaching of phonics is good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Those pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs have not, until recently, made good progress. This is because leaders do not check that the support that these pupils receive is helping them to learn effectively.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Throughout the school, teachers are ensuring that pupils have a range of opportunities to develop their language skills and vocabulary. Teachers expect pupils to answer questions in full sentences and have high expectations when pupils are working together in pairs and groups. This is developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills effectively.

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Early Years Provision is good

 Teaching is the Early Years Foundation Stage is consistently good and as a result most children make good progress in all seven areas of learning. They are well equipped to start Year 1. School information shows that the proportion of children reaching the expected standard in 2014 was above the national average.

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Early Years Provision is good

 Children are provided with a broad range of activities both indoors and outside that interest them. Teachers and teaching assistants are skilful in guiding children’s play to help them to make leaps in their learning. Adults assess children’s play effectively to check what they know, and intervene to extend learning.

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Early Years Provision is good

 Children behave well and the procedures to keep them safe are thorough. Adults are good role models, demonstrating safe practices, good manners and respect. This helps children to learn and play together harmoniously and understand one another’s differences.

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Early Years Provision is good

 The Early Years Foundations Stage leader has an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Training for staff is carefully linked to the areas of weakness and this ensures that there is a continuous cycle of improvement.

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Early Years Provision is good

 Teachers communicate well with pre-school providers, including the local children’s centre, to ensure that when children arrive at school they can be supported appropriately and their needs can be met.

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Early Years Provision is good

 Parents are invited into school on ‘special Fridays’ to find out about their children’s learning. Workshops are also held to show parents how children are learning to read. This enables parents to help their children at home.

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Early Years Provision is good

 At the time of the inspection the Reception children were in school for their first full day. It was evident to inspectors that their part-time timetable and the high expectations of the staff had prepared them well. Children settled quickly into the school day and had already been taught some of the social skills and good manners expected.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 103159 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 452173

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 608 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jawed Iqbal Headteacher Rizvana Darr Date of previous school inspection 23 January 2012 Telephone number 0121 464 1500 Fax number 0121 464 1510 Email address r.darr@adderley.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 and 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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