Crocketts Community Primary School

Crocketts Community Primary School Coopers Lane, Smethwick, B67 7DW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Crocketts Community Primary School has an excellent leadership team which is consistently driving improvements across the whole school. It is supported by a governing body that is highly challenging and has an accurate view of the school’s performance.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and their attitudes to learning are exceptional. Pupils say they feel safe and happy in school.  Teaching is consistently at least good and often outstanding across all year groups and subjects.  All groups of pupils are making rapid and sustained progress in reading, writing and mathematics, although phonics (the sounds letters make) are not taught consistently as well across all age groups as other aspects of English.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development outstandingly well.  The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children are well taught and make good overall progress. Teachers’ use of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

assessment information in planning has a greater impact on children’s progress and their development of skills in Reception than in the Nursery.  Parents and carers are highly positive about all aspects of the school’s work.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  The school’s move towards a new curriculum has enabled pupils to experience a wide range of learning opportunities. It is preparing them very well for their future lives.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 22 lessons across the whole school, several of which were joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  The inspection team considered the 12 responses to Parent View, the online questionnaire, as well as a recent school survey. The team also considered the 28 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspection team held meetings with pupils, senior leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and talked to pupils about their work and their attitudes to learning. The team also scrutinised a range of documentation including the school’s self-evaluation and development planning, and information relating to the progress and attainment, attendance and behaviour of pupils and the school’s work to keep pupils safe.

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Inspection team

Ronald Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  The Early Years Foundation Stage is made up of a Nursery and two Reception classes.  The majority of pupils are from a range of minority ethnic groups, with pupils of Asian heritage being the largest group. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is above average. This additional funding gives extra support to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action and those supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are both above average.  The school provides specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs; it caters for up to nine pupils who have severe physical and medical needs.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current 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?

 Improve teaching and achievement further by:  sharpening the effectiveness of tracking and monitoring systems in the Nursery to match the same high quality evident in Reception  making sure that the teaching of phonics is fully effective across the whole school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The dynamic leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, well supported by subject and phase leaders, has resulted in continued improvements across the whole school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The senior leadership team reacts quickly to national information on pupils’ progress and attainment. For example, the 2013 Year 6 national data, while confirming steady improvements over time, also showed that attainment that was below average in reading and mathematics. They responded immediately to improve the way these subject areas are taught, resulting in a sharp rise in achievement, and current data show that attainment in all subjects is now above average.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Highly effective monitoring has ensured consistently good teaching over several years and consistent improvements in achievement for all groups of pupils. Leaders at all levels robustly challenge staff, make sure that all have very high expectations and aspirations for their pupils and perform at a level which ensures pupils reach their full potential. Subject leaders are very well trained for their roles and have a clear and well-defined understanding of their responsibilities.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders and governors use local authority and other school links to validate the accuracy of teachers’ assessments. This ensures that teachers have the information they need to plan future learning, and intervene where pupils have underachieved, so any gaps are closed rapidly.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The senior leadership team sets high standards for all staff and these equate to the challenging targets for all pupils. Progress against these targets, referenced to national information on pupils’ progress, is tracked and monitored carefully by class teachers, subject leaders and members of the senior leadership team.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders and governors place a high emphasis on developing staff skills. Teachers’ pay rises and promotion are linked closely to how well they meet the national Teachers’ Standards and fulfil in their roles across the school, which then feed each individual’s training needs. One summed this up: ‘Since joining the school my professional development has been excellent and I have improved as a teacher.’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders are positive about change, as shown by the school’s innovative curriculum; this has galvanised pupils, who thoroughly enjoy learning. They have also ensured that teachers present subject matter in ways which are relevant to the pupils’ abilities, interests and backgrounds, and take their views fully into account.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher and several other leaders provide support to a range of other schools in the local authority. They provide advice and support on school improvement as well as training in physical handling techniques. The school’s approach to the curriculum is offered as a model of good practice. The senior leadership team has now begun to consider how they are going to assess the pupils without the use of National Curriculum levels, building on the method used in the Early Years profile.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The leadership of the provision for pupils with severe physical and medical needs is excellent. Careful monitoring, tracking and assessing ensure that these pupils make progress in line with their peers.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Parents and carers rightly feel the school is well run and feel highly supported, especially the most vulnerable families. The school also uses its excellent links with the local authority and other agencies to help ensure that all the pupils’ needs are fully met. The local authority fully supports the school; its ‘light touch’ approach includes the regular monitoring of performance in all areas of the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupil premium funding is used highly effectively to provide a wide range of support and resources to make sure disadvantaged pupils make good and at times outstanding progress. The primary sports funding is also used very effectively. It provides for specialist physical education instruction as well as training for the teaching staff to develop their skills further. This has resulted in a widening of the physical activities available during lessons and after-school clubs, and a real enthusiasm for pupils to participate in physical activities. Many use sport clubs beyond school, and pupils spoken to said they enjoy exercise.  The governance of the school:  The governors are fully involved in all aspects of the school and use their particular skills to carry out their duties highly effectively. Governors both challenge and support the school very well. They monitor and scrutinise the work of the school thoroughly, including assessment data on the progress and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

attainment of all groups of pupils. They ensure that safeguarding procedures are followed and robustly meet current requirements; these are used by other schools as examples of good practice. They work carefully with the headteacher in carrying out their duties regarding the performance of teachers and link this to teachers’ pay and training. Governors regularly visit the school and observe lessons, using this alongside other information to maintain a highly accurate picture of the school’s performance. Governors manage the pupil premium and sports funding effectively. They carefully check how this is used and what the results have been.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Their attitudes to learning are also outstanding. The innovative teaching and curriculum have instilled a real love of learning in the pupils that spills out into all aspects of their school life. This was clearly seen during a break when some of the youngest pupils were observed creating a fairground. This evolved into the use of tickets, ride fares, who would have various jobs and who were customers. The pupils were adding up ticket costs, giving change and a range of other aspects.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Parents, pupils and staff rightly feel that behaviour across the school is excellent. Parents stated that their children feel safe and are happy to attend school. This is also clearly shown in the above-average attendance rates and very low exclusion rates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 In every classroom pupils demonstrate very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils support each other in their learning and are receptive to the views of others. The pupils with physical and medical disabilities are fully accepted by all the pupils and are considered to be valuable members of their groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils have an in-depth understanding of the various kinds of bullying and various forms of prejudice. They know how to keep safe on the internet and both in and out of school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All adults act as strong role models, demonstrating respect and understanding for everyone. In turn this is also demonstrated by the pupils themselves, both with each other and towards adults. The school provides a wide range of opportunities to study and experience a range of cultures, religions and beliefs. This has made sure that pupils at Crocketts Primary School have an excellent understanding of life in modern Britain.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching in all key stages and subjects is never less than good, and in most it is outstanding. This helps pupils to make consistently good or better progress, and many to reach the higher levels of attainment.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is innovative and makes learning fun. This was clearly shown during a Year 6 English lesson, when pupils were learning about the plight of evacuees in the Second World War and the feelings and emotions of those involved. The teacher carefully explored how the theme related to the lives of the pupils themselves and their families. For example, how they would have felt in similar circumstances, and how their grandparents or other family members felt when this happened to them. Partway through, the teacher left the room, returning as one of the evacuee characters under discussion. What followed was an exceptional example of learning with pupils writing and asking highly complex and searching questions. The teacher had all the pupils fully engrossed in learning, in this case through the role he was playing.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers plan carefully to ensure that lessons support pupils’ spiritual, moral and social and cultural development. A wide range of visits and visitors enhance learning further and provide the wide range of experiences necessary to give pupils an outstanding understanding of the multicultural and diverse society in which they will live.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The curriculum is constructed around a wide range of themes which have been developed with input from the pupils. Additionally, where appropriate, teaching ensures that pupils learn specific knowledge and skills in the necessary depth to achieve highly.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers use the other adults who support learning very effectively, and they demonstrate excellent skills to support the pupils within their classes. The pupils with severe physical and medical disabilities in the specialist resource provision are supported by specially trained assistants who ensure they are as engaged in learning as their mainstream peers. Their physical and medical needs are very well catered for and this helps in their full integration into all the classes they are a member of.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers provide highly positive written and verbal feedback to pupils on their work. This also makes sure that pupils know how to improve their work and what they need to do to reach their full potential.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Planning is carefully related to the different levels of ability in each class and this results in all pupils being challenged effectively. The most able pupils are fully stretched and pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs are also fully catered for.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers set high standards in their expectations of presentation of work. This results in work in books being of a high standard and pupils of all abilities taking a real pride in their presentation and desire to do the very best that they can. Displays around the school also support this positive view of teaching over time. Teachers regularly set homework and pupils enjoy completing it.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers use excellent subject knowledge to ensure high quality learning across the school. However, the teaching of phonics is not as consistently strong as other areas. Occasionally teachers tend to over- pronounce the letter sounds, with the consequence that some pupils find difficulty in using the sounds to read.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children enter the school with skills which are well below those expected for their age. The majority speak no English and have very limited language and communication skills, especially those who are disabled or have special educational needs. Children make good progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage and this is maintained and built on throughout Key Stages 1 and 2.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Year 6 results are continually improving thanks to consistently high-quality teaching. In 2014 standards were above average in reading, writing and mathematics, up from the 2013 results when attainment in some subjects was below average. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels 5 and 6 is increasing rapidly and is now above average. The proportions of pupils who are making and exceeding expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics, for all groups of pupils, compare highly favourably to national data.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Strong teaching of language and communication skills linked to the teaching of phonics in the Early Years Foundation Stage provides a solid base for future development. From a low starting point on entry, pupils have not yet caught up by Key Stage 1, and in both Year 1 and 2 pupils’ performance in the national phonics screening check has been below that of most schools due to pupils’ weak language and communication skills. However, their progress in learning to read is rapid so that they soon catch up through Key Stage 2. As a result, and by Year 6 pupils read widely and acquire excellent skills which encourage them to read for both pleasure and information.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The most able pupils are challenged across the whole school. The school’s assessment data show rapid improvement since 2013, and in 2014 these pupils attained at levels above those found nationally. Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs make the same rapid progress as their peers. This is due to the teachers’ careful assessment of their difficulties and subsequent adjustments to the difficulty of the work set for them.  Disadvantaged pupils who receive support through the pupil premium make progress in line with other groups, and over time have closed the attainment gap between themselves and their peers in school, and when compared with similar pupils nationally by the end of Year 6. Those who are disabled or have special educational needs have made particularly rapid progress and have closed the gap considerably, from several years behind their peers on entry to the school to within a year of their peers in school and

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

nationally. Minority ethnic groups make very good progress in Crocketts Primary School, often exceeding that of their peers in school.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff visit the children’s homes and work closely with their families to fully assess their needs and abilities before they enter the school. This information is then used carefully to plan for a smooth start. A dedicated and hardworking team works effectively to support their good progress. A few children make outstanding progress, especially in developing their social and personal skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Due to particularly good teaching, children make excellent progress in their physical development. During several sessions observed, children showed they loved physical activity and took advantage of the many opportunities provided.

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The early years provision is good

 Children are encouraged and enjoy a wide range of opportunities to develop their emotional and social well-being. In one session the children were happily creating a farming experience, chatting about the animals they would have and the crops they would grow. Throughout the session, adults encouraged the children to express their feelings and views as well as what foods would help them to be healthy and fit. Following all activities staff encouraged children to wash their hands and explained the reasons for this.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff provide a wide range of interesting and fun activities and encourage children to communicate and play with each other. The outdoor areas are also well resourced and teachers use them effectively to further enhance children’s learning, particularly in encouraging their creativity. For example, the children pretended to be farmers growing different sorts of plants; this engaged their imagination and encouraged them to talk, sharing ideas about their work.

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The early years provision is good

 Teachers monitor the progress of the children carefully and use this information to plan future learning. All aspects of learning are carefully recorded. However, currently these systems are stronger in Reception than in Nursery, where the use of assessment information to maximise learning is not yet as well established.

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The early years provision is good

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed well and the links with parents and other agencies are excellent. Parents rightly feel the provision provides good learning opportunities for their children, and that they are safe and well cared for.

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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 103941 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 448887

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 358 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ruth Briggs Headteacher Vicki Kavanagh Date of previous school inspection 1 March 2010 Telephone number 0121 558 1659 Fax number 0121 558 1659 Email address headteacher@crocketts.sandwell.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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