James Watt Primary School

James Watt Primary School Boulton Road, Soho, Birmingham, B21 0RE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, together with the new deputy headteacher, other leaders and governors, has a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is bringing about rapid improvements in both teaching and achievement.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good, contributing to their good progress.  The work the school does to keep pupils safe is outstanding. Very secure child protection procedures ensure that all pupils are kept safe and well protected.  The quality of teaching is good. Previous weaknesses in teaching have been tackled robustly and are now fully resolved.  Pupils are making rapidly improving progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards are now rising across the school.  All pupils, including disadvantaged and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good progress from their often low starting points.  Children in the early Years make good progress and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are well prepared for their future education.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers in early years and Key Stage 1 do not consistently model good spoken English themselves or develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills sufficiently.  There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy skills fully in both English and other subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed a wide range of learning across the whole school. In some of them, inspection members were accompanied by members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors talked to and observed pupils during break and lunch times and during their lessons.  Meetings were held with a member of the governing body, a representative of the local authority, members of the senior leadership team and staff with other allocated responsibilities, and with a group of pupils.  Inspectors heard pupils read.  The inspection team took account of the 55 responses to the staff questionnaire.  There were insufficient responses to the online parent questionnaire, Parent View, for an analysis to be made. However, the inspection team took account of a recent school parent survey.  The inspection team scrutinised a range of documentation including information about the quality of teaching; the school’s self-evaluation; information regarding pupils’ progress and their attendance, and

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Information about this inspection

child protection and safeguarding documentation. The inspection team also scrutinised information relating to the use of the pupil premium funding and the primary physical education and sports funding.

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Inspection team

Ronald Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 James Watt Primary School is a much larger than average-sized primary school.  There have been significant changes in the teaching staff over the past year.  The vast majority of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average, with many such pupils entering the school in the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by pupil premium additional funding is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is a little above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in Year 6.  Children in the early years provision have a phased entry into the setting before becoming full-time within the first few weeks.  The senior leadership team has recently been expanded by the appointment of a new deputy

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding, especially in the early years and Key Stage 1 by:  ensuring that teachers model good spoken English consistently  developing improved speaking and listening skills among pupils to enable them to use language more effectively and communicate clearly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement in writing across the school by ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to practise and develop their writing skills in English and other subjects .

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the previous inspection the senior leadership team has been strengthened and weaknesses in teaching that emerged in 2014 have been rectified. The concerted effort by all staff and governors has quickly reversed the dip and is securely raising standards and ensuring good behaviour across the school. The rapid and secure improvements confirm that the school has a good capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body and senior leadership team have created highly effective procedures to ensure that any safeguarding and child protection issues are picked up rapidly. Training is thorough. Consequently, all safeguarding and statutory requirements are met in full.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders, managers, governors and staff have high expectations for the pupils, and they encourage pupils to be ambitious and aspirational.

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The leadership and management are good

 All staff with allocated management responsibilities are well trained and monitor their areas of responsibility effectively. The checks on pupils’ work and observations of teaching are checked against pupil progress data and this ensures that plans for further improvements work well. For example, changes in Year 5 and Year 6 have resulted in rapid increases in progress rates.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders have taken effective action to address instances of poor teaching that were evident in some year groups in the past, as well as in the teaching of reading, which scored particularly badly in 2014. New appointments, including a specialist teacher of reading, have had very positive results. For example, the strengthened teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) has resulted in pupils’ progress in reading across the school rising rapidly since September.

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The leadership and management are good

 Members of the senior leadership team and governing body monitor the performance of teachers efficiently using a wide range of evidence to ensure that teaching is now consistently good. Leaders monitor and take action to improve all aspects of the school, including attendance and pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff do not tolerate any form of discrimination. All pupils are treated equally and pupil premium funding is used effectively to ensure that all pupils can and do participate fully in the life of the school and make good progress. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are very well supported in all classes, through carefully targeted interventions, which ensure that pupils make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary physical education funding is used very effectively to provide highly trained staff to teach physical education lessons. The range of sporting activities has increased markedly and this has resulted in a significant increase in participation rates for sporting activities, both in and out of school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has changed and adapted its curriculum to make it more practical, fun and linked to the experiences pupils encounter in their everyday lives. This has resulted in the pupils being much more engaged in their learning and finding learning relevant. As one pupil stated, ‘Lessons are fun; I enjoy coming to school.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the emphasis given to developing their understanding of British values is excellent. Respect, mutual understanding, law enforcement, how our courts work and cultural understanding are all key elements in all subjects taught. This ensures pupils are well prepared for life in a modern British society.

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The leadership and management are good

 Local authority support is good. Officers monitor the work of the school and provide training for staff. They support senior leaders to ensure an accurate evaluation of the school’s impact and priorities for improvement.  The governance of the school:  The governors ensure all statutory duties, including the establishment of secure safeguarding arrangements, are fully met. Through training and experience, they provide robust challenge and support to the school. Governors have a good understanding of how teaching has improved and how teachers’ performance is managed. They ensure that only good or better teaching is rewarded. They have ensured weaknesses in teaching are tackled promptly.  Governors understand pupils’ progress and know how pupils’ performance compares to that of other schools nationally. They rigorously monitor the impact of the use of additional funding including the primary physical education sports funding and the pupil premium.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils support each other in lessons and have positive attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour

 The calm, relaxed and pleasant atmosphere in the school fosters the excellent relationships evident. During break and lunch times pupils play together happily, with older pupils acting as play leaders.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour is managed consistently well across the school. However, sometimes, when tasks are not fully engaging, a few pupils become distracted.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has risen this year to above the previous national average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Thorough policies are implemented exceptionally well. This ensures that pupils feel very safe and well cared-for in school.

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Safety

 Pupils fully understand the various types of bullying and believe it occurs rarely in the school. All school logs are meticulously maintained t and confirm any rare incident is dealt with promptly and effectively.

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Safety

 All pupils have an excellent understanding, for their age, of how to stay healthy and safe, both inside and outside school. They talk to staff freely and have total confidence that if anything needs to be followed up, it will be.

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Safety

 Pupils know how to stay safe on the internet and are knowledgeable about cyber bullying.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good across the school and very strong in upper Key Stage 2. Underachievement noted in some year groups in 2014 has been securely reversed. Consequently, teaching is leading to progress rates that are now rapidly increasing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Assessment, including probing questioning and written marking, is used much more effectively by all teachers to inform future learning. School information on pupils’ progress is also used well by staff to ensure that all work continues to develop the pupils’ skills and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are well trained and focused on supporting disadvantaged pupils and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. This has resulted in these groups of pupils making accelerated progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Excellent relationships between teachers and pupils, and between the pupils themselves, contribute to the positive learning that takes place in each lesson. Pupils enjoy learning and want to succeed for both their teacher and themselves. Teachers’ careful planning ensures that work is well matched to the needs and abilities of the pupils and provides a solid foundation for their learning. As a result, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve as well as their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ books and work around school show that the improved progress is sustained. Pupils take a pride in their work and books are neat and well presented. Teachers provide good verbal and written feedback to pupils, which enable them to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The strategic placement of staff with specialist language skills to help pupils by using their mother tongue supports pupils who speak English as an additional language effectively. This results in pupils not only developing their understanding, but also allows them to achieve well in other subjects because they are being taught initially with the support of an adult speaker of their mother tongue.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading and phonics across the school is good. The specialist teacher provides a solid foundation, especially for the least able. However, in the early years and Key Stage 1, teachers do not consistently speak clearly enough or provide well-structured oral sentences. They too readily accept one word answers and do not expect proper sentences in response to their questions. This slows pupils’ fluency in spoken and written English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in writing and mathematics is good, with pupils now making increasingly good progress in both these areas. However, teachers do not consistently provide pupils with the opportunity to write in subjects other than in literacy lessons, and sometimes, even in literacy lessons. This results in pupils not being able to practise their skills effectively and leads to their writing being weaker than their reading and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the early years provision is good and results in the children settling into the school quickly. Good routines, well-planned learning opportunities and good use of resources all help to provide a solid start to the children’s education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has recovered quickly from the dip in attainment noted in the test results for Year 6 in 2014. Pupils at the end of Year 6 had fallen behind the national average in reading, writing and mathematics in 2014. School information, confirmed by the local authority and local teaching school, clearly shows that this has been dealt with decisively. From low starting points in the early years, pupils’ progress throughout the school is now restored to good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in Year 1, in the phonics check, and those in Year 2, in the national tests in reading, writing and mathematics, usually reach broadly average standards. In reading in Year 2, the level dipped in 2014. School information, moderated by the local authority, shows progress is good from starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Observations during the inspection, and school and external records of observations of teaching, as well as inspectors’ checks of work and books, all confirm that progress in lessons is now rapidly improving across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Rapidly improving teaching, close monitoring and additional support has led to rapid rises in pupils’ progress, this is especially so in upper Key Stage 2. School information shows a rapidly increasing proportion of pupils on track to exceed the average levels of attainment by the end of Year 6. This information also shows that Year 5 pupils are on track to be well above the average levels of attainment by the time they reach the end of Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, the most able pupils did not achieve well. Now, in common with other groups of pupils, the most able pupils are making good progress. However, in Year 6, where pupils are highly challenged and encouraged to constantly stretch themselves pupils are now making outstanding progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disadvantaged pupils and those who are funded through pupil premium make good progress. This is due to the concerted effort of the senior leadership team over several years to raise achievement for these pupils. Extra support in lessons and carefully planned one-to-one and small group interventions have all led to the attainment gaps between these pupils and their peers in school narrowing In 2014. In reading, they were approximately half a term above their peers in school but nearly two terms behind other pupils nationally. In writing, they were approximately half a term behind their peers in school and a term behind other pupils nationally. In mathematics they were in line with their peers in school and just over a term behind other pupils nationally. School information shows that disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 are continuing to make accelerated progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well catered for. Well-planned interventions have resulted in rapid improvements in all subjects. From very low starting points, they make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress overall. As they move through the school and their skills and understanding of English improve, their rates of progress in all subjects rapidly accelerate.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has risen across the school for all groups. However, writing is not rising as rapidly as in the other two subjects due to the more limited opportunities for pupils to excel in this subject.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of the early years provision are good. This has led to improved teaching, and strong support for children’s personal development.

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The early years provision is good

 When most children enter the school, their skills and abilities are low, especially in communication and language. However, well-planned activities and adults’ good use of resources help ensure that they make good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 The good teaching ensures that all children, regardless of their ability or background, make good gains in their learning. This is especially so in their social skills as they learn to work and play together happily. As one child explained, ‘It’s not good to jump in, we must take turns properly.’ Children in the early years are supported well, settle into the school effectively and from their starting points, make good progress in all areas of their learning. This prepares them well for their move into Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 Children feel safe and secure as all safeguarding and welfare aspects fully meet requirements. They become confident learners and behaviour is good. Children have a basic understanding of how to stay healthy. As one child pointed out, ‘We have to tidy away properly, so we can keep our area clean.’

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The early years provision is good

 Teachers’ careful assessments ensure that they have a full understanding of each child and know how to move them positively forward in their learning. Both the indoor and outdoor areas are used well to promote learning. Records show that good links with parents support children’s learning and provide an accurate insight into the good progress each child is making as they progress through the early years setting.

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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 134102 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 456294

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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 461 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sheila Hadley Headteacher Helen James Date of previous school inspection 10 May 2012 Telephone number 0121 464 4736 Fax number 0121 464 4737 Email address enquiry@jameswattp.bham.sch 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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