Lozells Junior and Infant School and Nursery

Lozells Junior and Infant School and Nursery Wheeler Street, Lozells, Birmingham, B19 2EJ

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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 Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This school is a friendly, welcoming place where pupils behave exceptionally well. Pupils are attentive in lessons. They are keen and eager to learn.  Pupils achieve exceptionally well. They join the school with skills and abilities well below those typical for their age. They make rapid and sustained progress across the school.  The relentless drive and focus of the associate headteacher, who is ably supported by the executive head, senior leaders and governors, are outstanding and have secured rapid and wide- ranging improvements since the previous inspection. This is particularly the case in improving the quality of teaching.  Teachers know their subjects well and explain learning with clarity and imagination. They plan lessons which engage the enthusiasm of the pupils and make them want to learn. As a result of the outstanding teaching, pupils make excellent progress.  Very occasionally pupils do not have enough time

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

to correct the mistakes in their work. This limits their opportunity to learn from them and to develop their skills still further.  The early years provision is outstanding. Children settle very quickly, enjoy a wide range of interesting and exciting activities and make exceptionally good progress.  The school ensures that all groups of pupils achieve equally well. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those eligible for the pupil premium make excellent progress because their needs are well met.  The school promotes social, moral, spiritual and cultural development extremely well. Pupils have excellent aptitudes to reflect. They appreciate fundamental British values, such as tolerance and respect for people from all walks of life.  Pupils feel safe and well cared for. They are kept safe in school. There are very robust procedures for checking that all staff are suitable to work with

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pupils.  Teaching assistants are very effective in the school because they understand pupils’ needs and how to address them. They work hard and plan and deliver high-quality support to the children in their care.

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Info rmation about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons or part lessons, including six lesson observations completed jointly with the associate headteacher or one of the assistant headteachers.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, associate headteacher, senior and subject leaders. There was a discussion with a member of the governing body, and inspectors spoke informally with a group of pupils to find out their views on the school. They also talked informally with pupils in lessons and at break and lunchtimes.  Inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 2, 4 and 6.  No representative from the local authority was available to speak to the inspection team.  Inspectors took account of 31 responses to the staff questionnaire. However, there were insufficient responses to Ofsted’s on-line parent questionnaire (Parent View) to provide results. Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the day.  A range of evidence was considered relating to pupils’ attainment, progress, behaviour and attendance,

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Info rmation about this inspection

and records relating to safeguarding of pupils.

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Inspection team

Shahnaz Maqsood, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Lozells is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average. This is funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority.  The vast majority of pupils are from minority ethnic groups. The biggest groups are of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somali heritages.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  A few children attend nursery full-time, while the majority only attend part-time. All children in Reception attend full-time.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school provides a range of clubs at lunchtime and after school to extend pupils’ experiences.  A number of volunteers from ‘City Year’, an educational charity, mentor and support the pupils at the

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Information about this school

school.  The school shares the building known as ‘HML’ with Mayfield and with Holte School. Mayfield is an all- through special school and Holte is a secondary school. Lozells is in a soft federation with Holte School.  The school’s work is overseen by an executive headteacher, who is a national leader of education, and the executive headteacher of Holte School as well. However, the day-to-day management of the school is the responsibility of the associate headteacher.  The associate headteacher also became the associate headteacher of Oldknow Academy in January 2015 and spends two days of the week there.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils have enough opportunities to correct their mistakes, so that they learn from them and improve their skills still further.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The ambitious associate headteacher provides highly effective leadership. All the senior leaders and the governing body share her passion and vision. Together they have worked tirelessly to make sure that pupils reach the highest standards, have high aspirations and develop into a cohesive community.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Self-evaluation is meticulous and accurate. All leaders know what needs to be done to improve the school further, and this information is used to plan future actions.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The leaders’ determined focus on improving the quality of teaching has reaped rewards. All teachers benefit from high-quality professional development. Teachers are encouraged to be reflective and to take responsibility for their own improvement. The successful ‘Teaching Panels’ comprising groups of teachers discuss how to improve aspects of their teaching and provision. Targets are challenging and relate to pupils’ achievement. As a result, teachers are proficient and highly skilled.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior and middle leaders have a significant impact on standards. They scrupulously monitor pupils’ progress and step in quickly if any are not doing as well as they should and take well considered and appropriate action. There are many leaders-in-waiting because the school nurtures future leaders who take the place of the ones who move on in their career.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school has successfully developed a new assessment system that has been implemented across the school. Subject leaders have been through an intensive training programme and are working closely with teachers to ensure that it is being used well to identify what pupils know and understand.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders are constantly raising pupils’ aspirations by encouraging them to consider positive role models to whom they can relate, such as Martin Luther King, Mo Farah and Malala Yousafzai.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The curriculum is rich and varied; pupils enjoy a range of subjects from academic to creative. There are good opportunities to write and use mathematics in other subjects, as a result, pupils do exceedingly well in English and mathematics. There are many opportunities for pupils to participate in activities in and out of school, such as a visit to Paris, trips to the theatre and sporting events. The school runs several clubs at lunchtime and after school to extend pupils’ experience particularly in performing arts.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is embedded strongly within the curriculum. Pupils are knowledgeable about a range of religions, beliefs and cultures. They were able to name the prime minister of Britain and explain how he was elected democratically and that the function of parliament is to run the country. Their views were unprejudiced and broad, which holds them in good stead for life in Britain.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The primary school sports funding is used effectively to promote competitive sport and to raise achievement in physical education. The school uses the expertise of the specialist teachers from Holte to train and support the teachers. Particular focus is on motivating and embedding ambition in the pupils. A group of successful pupils went to meet Olympian ‘Hannah England’. They returned to school and wrote enthusiastically about her struggle and hard work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders do not tolerate discrimination and do all they can to promote equality. The pupil premium is monitored very carefully by them so that it benefits the disadvantaged to support their learning and is having a positive impact on reducing gaps in attainment.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school complies with the requirements for the safeguarding of pupils. The governors are extremely vigilant and make sure that all checks on staff and policies are up to date. Staff have attended a range of training sessions, including sessions on how to deal with radicalisation.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority has not provided any support to the school in the last three years.  The school has benefited from the many opportunities provided by the federation for collaborative work. The executive headteacher’s support has been invaluable particularly in the development of the leadership of the school. She provides exceptional support and challenge.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The determined governors are fully committed and have detailed knowledge of the school. They are actively involved and visit the school regularly to check the effectiveness of leaders, pupils’ behaviour and the quality of teaching. Following these checks they ask pertinent questions. Governors provide very effective levels of challenge and support.  Governors have detailed and precise understanding of pupils’ progress and attainment information.  The governors’ dedication is reflected in their effective work with the headteacher on the school development plan, which clearly and accurately states what needs to be done to improve.  Teachers are not rewarded unless they meet very demanding criteria related to pupils’ performance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. They display an appetite for knowledge, and incidents of low-level disruption in lessons are very rare.

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Behaviour

 Staff have high expectations of behaviour, and all pupils adhere to the school’s behaviour policy. They show excellent conduct and manners around school. They enjoy the school reward system of ‘dojos’ for good behaviour.

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Behaviour

 Pupils respect each other’s opinions and are confident in expressing theirs. For example, in a lesson in Year 6, pupils had studied a range of biographies including those of Hitler and Winston Churchill. Pupils debated very assuredly about the actions and views of the two leaders. They then read, acted out and wrote very carefully considered political arguments.

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Behaviour

 Pupils take pride in their school. They very willingly take on jobs and responsibilities to serve the school community.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All policies related to pupils’ safety are stringent. All staff are checked rigorously the school makes sure they are suitable. They all follow policies consistently ensuring that pupils are safe at all times.

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Safety

 The ‘City Year’ volunteers make a positive contribution to the welfare of the pupils. The pupils told inspectors how much they value their support. They said that they are easy to talk to and encourage them to do well.

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Safety

 Pupils feel safe in school and on visits. They understand clearly what constitutes unsafe situations and are highly aware of how to keep themselves and others safe. Pupils told inspectors that bullying was extremely rare but knew who to speak to if there was. They understand several forms of bullying including when using the internet and the dangers of radicalisation.

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Safety

 The school’s meticulous system for checking the attendance and punctuality of individual pupils and of different groups has ensured that both have improved. Attendance is above the national average, despite many pupils taking time off to celebrate Eid.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding because teachers know the pupils so well that they are able to plan tasks which challenge and engage them. Relationships are also very positive between adults and pupils. As a result, pupils want to learn and they make rapid progress.  Pupils make excellent progress in writing because they are given the opportunities to write at length for a range of real and different purposes. Books are marked regularly, and there is a rigorous approach to the correction of mistakes, particularly those related to spelling, grammar and punctuation. Comments made by teachers are helpful and inform pupils how they might improve.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Phonics (the link between letters and sounds) teaching is exemplary because all staff uses a wide range of resources, such as sound cards, whiteboards, and physical movement to engage pupils. They plan activities that build on prior learning to ensure that pupils have a secure grasp of the subject.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Reading is taught very well. Pupils are given a range of reading materials to which they can relate and which benefit their learning. The teachers use their expertise to question and develop the skills of the pupils.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The teaching of mathematics is accomplished. Teachers are skilled in setting challenging tasks and in expertly checking pupils’ understanding, helping pupils to succeed in making rapid progress. Pupils are encouraged to think and discuss different ways of solving a problem which is helping them to develop a range of strategies.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The highly effective and well-trained teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ progress. They are skilled and model the practice of the teacher. Their well-targeted guidance and support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs ensures that the needs of these groups are well catered for. They know the pupils in their care, such as those pupils who speak English as an additional language, they explain clearly and develop their understanding.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Occasionally, pupils are not given time to correct their mistakes, and this hinders them from learning from them as much as they might so that they do not repeat them in their later work.

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is outstanding

 Achievement is outstanding because progress is accelerating at a rapid pace. Proportions of pupils currently in the school making expected and more than expected progress in English and mathematics across the school are high. The attainment of Year 6 pupils is set to rise significantly.

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is outstanding

 In 2014, the attainment of pupils in Year 6 was average in reading and writing and below average in mathematics. The teachers have worked hard to fill gaps in pupils’ learning and accelerate progress, particularly in mathematics from pupils’ low starting points. Pupils’ books and school data indicate the attainment of pupils currently in Year 6 is above national expectations in all subjects and their progress is always at least good and usually better.

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is outstanding

 Attainment at the end of Year 2 in 2014 was broadly average in all subjects. Results have improved markedly over the last three years. From low starting points, pupils make excellent progress across Key Stage 1.

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is outstanding

 Writing is a strength in the school, and progress in writing is strong because pupils are always writing in a range of subjects.

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is outstanding

 The proportion reaching the expected standard in phonics was average. As a result of excellent teaching of these skills, the proportion is on track to rise further this year. This has assisted pupils with their reading, and achievement in reading is outstanding. Pupils read with expression and talk about how they enjoy books.  Achievement in mathematics is outstanding. The introduction of mental mathematics sessions ensures that pupils regularly practice basic skills and improve their fluency in conducting mathematical operations. Last year, the proportions of pupils who achieved the higher level were below average. The school has turned this around and this year and proportion is set to rise considerably.

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is outstanding

 In 2014, disadvantaged pupils at the end of Year 6 were over just under three terms behind other pupils nationally in reading and mathematics. There was a gap of just under a term in writing. Within the school, disadvantaged pupils were nearly three terms behind their classmates in mathematics and reading but just over two terms in writing. The school has been successful in closing the gaps in attainment this year in reading, writing and mathematics. This group’s progress is now rapid and they achieve outstandingly well.

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is outstanding

 Staff have rigorous and precise systems for identifying the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Teaching assistants provide exceptional support and guidance and these pupils make rapid progress in their learning.

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is outstanding

 Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those whose first language is not English achieve extremely well. The school staff know these pupils well and focus strongly on language development to ensure that they acquire English quickly and are able to access the learning speedily.

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is outstanding

 Extra support and booster classes ensure that the most able pupils make accelerated progress. High levels of challenge and support from Holte School have benefited this group. Proportions reaching the higher levels this year are set to rise significantly in reading, writing and mathematics.

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is outstanding

 The children in early years achieve very well indeed. From starting points well below those typical for their age, the large majority reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year and are extremely well prepared to move up to Year 1. They make rapid progress in all areas of learning for their age. An intense and successful programme of teaching English to pupils who do not speak English at home ensures they learn this very quickly and make accelerated progress.

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is outstanding

 Leaders and managers secure outstanding achievement for children. Teachers and teaching assistants plan together very carefully in order to provide a vibrant and highly stimulating environment in which children thrive. They keep a careful check on the progress of the children and take rapid and concerted action if any child gives cause for concern.

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is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is outstanding. The early years provides a rich variety of learning activities, both indoors and out. Adults interact very well with children, constantly seeking ways to extend their observational, language, mathematical and social skills. When teaching early reading, they use an impressive array of techniques to capture and hold children’s interest and make sure they learn and make progress. On the day of the solar eclipse, staff organised a range of activities around this topic. Children very excitedly told inspectors that the eclipse was the moon blocking the sun and how the sun was ‘hiding behind’ the moon.

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is outstanding

 Staff identify the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs very quickly and take steps to make sure these needs are met well. Disadvantaged children’s progress is carefully monitored and support provided if needed. As a result, this group does as well as other children.

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is outstanding

 Very high standards of behaviour are instilled into children from the outset. This is in the context of a warm and caring atmosphere in which children of all backgrounds are well known as individuals. They receive lots of well-merited praise and encouragement raises their confidence and self-esteem. Children leave their parents very happily when they come to school.

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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 103227 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 453205

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 482 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Tucker Headteacher Lisa Campbell Date of previous school inspection 6 July 2011 Telephone number 0121 5237321 Fax number 0121 5664452 Email address enquiry@lozells.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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