Grendon Primary School

Grendon Junior and Infant School (NC) Grendon Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 4RB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 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

 Children get a good start to school life in the early years classes. Exciting activities and well-taught lessons help them develop their skills, preparing them effectively for their move into Key Stage 1.  Pupils make good progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics as they move through the school. By the end of Key Stage 2 they are working at average standards, and some are working above the levels expected for their age.  Teachers are enthusiastic and have good subject knowledge. They make sure that lessons are interesting and exciting.  Pupils feel completely safe in school. They have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe in situations outside school.  Pupils behave extremely well in and around school. They are courteous and polite and keep a look out for each other’s well-being. Older pupils take their roles of responsibility very seriously and act as

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

excellent role models for other pupils.  Under the strong leadership and guidance of the headteacher and senior staff, the quality of teaching is continuing to improve.  Senior leaders rigorously check how well pupils are doing. Any at risk of falling behind are swiftly identified and helped to keep up.  Governors are very supportive. They also ask senior leaders probing questions to make sure the school is improving. They use school data effectively to check that no group of pupils is achieving less well than the rest of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons most-able pupils do not make progress as rapidly as they could.  The school’s approach to pupils identifying for themselves how they can improve their work is not fully in use in all classes.  A new system for assessing how well pupils are doing has not yet been fully implemented throughout the school.  Governors have reviewed the way they work and devised a robust plan for improvement, but it has not yet been put into practice.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 15 lessons, nine of which were seen together with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or assistant headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and other staff, three groups of pupils, four members of the governing body, the school’s improvement partner and a representative of the local authority.  Informal discussions were held with parents and pupils.  The inspectors took account of the 31 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, 53 paper copies of Parent View, the school’s own parental and pupil questionnaires, and the 23 responses to a staff questionnaire.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and reviewed a range of documentation including: the school’s checks on its performance; its analysis and tracking of pupils’ progress; records of behaviour and safety; school improvement plans; records relating to classroom observations and the management of staff

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Information about this inspection

performance; safeguarding arrangements; and records of meetings of the governing body.  The inspectors also looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and checked information on attendance.

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Inspection team

Susan Hughes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than an average-sized primary school.  Children in the early years start in a part-time Nursery class in the term in which they are three years old. They move to the full-time Reception classes at the beginning of the year in which they are five, where they are joined by children who have not attended the Nursery.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average; the proportion speaking English as an additional language is also above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly average.  A larger than average proportion of pupils join the school at times other than in the early years.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils (those supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority)

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Information about this school

is well above average.  The governing body is in the process of reorganisation.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to raise standards further by ensuring that:  work in lessons always helps the most-able pupils make the progress of which they are capable  the school’s agreed method for pupils identifying how they can improve their work is used consistently throughout the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by making sure that:  the recently developed system for assessing pupils’ achievement is implemented fully throughout the school  the governing body fully implements its plans to improve the way it works.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s drive and passion to provide the best opportunities for all pupils is reflected in the equally high aspirations and commitment of other senior leaders. The senior leadership team rigorously checks that the quality of teaching is at least good, and makes sure that all groups of pupils achieve well. Any pupils who are at risk of falling behind are quickly identified and their specific needs are accurately assessed. Leaders make sure additional support is well matched to pupils’ needs and helps them keep up with their classmates.

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The leadership and management are good

 Other leaders in school use observations of teaching and assessment data effectively to see how well pupils are doing in their area of responsibility. For example, the primary physical education and sport premium is used to employ specialist coaches and buy additional equipment. Regular checks by the physical education leader on the difference this is making, ensures that the money is improving pupils’ skills and opportunities. More pupils are now taking part in physical activities than before the funding was received. The coaches work alongside the teaching staff, which helps them to refine their own physical education teaching techniques.

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The leadership and management are good

 The appraisal system, which rewards teachers with a pay rise only when their pupils achieve well, contributes to the good teaching in the school. It helps clarify the high expectations that leaders have of staff, and identifies appropriate training and development opportunities to help them achieve their challenging targets. Staff told inspectors that they feel well supported in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Strong partnerships with other local schools help staff develop their skills and expertise through joint training opportunities. Pupils also compete against the other schools in the partnership, extending their sporting experiences and developing social skills and sportsmanship.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium is used effectively. Additional help in the classroom, or in small groups outside lessons, is ensuring that gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils are narrowing. The funding also ensures that no pupil misses out on trips or extra activities for financial reasons.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils have regular investigation topics which cover a wide range of subjects. For example, pupils in Year 2 studying the Fire of London practised their literacy skills while writing about the Fire and also learnt about modern fire fighters and changes to early housing regulations as a result of the Fire. All investigations start with a ‘Wow’ day which excites and encourages pupils to want to learn more.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins all the teaching and learning in the school. The school’s ‘I Can’ awards encourage pupils’ resilience and perseverance. Pupils learn to work collaboratively in lessons and to respect each other’s ideas and beliefs. For example, during the inspection, all pupils in Key Stage 2 learnt about the British parliamentary system and how to conduct debates appropriately. They compiled well-reasoned arguments, listened carefully to opposing points of view and responded in a measured and mature way. Such activities help prepare pupil well for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 Adults in the school act as excellent role models in the way they treat pupils and other adults. The high level of respect and consideration they show is copied by pupils in their relationships with each other. When asked to identify a strength of the school, one pupil promptly responded, ‘We respect each other’. This was evident in pupils’ behaviour during the inspection and pupils say is a typical feature of the school. It illustrates the school’s drive to ensure equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure that safeguarding arrangements in school are rigorous and effective. They are diligent in following up any concerns about pupils’ well-being. Leaders ensure that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and that all staff are well trained on safeguarding issues.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ behaviour and attendance are rigorously checked by school leaders. Good behaviour and good attendance are celebrated. Rewards in the form of certificates and additional activities, such as attending a play performance, encourage pupils to behave well and attend regularly. These, along with sensitive support for pupils who have specific complex behavioural needs, have helped improve both attendance and behaviour throughout the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have recently devised a new system for checking pupils’ achievement in the new curriculum recommended by the government. The system is designed to track each pupil’s progress in small steps and help teachers plan what pupils should learn next. While most classes have already started using this system, it is not yet fully in use throughout the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has not provided specific support for the school since the previous inspection. It rightly judged the school to be effective. School leaders and governors have attended some training courses run by the local authority, but most support and development opportunities have been organised by the school itself.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are very supportive and have high aspirations for all pupils in the school. They ask leaders challenging questions and use assessment data well to check that all groups of pupils are making good progress. This helps them ascertain that the pupil premium is being spent well, and the small gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers are narrowing. They also appreciate that the primary physical education and sports premium is being used well to improve pupils’ sporting skills and opportunities.  The governing body makes sure that the appraisal system for managing teachers’ performance works well, not only to reward good teachers, but to ensure the availability of excellent training and development opportunities. They know that this is improving teachers’ expertise and that the quality of teaching is constantly improving, with increasingly more outstanding teaching in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors visit the school regularly to see for themselves how well it is doing. They have identified, however, that they can improve the way visits and other checks on school performance are carried out. As a result, they have drawn up robust plans and procedures to reform the work of the governing body. These have not yet been implemented, however, as the reorganisation is not quite complete.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They are friendly, courteous and considerate to adults and each other. Holding doors open and thanking others for doing so are expectations that are modelled by adults and copied by pupils. Older pupils look out for younger ones and try to act as equally good role models. They welcome new pupils to the school and help them quickly learn the routines and settle in.

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Behaviour

 Pupils take their roles of responsibility very seriously. Key jobs, especially for older pupils, are hard won. Pupils are required to apply for the posts and attend an interview to assess their suitability. This impresses on pupils the importance of the responsibility they will be taking on. Successful candidates strive hard and successfully meet the school’s high expectations of them. They are proud of their positions, whether as school council member, play leader, ambassador or head and deputy head boy or girl.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour in lessons is exemplary. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and told inspectors that this is because the teachers themselves are enthusiastic. From the early years through to Year 6, pupils work extremely well, both individually and with others. They persevere, support each other and listen attentively to what others have to say.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are eager to talk about their learning and are proud of their achievements. The pride in their work is reflected in their high level of presentation in books. Most pupils’ books are neat and tidy and it is apparent that they take great care to make sure it is the best they can do,

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Behaviour

 A small minority of pupils have specific complex behavioural needs. The school supports these pupils especially well, working with families and other professionals to help the pupils work harmoniously alongside their classmates. The result of consistently applied policies and procedures is that the school is highly successful in improving the behaviour of these pupils. Other pupils take a very mature and sensitive approach to those who find behaving well difficult. One pupil said, ‘It’s not really their fault. We help them if we can.’

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Behaviour

 The school works very closely with parents to ensure pupils’ good attendance. Rewards and recognition for good attendance are highly valued. As a result, attendance is steadily improving and is currently above average. The attendance of pupils in Years 5 and 6 is particularly high.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. The care and consideration that underpins all the school does is especially evident in the way pupils look after each other. They told inspectors that they feel very safe in school and there is always a friend or adult they can go to if they have a problem.

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Safety

 Play leaders help pupils in Key Stage 1 to play safely at lunchtimes by playing a range of games with them. The play leaders, who are pupils from Years 5 and 6, are well trained and enthusiastic about their role. They told inspectors that the rota works well so that there is always someone available throughout lunchtime.

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Safety

 Pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying is and the different forms it can take, including racial and cyber bullying. They say that there is very little bullying in the school, and any rare incidents are dealt with efficiently by adults. Almost all the parents who completed Parent View, either online or through a paper copy, agree that bullying is dealt with well in the school.

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Safety

 Pupils understand what constitutes a safe or unsafe situation. They know why it is necessary to take precautions when using the internet and what those precautions are. All pupils are aware of how to stay safe on the road, what to do in case of fire and avoid risks near railways. Older pupils spoke confidently about the dangers of alcohol and smoking.

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Safety

 The school instils in pupils respect for everyone’s well-being. During interviews for roles of responsibilities, pupils are asked probing questions about how to discourage bullying or incidents of poor behaviour in the school. They discuss the need for putting others’ safety over personal friendships and pupils respond with mature and responsible views.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ enthusiasm and good subject knowledge helps them make lessons interesting and exciting. They ask pupils questions which check understanding and help deepen their learning. For example, teachers require pupils to give accurate explanations of how they solved a problem, or to justify a viewpoint. This encourages pupils to think deeply about their answers while developing their vocabulary and knowledge.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and successfully build on what they already know. They make sure that pupils understand what is expected of them through clear explanations and modelling themselves what they want pupils to do. For example, pupils in Year 6 were enthused by a film extract about a futuristic dinosaur park. The class teacher made sure that their enthusiasms were well channelled into developing the features of writing that they had been studying in the previous lesson. As a result, all pupils started their persuasive text using high quality vocabulary to engage a reader.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Writing is taught well. Teachers give pupils plenty of opportunities to practise skills learnt in literacy lessons through writing in other subjects. They also make sure that pupils’ understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation is consistently referred to when discussing written work, ensuring that pupils are confident and accurate in their usage.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of mathematics is equally strong. While pupils learn specific skills in mathematics lessons, they are also give opportunities to practise and use these in practical, realistic situations. For example, when pupils in Year 5 were learning outdoors, they were asked to use different mathematical processes to work out the average length of grass in a plot of ground.  From the early years and throughout the school, pupils are taught reading well. Phonics (the sounds that letters represent in words) are taught from children’s early days in school. As they develop these skills they use them successfully to read unfamiliar words. By the end of Key Stage 2 many pupils are reading above the level expected for their age.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language are well supported. In some cases, adults review the language that will be used in the next lesson to help prepare the pupils for their learning. Once pupils gain skills in English they make rapid progress because they are given plenty of opportunities to practise them when answering questions or talking about their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Additional adults in the classroom work effectively alongside class teachers. Detailed briefing by the class teacher ensures that the additional adults are clear about the learning that is to take place. They appreciate how the work is designed to address the specific learning needs of the group. Additional adults sensitively guide and support pupils, whatever their needs or ability, to enable them to thrive alongside their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most-able pupils make good progress throughout the school in reading, writing and mathematics. Sometimes, however, they spend too long at the beginning of a lesson reviewing what they already know. This means that, while more challenging work helps them make good progress as the lesson progresses, they do not always make the rapid progress they could from the onset of the lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers give pupils good guidance on how they can improve their work. In some classes, as a result of skilled modelling by the teacher, pupils identify for themselves what the next step in their learning should be. Pupils in Year 2 are particularly adept at this and the approach supports their especially good progress. Not all classes, however, are using the school’s expected practices as effectively to accelerate pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many children start in the early years classes with weaknesses in their language, reading, writing and mathematics skills. While a below-average proportion achieved a good level of development in 2014, this represents good progress from their starting points for most children.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress throughout Key Stage 1. Results were just below average in the most recent check on how well pupils in Year 1 understand phonics. By the end of Year 2, most pupils reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, pupils leaving Year 6 had not made the progress they should in mathematics and their progress in reading and writing since they left Key Stage 1 was no better than expected. However, this is not typical of other pupils in the school. In all other year groups, pupils made good progress in these subjects. The school’s data and work in books show that pupils in all year groups are currently making good progress and achieving well in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014, disadvantaged pupils were one and a half terms behind other pupils in mathematics and less than half a term behind in reading and writing. In relation to other pupils nationally, they were just over two terms behind in mathematics and slightly over a term behind in reading and writing. Disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are between half a term and two terms behind other pupils. However, they are making slightly better progress than other pupils and so those small gaps are narrowing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Their specific needs are identified early. Careful checks on their achievement make sure that the support they receive is effective.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from different ethnic minority groups and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress. Pupils who are new to the school are quickly helped to settle in and their progress accelerates as they get used to the school’s high expectations.  Most-able pupils make good progress as they move through the school. They could sometimes do even better in some lessons, but they are generally achieving well. The proportions of pupils currently in Year 6 who are working at the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics are much greater than in previous years.

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The early years provision is good

 Teachers and other adults in the early years classes create a safe, caring and nurturing environment in which children play and learn. As a result, children settle in quickly and enjoy coming to school. They behave well and soon learn how to share, take turns, persevere and help each other. Their achievement is good. During the inspection, all children readily helped to tidy away the toys when asked by the teacher, even though some were very involved in their games.

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The early years provision is good

 The good quality of teaching effectively builds on children’s previous experiences and grasps opportunities to develop skills. For example, following the discovery of some frogs in the outdoor learning area, children were thrilled to go on a ‘frog hunt’. They looked for more frogs and observed different creatures in the school pond. Children drew on their knowledge of the well-known story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, to build a story of their own about frogs.

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The early years provision is good

 Activities are planned to harness children’s excitement and enthusiasm for learning. For example, children in the Reception classes were enthralled by their superhero investigation. They excitedly told inspectors how Dr Gog, ‘a mean superhero’, had jumbled up their numbers on the number line and they had to re- order them. Other pupils practised their literacy skills writing letters to Dr Gog explaining how their own superpowers could overcome his evil ones. Such positive attitudes to learning equip children well for their move to Key Stage 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years classes are well led by the assistant headteacher. She rigorously checks that the meticulous recording of children’s learning demonstrates good progress in all areas of learning. Any children who need specific help or experiences are identified and teachers make sure that activities are designed to support them in keeping up with their classmates.

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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 103205 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 461817

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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 300 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Green Headteacher Christina Pyke Date of previous school inspection 19 October 2011 Telephone number 0121 474 2460 Fax number 0121 430 6731 Email address enquiry@grendon.bham.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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