Paganel Primary School

Paganel Primary School Swinford Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 5TG

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Although actions taken by leaders, including governors, are leading to improvement they have not been rigorous enough to ensure that teaching and achievement are consistently good.  Leaders do not always give staff good enough guidance on how to improve the learning of specific groups of pupils, including the most able and those who have special educational needs.  Senior and subject leaders do not use all of the information available to them when checking the impact of the school’s work.  Teachers do not always make sure that work is well matched to pupils’ abilities.  There is an inconsistent approach to marking and the teaching of handwriting.  Teachers do not give pupils enough opportunity to do problem-solving tasks in mathematics or to express their ideas before they write.  Pupils are not making rapid enough progress in all classes.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders and staff are dedicated to promoting pupils’ personal and social development.  The school offers high levels of care and wide- ranging ways to enrich pupils’ experiences and enjoyment of school.  Behaviour is good. Effective systems keep pupils safe, and pupils say they feel well cared for and secure.  Early years provision is good. Children achieve well because of good teaching.  Leaders’ actions are improving attendance with positive effect on pupils’ achievement.  Pupils make good progress in reading.  Those pupils who join the school with little English make good progress in learning the language.  Governance is good.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons and an assembly. Two observations were carried out jointly with senior leaders. In all, 12 members of staff were seen teaching.  The inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work from all age groups, spoke to pupils about their work during lessons and listened to pupils read.  The inspectors held meetings with groups of pupils, members of the governing body, leaders and staff. An inspector also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors analysed 11 responses from parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and took account of information from a questionnaire for parents conducted by the school. An inspector also spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  The inspectors analysed 28 responses to the questionnaire completed by school staff.  The inspectors observed the school’s work. They looked at progress and attendance information,

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Information about this inspection

improvement planning, evidence of the monitoring of teaching and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Vivienne McTiffen, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school. Since 2013, the number of pupils has been increasing year- on-year. By 2018, the school will have two forms of entry.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage or of other White background.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is well-above average. This funding is received for pupils who are, or have been, eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The school manages a specially resourced provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs which opened in September 2014. The provision is for six pupils from Key Stage 2 with autistic spectrum condition. Currently, five pupils attend full time.

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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 in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The early years provision comprises a Nursery, which children attend for morning, afternoon or whole-day sessions, and a Reception class, which children attend full time.  There is privately run before- and after-school care. These facilities are not managed by the school’s governing body and are subject to separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and raise achievement by making sure that teachers:  give pupils work that is well matched to their abilities so that all pupils make the best possible progress  provide pupils with more opportunities to develop their mathematical reasoning and apply their number skills more frequently in problem-solving tasks  encourage pupils to discuss and structure their ideas before they write  adopt a consistent approach to the teaching of handwriting  consistently apply the school’s marking policy.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by making sure that senior and subject leaders:  give staff more precise guidance on how to improve the learning of specific groups of pupils  make more effective use of the systems in place to check on provision and use all the available information to gain an overview of the school’s work and to evaluate its effectiveness.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leadership and management require improvement because actions taken by leaders to improve the quality of teaching have not been sufficiently effective to ensure that all teaching is consistently good and that pupils make consistently good progress as they move through the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The guidance that senior and subject leaders give to staff to help them to improve their work does not always give precise enough help in how to improve the learning of specific groups of pupils, including the most able and those pupils who have special educational needs.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has numerous systems for checking the quality of education it provides. However, senior and subject leaders do not use all the information available to them to evaluate the impact of the school’s work. As a result, leaders do not always have an overall picture of the achievement of specific groups of pupils and are not able easily to identify patterns and trends in learning and behaviour.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders ensure a caring and supportive school environment where good behaviour can flourish and where teaching is improving. Pupils say they are happy in school, a view that is supported by parents.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have given staff greater leadership responsibility and developed their roles more fully since the previous inspection. Subject leaders are effective. They identify any gaps in the teaching of their subjects and they are being well prepared for the introduction of new assessment methods.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders’ efforts have markedly improved attendance and developed strong links with parents and families. As a result, fewer pupils than previously stay away from school. The teaching of mathematics, especially calculation, and writing is improving and more pupils than previously are making good progress in these subjects.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority’s ‘light touch’ policy means that is has provided no support to the school in helping it to raise pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum provides a wealth of experiences to enrich pupils’ learning and promote the development of spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. As a result, pupils participate in new experiences and creative activities. They are interested in others from different backgrounds, faiths, places and eras.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils learn about key British values and traditions, for example, British saints and the monarchy. Leaders ensure the values of respect and tolerance permeate the school’s work, and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Pupils develop an understanding of democracy and the rule of law and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The primary sports funding is used effectively to raise pupils’ attainment in physical education and involve as many as possible in regular physical activity, with positive effect on pupils’ enjoyment, health and social development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders, including in the early years, track how well individual pupils are doing and provide extra help for those who need it in order to give every pupil equal opportunity to succeed. Leaders recognise that they do not always have a sharp enough focus on checking the learning of groups of pupils. The pupil premium funding is used well to help eligible pupils to make good gains in their personal development Disadvantaged pupils make better progress than others in most classes and reach higher standards than others on leaving Year 6.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s arrangements to keep pupils safe are thorough. Staff are appropriately vetted before they are appointed and receive relevant and regular training on how to keep pupils safe. Leaders carry out regular checks and ensure that procedures are applied consistently.  The governance of the school:  The effectiveness of governance has improved and is now good. Governors are developing more strategic roles to better evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s work. They know about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement and recognise those areas that require improvement, for example, mathematics. They carry out the performance management of the headteacher and understand the systems to help staff to improve their work. Governors visit the school and link their monitoring to the school’s priorities. They know how good teaching links to good achievement and how this should inform decisions about teachers’ pay. Governors check information about pupils’ progress, including that of

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The leadership and management requires improvement

disadvantaged pupils, and ask relevant questions, including challenging senior leaders about the progress of groups. The governing body makes sure that new governors understand their roles and responsibilities. They check that the school’s curriculum suitably promotes key British values. Governors make sure that current safeguarding requirements are met and are fully aware of their role in keeping pupils safe.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils value the help they get from staff and have positive attitudes to their learning. One pupil commented, ‘We have great teachers. We wouldn’t be anywhere without them.’ Pupils are attentive in lessons and try their best even when they say the work is too easy or too hard for them. Staff do not always capitalise on pupils’ positive attitudes to enable them to make the best possible progress.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour is managed very successfully by staff. The school’s rules are promoted well and are understood by staff and pupils. Pupils strive to achieve the school’s rewards for good behaviour and attendance and have a strong sense of right and wrong. They maintain the same level of good behaviour with a range of adults and join in readily with the extra activities provided for them during the lunch break.

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Behaviour

 Pupils willingly take on extra responsibilities and are proud of the help they give to the school. Their role as school councillors and their learning in lessons help them to understand the key values of democracy, respect and tolerance well. They say they always learn something helpful in assemblies when values are discussed, and pupils express their own views. One pupil said, ‘You get what you give and you should treat people how you would like to be treated.’

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Leaders employ a range of methods to help pupils to understand potentially unsafe situations, especially when using technology. They create an environment of trust where pupils feel free to express their concerns to adults should any issues arise.

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Safety

 Pupils spoken to during the inspection stated that bullying is not a problem in their school. They talk about the guidance they receive, especially during assembly, and are clear about what to do if there is a problem. They know that bullying is something that usually happens repeatedly and recognise the different forms it can take.

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Safety

 The school’s logs show that any incidents that do arise are dealt with and followed up. Leaders review regularly pupils’ and parents’ views on bullying and act upon any concerns. They make sure policies are up to date and consistently applied.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching, except in the early years, requires improvement because there is variation between classes in how well teachers match work to the range of ability in the class. Sometimes, the work is too easy for the most able pupils and too hard for the least able pupils. This affects pupils’ achievement and means they do not always make as much progress as they could.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The staff’s support for disabled pupils and pupils who have special educational needs, including those in the specially resourced provision, effectively helps pupils to become confident learners and to enjoy school. However, staff do not always receive the guidance they need from leaders in order to move learning forward more quickly and to help pupils to make consistently good progress by setting work which is well matched to pupils’ abilities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not always apply the school’s marking policy. As a result, pupils do not receive consistent feedback on how well they are doing or how to improve. In most cases, staff expect pupils to present their work neatly but do not offer consistent guidance on how to write legibly and neatly because there is not a whole-school policy on handwriting.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 While there are improvements in the teaching of writing and mathematics, not all teachers provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to discuss and structure their ideas in preparation for writing or use their reasoning skills in mathematical problem-solving tasks. As a result, pupils do not always reach their full potential in writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The effective teaching of reading means that pupils make the best progress in this subject. Phonics (letters and their sounds) are taught regularly and equip pupils with the skills they need to tackle new words. Regular reading sessions and extra help give pupils the support they need to improve and do well. The well-stocked libraries are popular with pupils and provide stories and books for research which promote effectively pupils’ enjoyment.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff know pupils well. They insist upon good behaviour and attentiveness during lessons. Staff encourage pupils to contribute and praise their efforts. They promote the values of tolerance and respect thoroughly. Teachers give pupils opportunities to evaluate their own learning and share their achievements with others. They pick up misconceptions well during lessons. They ask relevant questions to make sure that pupils understand and are clear about their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers often link learning to real life and choose interesting topics which motivate the pupils to learn. For example, during the inspection, the teacher in Year 6 illustrated to pupils successfully the use of area and perimeter when decorating a room. A topic on the Romans linked art, history and writing well to inspire pupils to find out more about people from the past.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants and support staff work with pupils of all abilities, including disadvantaged pupils. They contribute well to the development of personal and social skills. They help those who speak English as an additional language to acquire English skills quickly.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because the good start children make in the early years is not sufficiently built upon as pupils move through the school. Work in books and the school’s information show that the progress pupils make in writing and mathematics varies from class to class. As a result, not all reach their full potential.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, by the end of Year 6, standards in writing and English grammar, punctuation and spelling were average. In reading, standards were above average and, in mathematics, they were below average. The school’s information shows that leaders have stopped the downward trend in mathematics seen in 2013 and 2014. Pupils are now making accelerated progress in mathematics and are on track to reach expected standards by the end of Year 6. In writing, more pupils than previously are making good progress and standards are rising.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, the proportion of the most able pupils who achieved the higher National Curriculum levels at the end of Year 2 was above average. By the end of Year 6, they were average in reading and writing and well below in mathematics. While the school’s information indicates that more of the most able pupils are on track to reach higher levels by the end of Year 6 than previously, the progress of these pupils is variable and requires improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those who attend the specially resourced provision, make variable rates of progress in line with their classmates. Some individuals, including those who attend the specially resourced provision, make good progress, especially in their personal and social development, because of the precise support they receive.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress pupils who speak English as an additional language make in lessons is variable but overall is in line with other pupils. Those who join the school with little or no English acquire English language skills quickly because of the extra help they receive.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, the national test results at the end of Year 6 show that the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in mathematics was over two terms ahead of that of their classmates but over a term behind other pupils nationally. In writing, their attainment was nearly a term ahead of their classmates and similar to other pupils nationally while, in reading, it was half a term ahead of their classmates and similar to other pupils nationally. In 2014, by the end of Year 6, disadvantaged pupils made similar progress in reading and writing to other pupils nationally but did not make as much progress as them in mathematics. In many cases, these pupils make better progress than their peers although the school’s records show that their progress varies from class to class.

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The early years provision is good

 When children start in the Nursery and the Reception class, they often have reading, writing and personal skills that are lower than those that are typical for their age. Good leadership wastes no time in identifying children’s starting points and how to help them to make good progress. Leaders make sure there is a consistent approach between the Nursery and the Reception class in planning what children will do and for checking their progress. Staff set targets for children to work towards and make sure they know what the next step in their learning will be.

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The early years provision is good

 Children behave well. They learn how to conform to staff’s expectations and how to keep themselves safe. This is because staff create a happy and thriving environment where good behaviour and safety are consistently promoted. Children become independent and confident learners. They select what they will do and persevere well with tasks.

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The early years provision is good

 The quality of teaching is good. Staff link tasks together closely so that children make sense of their learning. For example, during the inspection, staff used a story as the starting point for children’s investigation into a healthy diet. Children acted out the story, tasted and talked about fruit, chose the ingredients for a fruit salad and recorded which fruits were the most popular. As a result, they made good progress in developing their literacy and numeracy skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Children achieve well in all areas of learning and make good gains in those areas that are weaker when they start school because of the good-quality teaching they receive. As a result, by the time they leave the early years, they reach levels that are typical for their age and are well prepared for the learning they will encounter in Year 1.

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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 134281 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 461811

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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 293 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martyn Sargeant Headteacher Martin Shufflebottom Date of previous school inspection 13 March 2012 Telephone number 0121 4645040 Fax number 0121 4645039 Email address enquiry@paganelschool.net 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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