Pennyhill Primary School

Pennyhill Primary School Hollyhedge Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands B71 3BU

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is a school that requires improvement

 There has not yet been enough time for the changes introduced by the recently appointed headteacher to impact fully on the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make.  Teaching in Key Stage 1 and Years 3 and 4 is not consistently good because the work that some pupils are given is too easy.  Marking in pupils’ books is not in keeping with the school’s new marking policy and is not helping pupils to move on quickly to the next stage in their learning.  Gaps in pupils’ understanding of basic mathematics are preventing them from making accelerated progress.  Systems for checking the next steps for learning for pupils with special educational needs or disability are inconsistent across the school.  Pupils are not given enough opportunity to practise their English and mathematical skills in other areas of the curriculum.  Some parents express concern about the impact on pupils’ outcomes of the many staff changes

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher is determined to improve outcomes for pupils. She is ambitious and has introduced changes which are already impacting on the progress that pupils are making.  Her vision for the school is clear and is shared by teachers and governors.  The progress made by the children in the early years foundation stage is good. Children are well prepared to start Year 1.  Teaching in Year 5 and Year 6 has improved and pupils are making good progress in these classes.  Pupils behave well and show good progress in their personal development.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in Key Stage 1 and Years 3 and 4 so that it is consistently good, and improve basic mathematical understanding by: providing challenging work that is set at the right level so that pupils can make better progress ensuring that teachers provide information in pupils’ books about what to do next in order to improve their work providing opportunities for pupils to practise the skills that they are learning in English and mathematics in other areas of the curriculum identifying the gaps that pupils have in mathematics and planning work which allows them to catch up.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: actions that have been identified to improve teaching are implemented swiftly and monitored robustly so that there is consistently high-quality teaching in Key Stage 1 and Years 3 and 4 information about the next stage in learning for pupils with special educational needs or disability is used accurately to accelerate their progress the clear vision for school improvement is shared with parents so that they can work in partnership with the school to improve pupils’ outcomes.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Although the headteacher has introduced improvements since her appointment in April 2015, the pace of change has been slowed due to past and ongoing staffing turbulence, making it difficult to establish a culture of high-quality teaching and learning in all year groups. For example, five of the six senior leaders, the leader of special educational needs and 12 members of teaching staff have all been appointed within the last 13 months.  The headteacher has a clear vision for school improvement and is ambitious and determined to ensure that all pupils achieve their potential. The changes that have been made have already impacted positively on the progress that children in the early years foundation stage and pupils in Years 5 and 6 are making. However, there has not yet been sufficient time for these actions to impact fully on the progress of pupils in Key Stage 1 and in Years 3 and 4.  The progress of pupils who receive support for their learning is slower than it should be. Information

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

about the improvements that they are making is not shared consistently enough with class teachers. The newly appointed leader in charge of pupils with special educational needs or disability has improved the school’s systems, but there has not yet been sufficient time for these changes to impact fully on their achievement.  The majority of parents who spoke with inspectors at the start of the school day are pleased with the school and the progress their children are making. Parents of children in Reception classes appreciate the opportunity to join their children in the classrooms each Monday morning to work alongside them.  However, of the 33 responses to Parent View, over half were concerned about the number of staff changes and the impact of these on their child’s education. Leaders do communicate with parents in a range of ways, but more remains to be done to ensure that parents are reassured and supportive of the

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

school’s vision.  The curriculum is well planned and develops pupils’ knowledge and experiences through a range of subjects and school visits across each of the primary school years. Work on topics such as Chinese New Year, Remembrance Day, the Second World War, prominent Black people in history and different faiths and cultures is helping to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. The school ensures pupils’ good spiritual, moral and cultural development.  The number of extra-curricular activities available to the pupils had reduced as a result of the turbulence in staffing. However, a range of after-school clubs, such as for zumba, multi-sports and tennis, is now available to the pupils. The school also provides opportunities for the older pupils to go on residential visits around the themes of dance, art and music, and outdoor and adventurous activities.  Sports funding has been used well to provide staff training in tennis and gymnastics and additional after-

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

school activities. These are popular with the pupils and are promoting positive attitudes towards health and enjoyment of exercise.  Funding provided to the school to support disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs or disability is used effectively and the gap between their achievement and that of others is narrowing.  The local authority has provided support each term and the headteacher has commissioned additional support for mathematics. The school is also part of the West Bromwich North Learning Community.

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school The newly appointed governors know how well the school is performing and what needs to be done in order to improve standards. They have worked closely with the headteacher to introduce a more robust system of performance management. Teachers are now set clear targets to improve the quality of teaching and to impact on the progress that the pupils make. Governors challenge the headteacher and hold her to account for school improvement. Governors regularly attend training and know about the amount of funding that the school receives to support the development of sport and disadvantaged pupils and how it is used.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff undertakes regular training to update their knowledge of child protection procedures, and policies are in place to ensure that pupils are safe.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is not yet consistently good. Teaching in Key Stage 1 and in Years 3 and 4 requires improvement because the progress that the pupils are making is variable. Although teaching in the early years foundation stage and Years 5 and 6 is good, the inconsistencies across the other year groups lead to the quality of teaching across the school requiring improvement.  Work provided by the teachers for pupils in Key Stage 1 and Years 3 and 4 is not challenging enough. As a result, pupils are not attaining as well as they could.  Gaps in pupils’ knowledge of basic mathematical skills are a result of inconsistencies in teaching in these year groups. For example, a Year 6 most-able pupil was observed using written methods of multiplication particularly competently. However, the same pupil was seen to struggle with basic computation. This lack of basic understanding is a barrier to pupils being able to calculate the area of a compound shape, which

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

means that the progress they make is not as good as it could be.  The headteacher has worked successfully with the staff to draft a new marking policy. Teachers are expected to include details in pupils’ books to help them move forward with their learning. However, the next steps for learning are not yet detailed enough to accelerate their learning. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoyed their lessons but that they did not always know what they had to do next to improve their work.  Though the curriculum provides a range of wider learning experiences, pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to practise their developing English and mathematical skills in a range of subjects.  Where learning is at its strongest, teachers make use of good scientific vocabulary and skilful questioning. In one lesson observed on food chains, the teacher’s use of vocabulary, such as ‘predator’ and ‘prey’, enhanced the learning opportunities for the pupils and better progress was made as a result. In another,

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

the teacher set a mathematical challenge to calculate the perimeter of a square from its given area. Pupils quickly applied prior learning to rise to the challenge and progress was accelerated as a result.  Teaching assistants support pupils’ learning well. They have positive relationships with the pupils and build their confidence and support their learning.

p.4

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school and like their lessons.  The curriculum supports their understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet. They create information posters about what they should and should not share openly online.  There are few recorded incidents of bullying and pupils say that bullying is rare; if it does happen, they know what to do next.  All staff demonstrate a caring and supportive approach to pupils, encouraging them to have a go at answering questions and giving them time to think about their answers.  Pupils show respect for each other’s views and understand the importance of treating each other equally and without prejudice. These values are preparing them well for life in modern Britain.  They are excited about the rewards that they get for attendance and behaviour. They are able to explain

p.4

Personal development and welfare

how the ‘golden tickets’ are earned and the raffle prizes that are available.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  They enter assemblies calmly, wait patiently for other pupils to join them, and then listen well to the speaker.  Around the building, they open doors for adults, walk sensibly through corridors and play together well on the playground.  When presented with work which lacks challenge, the majority of pupils maintain a consistently positive attitude towards their learning and disruption to lessons remains minimal.  Overall attendance has improved and is now broadly in line with the national average. The school has successfully worked with parents of pupils who attend less frequently and the number of pupils who have been persistently absent has reduced.

p.4

Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes require improvement because the progress of pupils in Key Stage 1 and Years 3 and 4 is not consistently good. Instability in staffing has contributed to a variation in consistency. Though this has been addressed by the improvements introduced by the new headteacher, and the appointment of new teachers, there has not yet been enough time for these changes to impact fully on the progress that pupils are making.  By the end of Key Stage 2, standards are broadly in line with the national average. Fewer pupils than average made more than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics in 2015. However, the quality of teaching in Years 5 and 6 has improved and the school’s most recent pupil assessments show that the proportion of pupils who are on track to reach the expected standard by the end of the year has increased.  Children enter Reception at levels below that regarded as typical for their age. They make good progress

p.5

Outcomes for pupils require improvement

and an above-average proportion of them attain a good level of development by the end of the year.  The teaching of phonics is well organised and more pupils than average achieve the expected standards in the Year 1 phonics screening check.  The progress of those pupils who are disadvantaged is good. The progress made by these pupils in reading is better than that of others and is broadly in line with others in writing and mathematics.  The progress that pupils with special educational needs or disability are making in reading, writing and mathematics has been slightly lower than that of others in the past. However, the school’s own internal assessments now show them as making progress that is similar to that of others in the school.

p.5

Early years provision is good

 Provision in early years has improved since the last inspection. Children enter Nursery with skills which are below those typical for their age. They make good progress and are well prepared to enter Year 1. In 2014 and 2015, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development at the end of their Reception Year was higher than the national average.  The early years foundation stage leader has a good understanding of the children’s starting points and the Reception teachers are particularly good at knowing the stage of learning the children are at and what they need to do next to help them to improve.  Home visits and a thoughtful parental questionnaire allow the teachers to have a good understanding of the stage of learning that the children are at before they enter the school. They have activities set up immediately to move the children on from their assessed starting points as they enter the school for the

p.5

Early years provision is good

first time. This accelerates learning immediately.  Children’s behaviour shows that they are developing in confidence; they ask questions, are willing to try out new experiences and are excited by their learning. Questioning and support from staff ensure that the children make good progress.  Children listen to and collaborate well with each other as a result of the high expectations of the teachers. Children focus on their own learning and take a real pride in their own achievements and those of others. For example, when a child had gone to the ‘challenge table’ and was asked to explain his learning, all the children around him showed genuine pleasure in his success.  Parents are welcomed into school every week. They join their children in school each Monday morning and staff are able to keep them regularly informed about their child’s progress. Parents who spoke with the inspectors were very positive about this opportunity and felt very involved with the school.

p.5

School details

Unique reference number 135215 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 10002501

p.6

School details

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

p.6

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 727 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rev N Ely Headteacher Miss E Williams Telephone number 0121 588 2230 Website www.pennyhill.sandwell.sch.uk Email address Pennyhill.enquiries@pennyhill.sandwell.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 December 2013

p.6

Information about this school

 Pennyhill is larger than most schools.  Since January 2015, the school has appointed a new headteacher, deputy headteacher, three senior leaders, a new special educational needs coordinator and 12 new teachers. In September 2015, governors appointed a new Chair of the Governing Body and a new vice-chair.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority) is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils whose first language is not believed to be English is similar to the national average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disability is lower than in most other schools.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 26 lessons, two of which were joint observations with the headteacher, and carried out a number of walks around the school. Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed them on entry to the school, at breaktime, lunchtime and around the school building.  Inspectors considered a range of school documentation with the headteacher. This included the school’s self-evaluation, a range of the school’s internal assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress, minutes from governors’ meetings and school documentation. In addition, the inspectors reviewed samples of pupils’ work in subjects other than English and mathematics from each of the year groups in the school.  Meetings were held with three members of the governing body, senior members of staff, two groups of pupils and the local authority representative.  Inspectors took account of the 33 responses to the online survey, Parent View, together with parental

p.7

Information about this inspection

comments following an open day, and 10 staff questionnaires. Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day.

p.7

Inspection team

Graeme Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Deborah Allen Ofsted Inspector Rowena Green Ofsted Inspector Michael Appleby Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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 .

p.7

Inspection team

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.

p.8

Inspection team

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

p.8

Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.8

Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.8