Alveley Primary School

Inspection of Alveley Primary School Daddlebrook Road, Alveley, Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV15 6JT

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 11–12 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Alveley Primary is a welcoming school where pupils feel safe and valued. Pupils are polite and happy. They say good morning to visitors and they are very helpful. Pupils are proud to attend their school. In particular, they are proud of the school grounds and the library.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has improved tremendously over the last three years. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the changes that have happened. The headteacher, leaders and staff want every pupil to do their very best in all aspects of school life. This has resulted in positive changes across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto is, ‘success is a journey we take together’. Strong relationships exist within the school. Teachers know every pupil by name. Pupils value friendship. They say, ‘The best thing about our school is being with our friends.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a calm atmosphere around the school and behaviour is positive. Pupils talk about the school’s ‘BLAST’ behaviour policy with confidence. Pupils told the inspectors about the rewards for good behaviour and the consequences of negative behaviour. Pupils understand what bullying is, but they say that it does not happen at Alveley. Parents and carers comment positively about behaviour.

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better?

Pupils achieve well because most of the curriculum is logically sequenced. Standards achieved in national tests in English and mathematics are often above the national average. Pupils are fully prepared for the next stage of their education.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers plan lessons that build on what pupils have learned before. Pupils can explain how what they are learning now will help them in the next lesson. However, this is not the case in design and technology, modern foreign languages and aspects of music, which are not as well planned.

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better?

Teachers plan and deliver sequences of lessons so that all pupils can learn. Work set is not too easy, and it is not too difficult. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well. Staff are well trained to support the needs of pupils with SEND. They provide extra support when required. All pupils are fully included in lessons and other school activities.

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better?

When children join the Reception class, they are ready to learn. This is because the school works closely with families before their children start school. Children learn lots of new things quickly due to effective teaching. Activities build on what children already know. Children are happy and confident and love to share their ideas. The classroom and outdoor area are colourful and exciting and support learning. Strong relationships exist between the staff and the children. Children enjoy learning and playing with their friends. Staff maintain strong links with families throughout the year. 11–12 September 2019

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Pupils read confidently and with expression from an early age. Staff teach phonics well and provide extra help for those pupils who start to fall behind. Pupils have developed a love of reading and they enjoy sharing stories.

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Pupils are nearly always well behaved. They listen to their teachers and follow instructions. In these instances, pupils’ good behaviour allows them to learn lots of new things. However, inspectors saw occasional low-level disruption. This stopped a few pupils from learning.

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Pupils visit a range of places, such as Cadbury World and Warwick Castle. This helps to bring their learning to life. Pupils also enjoy the breakfast and after-school clubs. They take on positions of responsibility within school, such as those of librarian and play leader. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online. From an early age, they are taught how to keep healthy.

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Older pupils have a clear understanding of how our country is governed. They relate this to Alveley’s school council. Pupils speak confidently about the law and how this relates to school rules. They are knowledgeable about other religions and cultures. Pupils state that it is fine to be different in their school. One pupil said, ‘Nobody minds if you are different.’

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The trust board monitors the school effectively. It provides help and support when required. The local governing body focuses on aspects of the quality of education. It reports details to the trust board, which takes overall responsibility for the quality of education. However, the local governing body does not question and challenge the headteacher enough in this area.

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The headteacher, supported by staff, has worked tirelessly to improve the school. Staff value the training they receive. They agree that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

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Parents’ feelings are summed up by the comment, ‘This is a great village school with a friendly and positive ethos.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Keeping pupils safe at all times is the school’s highest priority. Leaders make sure that the right checks on staff are made before they start work at the school. Pupils say that they feel safe because their teachers look after them. Pupils are confident to talk to staff if they have a problem. Staff know what to do when this happens because they are well trained. When required, the school works with external agencies to provide additional help and support for pupils. Pupils of all ages learn how to keep themselves safe in lessons, during other school activities and when not in school. 11–12 September 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not planned and sequenced sufficiently to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills in design and technology, modern foreign languages and the composition aspect of music. The breadth of the national curriculum is not covered in these areas. The school need to develop the curriculum in these areas so that pupils achieve well and improve their cultural, linguistic, creative and musical knowledge and skills.  Inspectors witnessed occasional low-level disruption that disrupted the quality of teaching and learning in a few instances. The school needs to further develop positive attitudes towards learning. This will ensure that all pupils can learn, and all teachers can teach without interruption.  The trust board has delegated some responsibility for monitoring the quality of education to the local governing body. The local governing body is provided with a wide range of information by the headteacher and executive headteacher in

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

relation to this. There is some evidence that governors question and challenge the headteacher. However, they now need to question and challenge more effectively, so that they too can hold the headteacher to account for the quality of education within the school. The trust board needs to support and develop the local governing body in this role.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11–12 September 2019

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Alveley Primary School converted to become an academy in November 2016. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Alveley Primary School is one of the six schools in the Bridgnorth Area Schools’ Trust. The trust members are the accountable body and they have delegated strategic responsibility to a trust board, which oversees areas including finance and standards. The trust board has delegated some responsibility for monitoring the quality of education to the local governing body of the school. The executive headteacher works across the six schools within the trust.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club. This provision is managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the executive headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and the leaders for early years, attendance and behaviour. He met with a 11–12 September 2019

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group of four local governing body members and trustees, including the chair. He also met with a member of the trust board and held a telephone conversation with the chair of the trust board.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils, senior leaders, curriculum leaders and teachers to talk about the quality of education at the school.  The inspectors made visits to classrooms. Some of these visits were with the headteacher.  An inspector listened to several groups of pupils read.  The inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school. They looked at their work in a range of different subjects to see how well the curriculum is applied. A group of pupils accompanied an inspector on a walk around the school.  Inspectors focused on reading, mathematics, history, and design and technology as part of this inspection. They looked at other subjects in less depth on the

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second day.  An inspector visited the breakfast club.  An inspector talked to parents before school. The lead inspector considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 16 free-text responses received during the inspection.  The lead inspector considered the nine responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation provided by the school. They looked at the school’s self-evaluation, the school’s key priorities, school policies, curriculum documents, SEND records, published information about pupils’ performance, behaviour records, attendance records and minutes of governing body meetings.  Documents relating to safeguarding were checked, including the checks that leaders make on staff prior to employment.  The lead inspector looked at published information on the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracy Stone Ofsted Inspector 11–12 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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