Fibbersley Park Academy

Inspection of Fibbersley Park Academy Noose Lane, Willenhall, West Midlands WV13 3BB

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 12–13 September 2019

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to Fibbersley Park Academy. They take great care of their school. The family atmosphere in school is strong. The school’s motto that it is ‘building the future one child at a time’ is evident across the school. Pupils are cared for well and valued as unique individuals.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils cooperate with and encourage each other. They enjoy their learning. Pupils learn lots of interesting things through the well-planned curriculum. Pupils make much better progress now. Staff want pupils to do well. Pupils say that sometimes the work is not challenging enough. This is when they repeat work they can already do. Pupils like work which makes them think.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour has improved a lot and is good. On occasions, though, pupils say one or two others interrupt their learning. Teachers deal with this straight away and help children behave properly. As a result, the school is a calm, safe place to be.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust adults in school to help them when they feel anxious. They say that bullying is not a problem in the school. Adults help sort out problems when pupils fall out.

p.2

better?

This school is improving quickly. Leaders are taking the right action to improve the quality of education offered. They are deeply committed to the school and want to make a difference for the children. Pupils are making better progress now than they have done recently. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics continue to rise.

p.2

better?

Leaders have designed a well-planned curriculum to help pupils know more and remember more in the different subjects they study. They know what pupils should learn and when they should learn it. Pupils have opportunities to practise new skills until they can use them easily. Most teachers build well on what pupils can do already. Sometimes, though, the work is too easy and pupils are not challenged enough. Leaders know this and work with staff to increase expectations of what pupils can do. They support teachers to develop secure knowledge of the subjects they teach.

p.2

better?

Leaders want every child to be a good reader. Staff are well trained in teaching early reading, including phonics. Pupils who struggle to read fluently are now getting help more quickly. More pupils are now reading as well as they should be by the end of Year 2. Older pupils still need help to read and understand more challenging books. Pupils develop a love of reading through the stories that teachers read each day.

p.2

better?

Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They are curious and enjoy exploring the learning challenges they are set. Some pupils lack confidence. The Hub, Oasis and Orchard provide safe spaces where adults help pupils flourish. Here, pupils can relax and work quietly. 12–13 September 2019

p.2

3

The values of the trust are deeply embedded in the school. Pupils are encouraged to ‘do good as they go’ and ‘seize success’. They relish the chance to run the weekly radio station session or raise money for charity. They develop personal skills for life.

p.3

3

Visits to places such as the Staffordshire Regiment Museum and the Space Centre bring the curriculum alive. Pupils recall these experiences with excitement.

p.3

3

Leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), help teachers adapt the curriculum for different pupils. Extra support is given to pupils who struggle or fall behind. Teachers keep a close eye on the progress pupils make. Pupils who are disadvantaged are making better progress but still have some catching up to do.

p.3

3

When children join the school in Reception they get a good start. They make strong progress. Adults are skilled in helping children develop their speaking and listening skills. Teachers give children lots of chances to practise what they are learning to do. Adults help children to do things for themselves. Children count, measure and enjoy exploring inside and outdoors. They write labels and notices. They read the recipe when making food for the big picnic. The children do not give up if they find something difficult. They are keen to talk about what they are doing. Children make friends. They play and learn well together.

p.3

3

Staff value the training and support leaders provide. They work with curriculum experts to deepen their own knowledge. They understand the progress pupils need to make to be successful.

p.3

3

The school is well led and managed. Trust members and governors check what leaders are doing. They make sure it makes a difference for pupils. They know there is still work to do before the school is the very best it can be.

p.3

3

Parents and carers are positive about the school. They feel involved and included. Many say that their children are coming on in leaps and bounds.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The headteacher makes sure that keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility. All staff attend regular training. They know what to do if they have a concern about a child. Leaders quickly take action to support children and their families. Leaders understand the issues families face. Good use is made of services such as health and women’s aid groups to provide help quickly when needed. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe both in school and out. For example, pupils work with the street team to learn how to protect themselves from extremism and radicalisation. Parents say the school keeps their children safe. 12–13 September 2019

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have designed a curriculum that is broad and balanced. It enables pupils to gain deep knowledge and develop skills in a range of subjects. While there are many strengths in teaching, there are inconsistencies across the school. Some staff have underdeveloped subject knowledge, meaning that aspects of the curriculum are not taught as effectively as possible. Leaders should continue to support all staff to further improve their subject knowledge, so they can have even more impact on improving pupils’ achievement.  Leaders are ambitious for all the pupils in the school and want them to do well. There are times, however, when work given to pupils is not sufficiently demanding. This is because teachers do not always know exactly what pupils know and can do already. Leaders need to work with staff so that they use assessment information effectively and know how to challenge pupils to the best of their ability.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have prioritised the teaching of early reading. Pupils in key stage 1 develop appropriate reading skills and achieve well. Older pupils are not yet building on this success. Leaders should continue to develop the reading curriculum in the school. They should continue to provide training for staff in how to build upon early reading success so that more pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 12–13 September 2019

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10104075 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Website www.fibbersleyparkacademy.org.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of the Victoria Academies Trust. An executive headteacher oversees this school along with two others in the trust.  The school is partway through an expansion from two-form entry to three-form entry. Currently, there are three classes in each year group from Reception up to and including Year 4. There are two Year 5 classes and two Year 6 classes.

p.5

Information about this inspection

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

p.5

Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher and assistant headteachers. She met with the chair of the trust board and the chair of the local governing body, as well as the chief executive officer for the trust. An inspector met with the SENCo.  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. Many of these visits were with senior leaders. 12–13 September 2019

p.5

6

 Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of phonics.  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.  Inspectors focused on reading, mathematics, music and science as part of this inspection. They looked at other subjects in less depth on the second day.  An inspector visited the breakfast club.  An inspector talked to parents before school. The lead inspector considered the 45 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 31 free-text responses received during the inspection. The lead inspector also considered two emails from parents.  The lead inspector considered the 41 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,

p.6

6

curriculum documents, SEND records, published information about pupils’ performance, behaviour records, attendance information and minutes of governing body meetings.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leaders and checked documents relating to safeguarding, including the checks made on new staff.  The lead inspector looked at published information on the school website.

p.6

Inspection team

Nicola Harwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Susan Blackburn Ofsted Inspector 12–13 September 2019

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

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

p.7

7

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

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7