Hodge Hill Primary School

Inspection of Hodge Hill Primary School 76 Twycross Grove, Hodge Hill, Birmingham, West Midlands B36 8LD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They attend school more regularly than before. A few pupils get distracted if they get bored with the lesson. However, this is rare. Most are keen and want to learn. Pupils feel safe in school. Those we spoke to said that staff deal well with bullying on the few occasions it happens. Older pupils were keen to resolve issues themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school more than in the past. This is because, since the current headteacher started, there is now a more stable teaching staff. Several pupils we spoke to said the best thing about the school is, ‘We have a headteacher who is staying and the same teachers each week’. They were less happy about the narrow range of subjects on offer. They wanted to study French, art and design and technology.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Work set for pupils is not linked well enough to what they know and what they need to learn next. Pupils in key stage 1 do not learn the reading skills they need for the more challenging work they will face in key stage 2.

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better?

Leaders and trustees know that the quality of the education in the school is not good enough. The current headteacher is securing rapid improvements following a high turnover of staff. Trustees took effective action to deal with shortcomings in previous leadership. They have secured effective outside help to check if they are doing as well as they can.

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better?

Almost all the staff who expressed a view support the headteacher’s plans and ambitions for the school. They appreciate that leaders are seeking ways to reduce their workload.

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better?

Children in Reception are safe and happy. In the short time they have been in school they have settled quickly to their routines. Recent changes to leadership have led to significant improvements in their progress. Children now get off to a more rapid start in their reading. The content and sequence of the phonics programme supports pupils’ progress. It ensures that children gain the phonics skills required to read fluently. Children experience all areas of learning. For example, this term’s geography topic is on the theme of ‘belonging’. In 2019 children did not do well enough in the areas of learning, including literacy. This was because of previous shortcomings in provision and leadership.

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better?

The well-thought-out plans in Reception are not continued into key stage 1. Too many pupils in Year 1 and 2 do not recognise the words they need to be able to read fluently. Those who need most help to catch up do not always receive the best help that is available. Some staff need further training to teach and support phonics well. There are no lessons currently in art, computing, design and technology and French 11–12 September 2019

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and history. Teachers taught these subjects up to July 2019. However, leaders have developed plans to reintroduce all these subjects except French during this year. They have already made a start with other subjects, including geography and art.

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Work set in geography and physical education (PE) helps pupils to learn and remember more. Pupils can also practise their knowledge and skills learned in more depth. Leaders support staff effectively to improve their subject knowledge where it needs improving.

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Pupils now make more progress in reading, writing and mathematics than in previous years. There are well-structured and sequenced plans for mathematics. As a result, pupils learn and understand more in this subject. Teachers’ plans consider what pupils already know. They reflect what pupils need to do to extend their learning further. In mathematics, Year 3 pupils could compare and order numbers up to 1,000. This was part of a planned sequence of learning. There is coherence in the organisation of lessons in English in key stage 2. For example, there is a focus on broadening pupils’ vocabulary skills.

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Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not do as well as they can. This is because the varied quality of the support they receive does not always enable them to do so. The extent to which work is adapted appropriately for these pupils is improving.

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Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education helps pupils to develop an understanding of themselves. For example, pupils attended an assembly on the theme of ‘being me in the world’. Leaders encourage pupils to recognise individual differences. However, leaders have not done enough to promote British values such as democracy and the rule of law.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The culture of keeping pupils safe is strong. Staff know their responsibilities and how to respond to incidents. They are well trained and up to date with guidance. Leaders work well with external agencies to secure help for pupils where necessary.

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Safeguarding

Staff seek to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils when the school closes early on Fridays. Plans to teach pupils how to stay safe online through photography workshops are in place. The school works well with local police to teach pupils about knife crime danger. Not enough older pupils can swim well enough.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although the school is improving it does not yet provide a good quality of education. Leaders’ success in improving progress and standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 has not yet been replicated 11–12 September 2019

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sufficiently in standards in key stage 1 and the quality of education in some subjects.  The curriculum in mathematics is delivered effectively and it is improving in English. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum and teaching is more effective in art, computing, design and technology, French and history and that there is time in the school day to offer all of these subjects through the curriculum.  Not enough pupils in Years 1 and 2 can read with sufficient fluency. This is because of previous weaknesses in teaching phonics in Reception and a high turnover of teaching staff in key stage 1. Those who need to catch up have not always received the expert teaching they require. Because training has not yet been delivered to all support staff, there are inconsistencies in the way the phonics programme is delivered. Leaders should address these issues as quickly as possible.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND is not tracked closely

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enough. Trustees do not evaluate the impact of additional funding for these pupils rigorously enough. Leaders and trustees should address this as a matter of urgency.  Leaders have not done enough to make sure that pupils’ understanding of the fundamental British values is developed well. Curriculum plans should address this.

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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

Website www.hodgehillprimary.bham.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Hodge Hill Primary opened as an academy in January 2017. It became one of four local schools in the Create Partnership multi-academy trust. The predecessor school, which was inspected in February 2015, closed in December 2016.  The current headteacher was appointed to a permanent position in January 2019, becoming the fourth leader within 12 months.  Trustees undertook a significant restructuring and reduction of size of the senior leadership team in 2018. There was a very high turnover of teaching staff in 2018 when there was significant disruption to the leadership of the school. Many of the staff who left were from early years and key stage 1. There remains one senior leader vacancy for the inclusion post.

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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

 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the co-ordinators of early years and SEND, and other members of staff, and spoke to pupils. Inspectors met the chief executive officer and other trustees. They met the school’s improvement partner and spoke by telephone to the 11–12 September 2019

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school’s external challenge adviser.  Inspectors took account of 23 responses from parents including 10 to the Parent View freetext service, 11 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View and one email. Inspectors also scrutinised 17 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised a number of documents, including those relating to the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans and the school’s information on pupils’ recent attainment and progress.  Inspectors considered behaviour and attendance information and policies and procedures relating to SEND, pupil premium funding, the PE and sport premium, safeguarding and child protection.  There were no children in alternative provision.  The inspection focused deeply on reading, English, mathematics, geography, modern foreign languages and physical education. Inspectors visited lessons,

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looked at pupils’ work, and spoke to teachers and pupils about the lessons they saw. They also reviewed work in science on the second day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Mark Sims, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jeannette Mackinney 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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