Bentley Heath Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Bentley Heath Church of England Primary School Widney Close, Bentley Heath, Solihull, West Midlands B93 9AS

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 24–25 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school life at Bentley Heath Primary. They attend regularly. Staff are caring and supportive. They look after pupils and help them to feel safe. However, leaders and teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly the most able. Work provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) does not meet their needs as well as it should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils do not always try hard with their work. Some pupils become distracted. Occasionally, they disrupt the learning of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play happily together. Most pupils are polite and friendly to others. Pupils know that they should tell an adult if they are being bullied. If bullying occurs, staff deal with this effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They are encouraged to voice their own opinions. The peace garden, for example, was a suggestion from the school council. Each year, pupils raise money for a charity they have chosen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Visits and sporting competitions provide a broad range of opportunities for pupils. There are many clubs for pupils to join. These include football, dance, choir, coding and yoga.

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better?

Leaders provide teachers with guidance and training about what to teach in each subject. However, this support is not wholly effective. Leaders do not check that teachers plan and deliver a series of lessons that meet pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils do not do as well as they could.

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better?

Teachers do check pupils’ learning. However, they do not adapt the next lessons well enough in response. In mathematics, for example, pupils have the same task no matter what they already know and can do. Some pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills.

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better?

Pupils find it difficult to remember important facts in subjects such as science, history and geography. This is because they do not learn topics in depth. For example, pupils do a history topic, but once this is completed they may not do history again for a while. This means that they do not have the chance to use the knowledge they have acquired, so they forget what they have learned.

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better?

Many pupils with SEND struggle to complete their work without the help of an adult. This is because the work is often too difficult. This prevents them from becoming independent and confident learners.

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better?

There are strengths in the way the curriculum is implemented. For example, in music, pupils’ skills in playing and singing, and their self-confidence and enjoyment 24–25 September 2019

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of the subject, build up well over time. In French, pupils confidently learn to speak the language in sentences, using familiar vocabulary and phrases.

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The phonics curriculum is well planned and delivered. For example, the sounds pupils know are regularly checked. Teachers use this information to change or adapt the next lesson. Pupils read books that help them to use their phonics skills. However, pupils’ home reading books do not match up with the sounds they are being taught in class.

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Pupils learn how to form letters and use the correct pencil grip from an early age. However, pupils’ handwriting and the presentation of their work is not systematically developed. Consequently, pupils’ writing is not consistently of a high standard.

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Some pupils do not concentrate in class. They turn around in lessons and talk to other pupils. This happens when teachers do not plan their learning carefully enough. Instead, pupils have to wait for all to finish each activity before the lesson moves on.

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Children in the early years get off to a good start. They are happy and safe. They play together well and enjoy their learning. The curriculum is well led and planned, with a range of experiences. Children develop the ability to speak, read, write and use numbers well. They learn phonics quickly. They are enthusiastic about books and reading. Children have many opportunities to use what they know. For example, a group of children were mixing potions. They applied their knowledge of numbers to calculate how many leaves they needed.

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The school provides a range of enrichment opportunities as part of the curriculum. These experiences help pupils’ personal, social and spiritual development. For example, pupils learn to think of others. They hold a charity day to raise money for their chosen charity. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles. Sports coaches are on the playground each day to teach games skills and lead activities. A group of pupils act as travel ambassadors to encourage others to walk to school.

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Staff enjoy working at this school. They are well supported by leaders who are considerate of staff’s work–life balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive training to spot the signs that a pupil might be at risk of harm. They know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil. Staff report concerns, no matter how small, to the safeguarding team.

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Safeguarding

Leaders act immediately on concerns brought to their attention. They keep a careful eye on pupils they know to be vulnerable. They work with the local authority and other agencies to make sure that pupils get the help they need. 24–25 September 2019

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Pupils learn to how to keep themselves safe online and when they are using social media.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers assess what pupils have learned, yet they do not use the information well enough. Leaders need to check that teachers’ lessons build on what pupils already know and can do. This particularly applies to those pupils with SEND and the most able pupils.  In mathematics, pupils do not develop a deep understanding of the subject. Teachers need to make sure that pupils can confidently apply their reasoning and problem-solving skills.  Pupils learn a lot of information in all subjects, but they do not remember it well. Teachers need to make sure that pupils have chance to recall and apply the knowledge they have learned to help them retain it better.  Some teachers are not confident to allow pupils to work independently or to move them on to new tasks when they are ready. This happens especially in mathematics and English. Low-level disruption then occurs. Leaders should check that pupils have work that meets their needs and that no learning time is lost.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils learn phonics from an early age to help them with their reading. They have books to read at school and at home. The books they have in school match their phonics knowledge. The books they take home do not. Teachers need to ensure that the books pupils take home help them to practise their phonics knowledge and skills.  Teachers teach handwriting and presentation skills as soon as children join the school, yet pupils’ handwriting does not improve well over time. Teachers need to ensure that pupils’ handwriting is systematically developed in all year groups.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 24–25 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10088595 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The board of trustees

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School details

Website www.bentley-heath.solihull.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25–26 June 2015

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Information about this school

 The school receives support from the local authority through an annual visit.  The school has a breakfast club.

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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 met with the headteacher, the two assistant headteachers, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and the leader for early years. The lead inspector met with governors and looked at the records of meetings. She also spoke to a school improvement adviser from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at the following subjects in detail: reading, mathematics, music and French. Inspection activities included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers about the subject, scrutiny of pupils’ work in the subject and discussions with pupils about the subject. Leaders accompanied inspectors for most of the inspection activities.  The lead inspector met with the designated leader for safeguarding. Procedures 24–25 September 2019

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for dealing with safeguarding and the steps the school takes to ensure that pupils are kept safe were considered. Inspectors asked pupils about how they are taught to keep themselves safe.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils, staff, and parents and carers to find out, for example, what clubs the school offers beyond the school day, how the school deals with bullying and how the school supports the pupils’ personal development. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in class and at lunchtimes. Inspectors found out how leaders and governors consider the workload of staff.  A range of documentation provided by the school was taken into account. Inspectors also looked at the responses from parents and staff to the Ofsted questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 24–25 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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