Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School

Inspection of Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School Deykin Avenue, Witton, Birmingham, West Midlands B6 7BU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 22–23 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children at this school are a delight. They are very welcoming and friendly to visitors. They enjoy learning and coming to school. Relationships between pupils and adults are excellent. We saw warm and respectful interactions between teachers and pupils. Pupils’ behaviour is good. They usually work hard and aim to do well. Lessons are calm and orderly. Pupils play well together at play time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils study a wide range of subjects. Some of these subjects are not effectively planned to ensure that pupils have enough time to embed their learning over time. These subjects include geography, history, art, and design and technology (D&T).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe at school. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, during ‘safety week’ pupils studied how to stay safe online. Pupils say that everyone gets on and fall-outs are very rare. Staff deal quickly with any incidents of bullying that may occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy and speak with enthusiasm about the many opportunities for learning. They gave various examples of trips and visits that they have taken part in, such as trips to Severn Valley Railway and Cadbury World. Pupils are keen to learn from each other, and they value one another.

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better?

Leaders have created a curriculum that focuses on English and mathematics. At times, this is to the detriment of other subjects, such as geography, history and D&T. Leaders have made the decision to cover these subjects in one week during the start of each half-term. This does not work well, because pupils do not have enough opportunities to embed their learning over time.

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better?

When subject plans ensure that pupils have enough time and lessons are sequenced well, pupils achieve well. This is the case in English, mathematics, music, physical education and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Here teachers plan interesting lessons that gradually build up pupils’ learning. Plans set out clearly what skills and knowledge pupils should learn over time. Pupils can retrieve their knowledge well and apply this in later work.

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better?

Reading has been prioritised by leaders. The plans for the teaching of reading are sequenced to focus on developing pupils’ phonics abilities. Most staff spot pupils who may need extra help. These pupils then receive targeted support to help them catch up. Not all teachers identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge as quickly as they should. Therefore, pupils do not receive the prompt support they need to catch up with their peers. This happens because leaders have not ensured that routine checks on reading skills are well planned.

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better?

Staff, including teaching assistants, receive training to improve their teaching skills. 22–23 October 2019

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Some subject leaders have not had the training they need to develop the skills necessary to develop the curriculum and improve learning. As a result, some aspects of the curriculum are not as well planned and sequenced as they could be. Leaders need to make sure that all staff have access to the training they need to fulfil their duties effectively.

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Leaders ensure that support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils is at the right level to help them to be successful in school. Adults spot when these pupils fall behind and give targeted support to help them catch up.

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Pupils’ personal development is promoted well. The PSHE curriculum is planned and sequenced to give pupils varied learning opportunities. For example, pupils learned about Black History Month in assemblies. Pupils told us that PSHE lessons help them to learn about themselves and others. They understand about different faiths and cultures. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Reception children settle well in school. Children feel safe and happy. They enjoy learning and playing in their own classroom and in the outside spaces. Reception children begin to learn about the link between letters and sounds as soon as they start school. Staff help children to have some of the skills they need to begin early reading. However, adults do not give children the opportunity to start reading simple words soon enough. The headteacher is currently overseeing the early years setting because of staffing issues. There is not a focused enough overview of the early years setting, due to other demands on the headteacher’s time.

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Leaders use sport premium funding well. Both sports coaches and teachers deliver PE lessons. Pupils enjoy these lessons. They learn how to be healthy in body and mind and develop resilience to cope with setbacks. Pupils learn about a range of sports. They also join in after-school clubs such as the football team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff understand that keeping pupils safe is their top priority. Teachers know what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil. Teachers report concerns, however minor, to the specially trained safeguarding team. Staff know their pupils well and use this information to ensure pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. They complete appropriate employment checks and keep accurate records. Staff follow up any concerns with outside agencies. Leaders make sure that pupils and their families receive the support they need. 22–23 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, pupils are not acquiring sufficient knowledge and skills. This is because the curriculum has not been effectively planned in these subjects. Insufficient time has been allocated to the teaching of history, D&T, art and geography. Leaders should ensure that they give enough time to teaching these subjects so that all pupils acquire the secure subject knowledge and skills needed to be successful learners.  Leaders have not supported some subject leaders to develop the necessary leadership skills to improve pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils’ skills are not as strong as they need to be in some subjects. Leaders need to ensure that all staff receive the training they need to fulfil their responsibilities effectively.  Assessments in foundation subjects and reading are not well developed. Therefore, leaders cannot be sure if pupils have learned more and can build on this knowledge in the future. Leaders need to make sure that assessments

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

provide the information that leaders and teachers need in order to know if pupils know more and can do more in all subjects.  There is currently no stable leadership of the early years setting. This means that leaders are not consistently checking that teachers implement the intended curriculum. For example, children are not given the opportunity to read simple words early enough. Leaders need to ensure that the early years setting has a clear structure of direct oversight.

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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. 22–23 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10088584 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–4 June 2015

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes to the school’s context since the last inspection.  The school does not make any alternative provision for any of its pupils.

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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, deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the curriculum leader, as well as a range of subject coordinators and teachers. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair, a representative from the Birmingham Education Partnership and the school’s external improvement adviser.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s safeguarding arrangements and documentation, including the single central record. Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and special educational needs coordinator. They spoke with staff about safeguarding.  Inspectors visited the school’s early years provision. 22–23 October 2019

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 Inspectors completed various inspection activities to gather evidence on the quality of education. There was a focus on reading, mathematics, languages and geography. This included lesson visits, looking at pupils’ work and discussions with teachers and pupils about their learning. All other subjects were also considered as part of the inspection.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke to many pupils during the two days of the inspection.  Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Inspectors considered 15 responses from staff to the Ofsted survey for staff and six responses from parents to Ofsted’s Parent View free-text facility. Inspectors also considered 39 responses from parents to a school survey.

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Inspection team

Bianka Zemke, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 22–23 October 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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