Perry Hall Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Perry Hall Primary School Colman Avenue, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV11 3RT

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Outcome

Perry Hall Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where all staff are determined to provide the best possible education. This vision comes from the executive headteacher and is shared by all who work in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn well throughout the school. Expectations are high. Reading and mathematics are particular strengths. Teachers plan pupils’ learning from the moment they start school, in Terrific for Twos or Nursery. Pupils make good progress in all years and achieve well in national tests at the end of Year 6.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders place as much importance on pupils’ wider development as they do on their academic achievement. All pupils enjoy a wide range of experiences that help them to learn and broaden their horizons. Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school. They behave well and are keen to learn. They are polite and friendly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff provide excellent support for pupils, especially those who need extra help. Pupils feel safe in school. Bullying is rare. Pupils trust staff to tackle it and any other problems they face.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have worked hard to involve parents in the life of the school. The have been successful. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and all it provides for their children.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils’ learning is planned well throughout the school. In English and mathematics, teachers use well-established schemes of learning. Teachers teach these subjects well and pupils make good progress as a result.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders make sure that reading is given a high priority. It is thoroughly planned in all years. In Terrific for Twos, children sing nursery rhymes and develop their language skills. In the Nursery classes, they begin to learn the different sounds that make up words. In 21–22 January 2020

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Reception and key stage 1, pupils learn the links between sounds and the letters in written words. Most pupils become fluent readers. Staff provide expert extra help for those who find reading more difficult. Throughout the school, pupils enjoy reading.

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Mathematics is a strength of the school. Pupils become confident in basic skills such as times tables. They think deeply as they tackle difficult problems. They are able to explain their thinking when solving mathematical problems. In all key stages, pupils achieve well in mathematics.

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Leaders have revised learning schemes in subjects other than English and mathematics. In science, changes were put into place in September 2018 and pupils’ learning is improving as a result. In other subjects, changes were made at the start of this school year. In these subjects, learning is carefully planned to build from year to year. But there remains more work to be done before pupils are learning as well as they could. At times, teachers teach content without having thought through what pupils might need to know before meeting the new ideas. In English and mathematics, pupils usually remember what they have been taught. This is not always the case in other subjects.

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Leaders are determined that pupils should have a rich variety of experiences. These include visits to art galleries, museums, theatres and local restaurants. The school has held Stone Age and Viking days. Pupils in Years 2 and 6 take part in residential visits. Experiences develop pupils’ understanding of the world and help to set their learning into a real context.

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Staff know pupils very well, including any extra needs they have. Staff provide excellent support for pupils who need extra help. This includes high-quality support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They work hard and are keen to do well. They behave well and disruption to lessons is rare. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy coming to school. Almost all attend school very regularly.

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The early years foundation stage provides children with an excellent start to school. Terrific for Twos, Nursery and Reception are all vibrant and exciting places. All are well equipped. The outdoor spaces are particularly impressive. Children’s learning is carefully planned throughout. The three distinct classes together provide coherent, high-quality education.

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The school’s staff form a united and hardworking team. They value the support and guidance that the executive headteacher and senior leaders provide. Like their pupils, staff are proud to belong to the school.

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The school benefits from its membership of the Perry Hall Multi-Academy Trust. The trust provides expert support in several areas including SEND, governance and finance. Its chief executive officer (CEO) supports the school well. Subject leaders value their regular meetings with the trust’s other schools. Pupils enjoy trust-wide activities, including residential visits. 21–22 January 2020

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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. Leaders know the school’s context well. They understand the risks that children growing up in Wednesfield might face. They ensure that staff are alert to the signs that pupils might need extra support. Staff pass on to leaders any concerns they have.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pupils get the help they need in a timely manner. Much support is provided by school or trust staff. Leaders make good use of external agencies when appropriate.

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Safeguarding

Pupils, parents and staff agree that pupils are safe and well cared for in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in English and mathematics is well established and successful. Pupils’ learning is carefully planned to build from year to year. Before pupils meet new ideas, they are taught what they need to know in preparation. The curriculum in all other subjects, except science, has been revised this year. It is yet to be embedded. Although schemes of work arrange learning in a logical sequence, pupils are not always taught the necessary prior knowledge they need before meeting new learning. Leaders should ensure that, before new content is taught, teachers consider what knowledge pupils might need in preparation.  In English and mathematics, pupils’ learning is consolidated well. They usually remember what they have been taught. This is also the case, but to a lesser degree, in science. In other subjects, teaching does not always ensure that pupils remember what they have been taught as well as it could. Leaders should ensure that teaching

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

consistently helps pupils to remember what they have been taught.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Perry Hall Primary School, to be good on 28–29 November 2011. 21–22 January 2020

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How can I feed back my views?

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 are the school and you are 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. 21–22 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122557 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Rekha Kohli (executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 March 2016

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher took up her post on 1 September 2018.  The school has provision for two-year-old children in its Terrific for Twos classes.  The school has before-school and after-school provision in the Perry Hall Kids Club.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the executive headteacher, who is also the designated safeguarding lead, with other senior leaders and with CEO of the Perry Hall Multi-Academy Trust. The lead inspector held a meeting with a group comprising the chair of the board of trustees and three members of the local governing body including its chair, who is also a trustee.  We talked to many pupils about their learning and their attitudes to, and opinions about, school. We observed pupils at breaktime and lunchtime and as they moved around the school. We also considered the five responses received on Ofsted’s pupil inspection questionnaire. 21–22 January 2020

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 We scrutinised several documents including those relating to safeguarding and child protection. We checked that the single central record contained all required information.  We spoke with parents at the start of the day. We also took account of parents’ views by considering the 23 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the 20 free-text comments. We also considered the views of many parents that the school gathered at a recent parents’ evening.  We took account of 38 responses received on Ofsted’s staff inspection questionnaire.  As part of this inspection, we paid particular attention to reading, mathematics, history and science. In these subjects, we met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, scrutinised pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and pupils.

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Inspection team

Alun Williams, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracey O’Keeffe-Pullan Ofsted Inspector 21–22 January 2020

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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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