Setting

Michelle Gay Headteacher Osborne Primary School Osborne Road Erdington Birmingham West Midlands B23 6TY

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Osborne Primary School

Following my remote inspection with Eve Morris, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), of your school on 27 and 28 January 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to provide education to all pupils during the current circumstances.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Osborne Primary School

This monitoring inspection was conducted under section 8 (2) of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections remain temporarily suspended. It was additional to the usual monitoring process for schools that are judged to have serious weaknesses.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Osborne Primary School

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, this monitoring inspection was carried out remotely. As such, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would normally be the case during an on-site inspection. As a result, this letter provides a more limited level of assurance than our usual monitoring reports.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Osborne Primary School

The inspection took place because the school was judged to have serious weaknesses at its previous section 5 inspection. The school’s most recent section 5 inspection took place in March 2019.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Osborne Primary School

Having considered all the evidence and taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on the school, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

to provide education in the current circumstances. Ofsted

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 ensure that the curriculum content in the foundation subjects is carefully chosen and sequenced to enable pupils to know more and remember more over time

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 develop subject leaders’ curriculum knowledge and expertise.

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Context

 Since the previous inspection, five teachers have left the school and five have been appointed. The leadership team has been restructured. One governor has left, and a replacement found. Leaders are struggling to recruit a parent governor. The school’s journey to become an academy has been slower than expected but it is due to join the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership in April 2021.

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Context

 In the autumn term 2020, almost one third of pupils across the school had to self-isolate at some time. Of these, a small number have self-isolated more than once. No class ‘bubbles’ have had to isolate.

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Context

 The majority of pupils identified as ‘vulnerable’ are currently being educated at school. Leaders have identified an additional 56 vulnerable pupils and 34 of these are attending school. Approximately one third of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are attending school.

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Context

 A small number of staff are absent from school, due to previous health issues relating to COVID-19 or illness.

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Main findings

 Since the previous inspection, you and your team, with support from external partners, have been working to address the weaknesses that existed, particularly in the quality of teaching and the approach to reading. You have developed a more distributed model of leadership and leaders at all levels have begun to receive training for their roles. The pace of improvement varies from one area to another, partly affected by the pandemic. You have not yet made sure that the curriculum in some subjects, other than English and mathematics, is clearly sequenced to enable teachers to develop pupils’ knowledge well enough over time. Subject leaders are relatively new to their roles and require further training to ensure that they have a strong understanding of the curriculum.

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Main findings

 You have adapted your curriculum so that pupils who are not currently attending school can access remote education, covering the same content as pupils in school. You have had to adapt planning in some subjects, such as art and physical education, because of space and access to resources. Pupils are expected to follow a set timetable every day, and you have set out clearly your expectations for pupils’ engagement. You know that pupils have been less active in previous lockdowns, so you have included extra physical activities in the timetable to encourage pupils to exercise more. You and the staff understand the challenges of remote learning and make every effort to provide activities that will interest and engage pupils in their learning.

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Main findings

 Reading is now a high priority in the school. Staff have received additional training and pupils are benefiting from additional phonics support to help them catch up. You have made sure that early readers are able to read books matched to their phonics ability. Pupils at home can access suitable phonics books online. Pupils can enjoy daily story time, either at school or via recorded sessions. You have clear plans to develop reading provision, particularly for pupils in Years 3 to 6, but this work is at an early stage.

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Main findings

 You have prioritised the attendance of vulnerable pupils at school. You and your team act quickly to ensure that any pupils who are not engaging in remote learning have the opportunity to attend school. You have made several home visits to families to get pupils into school to learn. All pupils are benefiting from additional pastoral support and well-being checks.

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Main findings

 Pupils with SEND are receiving appropriate support. Expectations for this group of pupils have been raised. Teachers provide pupils with work matched to their needs, at home and at school, linked to their individual plans. Pupils benefit from extra support from teaching assistants. The additional support that staff give before the start of a lesson helps pupils to join in with class activities. This usually enables them to complete the same work as their peers.

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Main findings

 Governors have a good knowledge and understanding of the challenges leaders and staff face in the current pandemic and provide suitable support. They are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive a suitable education and talked confidently about strategies that leaders have used to engage parents in their children’s remote education. Governors have been focused on the quality of teaching but have so far paid less attention to the development of the wider curriculum.

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Main findings

 Since the previous inspection, external partners from the local authority and the proposed multi-academy trust have provided additional guidance and professional development around reading, leadership and curriculum development. Further support is needed in order to develop the role of subject leaders and improve the sequencing of the curriculum in the foundation subjects, as the work done on these aspects so far has not had enough impact.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. We spoke to you, other senior and middle leaders, two governors, six staff, a selection of pupils, a representative of the local authority and the executive headteacher of the multi-academy trust the school is due to join, to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

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Evidence

We also looked at information about remote education on the school’s website, viewed some pre-recorded lessons and work set for pupils, listened to some pupils read, and scrutinised curriculum plans and minutes of governing body meetings.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Birmingham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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