Kings Heath Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Kings Heath Primary School Valentine Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham West Midlands B14 7AJ

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 September 2021

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for and nurtured. They enjoy coming to school and feel safe. Pupils are proud of their diverse and inclusive environment. They say everybody is treated equally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and confident. They behave well in lessons and around school, showing respect for each other and to staff. They say that bullying rarely happens and, if it did, they are sure that staff would stop it quickly. Year 6 pupils act as anti-bullying ambassadors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are committed to offering wider opportunities that help pupils to become active citizens. Pupils are proudly involved in decisions about school life, for example through the school council. Some after-school activities have restarted, where COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions allow. Leaders plan to reintroduce the full range of extra-curricular activities as soon as possible.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers plan tasks to enthuse pupils. However, these tasks do not always give pupils the depth of knowledge they need to get better at a subject. Not all teachers have high enough expectations of what pupils can do. The new headteacher knows what to do to ensure that the curriculum is as ambitious as it needs to be so that all pupils can fulfil their potential.

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

Pupils, parents and staff are happy at Kings Heath primary. Most pupils achieve well in mathematics and reading. This is particularly true for those with high prior attainment and those in receipt of support for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, other pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not make the progress they 22–23 September 2021

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should. Teachers do not consistently insist on the highest standards of work from pupils, particularly in their writing. Improving the teaching of writing was an area for improvement identified at the school’s last inspection.

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Leaders identify and assess pupils’ SEND needs quickly. They try to do this as early as possible so that pupils with SEND receive the support they need, without delay. This support might be in class or extra interventions. Leaders value the views of parents. They try to include pupils’ and parents’ views in the development of support plans.

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Teachers have good subject knowledge. They help pupils to recall and remember what they learned previously. However, curriculum plans in some subjects are not well planned so that pupils’ learning is logically sequenced. This is because leaders have not defined the subject-specific knowledge they expect pupils to learn. As a result, pupils do not study some national curriculum subjects in enough depth.

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Most pupils learn to read fluently and with confidence. When pupils are in danger of falling behind, teachers and support staff provide catch-up sessions. However, until recently, teachers in the early years and those in Year 1 were using different phonics schemes. Teachers have tried to match books from both schemes to pupils’ phonic knowledge. This blended approach creates confusion. Some Year 2 pupils who did not pass the phonics screening check in Year 1 are still struggling to decode simple words.

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Most pupils love learning. Disruption to lessons due to poor behaviour is rare.

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Staff feel well supported by leaders. They know that leaders will listen and respond to any concerns they raise about workload. Teachers like working together in year groups to plan learning. The school closes early on Friday afternoons to facilitate this. However, governors acknowledge that they took this decision reluctantly to save money. Pupils are not learning the full curriculum in sufficient depth at the moment. In addition, pupils have lost a lot of learning time during the pandemic. The shortened school week has reduced the teaching time available for wider curriculum subjects.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are proud of the welcoming and caring nature of the school. In the past, leaders have focused on this aspect of school life at the expense of curriculum development and academic standards. As a result, subject leadership has not been a priority. Subject leaders have not benefited from training and support to fulfil their roles effectively. The headteacher is keen to harness staff expertise to ensure that the quality of education improves quickly.

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Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They value the inclusive ethos. They feel part of the school community. One parent’s view echoed that of many others, when they said, ‘The school nurtures individuality and helps build pupils’ confidence as well as celebrating every child.’ However, a small number of parents feel that they do not receive enough information about what their child is learning.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that science, history and geography may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection. 22–23 September 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the necessary pre-employment checks are completed. Safeguarding leaders are knowledgeable and experienced. Staff are well trained to identify and report concerns about pupils’ well-being. Leaders act promptly to support pupils and their families. Many parents expressed their thanks for additional support provided during the pandemic.

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Safeguarding

The school has appropriate policies in place, including safeguarding, anti-bullying, and relationships, health and sex education (RSHE). Leaders have not yet consulted with parents on the RSHE policy.

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Safeguarding

At the last inspection, leaders were asked to reduce absence for disadvantaged pupils. This remains a priority.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is well planned and sequenced in all subjects. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans set out clearly what pupils should know and understand so that pupils’ learning builds on what they already know.  Subject leadership has not been a priority. Subject leaders who are relatively new to their roles have not been supported effectively to lead the development of their subjects across the school. Leaders should prioritise support for subject leaders to develop in their roles.  Leaders have not ensured that all staff have the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve in all subjects. Leaders should ensure that revised curriculum plans are ambitious and that all staff insist on the highest standards of pupils’ work, particularly in writing.  Leaders have not ensured that all pupils become fluent readers. Leaders should ensure that a consistent phonics scheme is implemented across early years and key stage 1

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

and that effective support is provided for those pupils who struggle to read fluently in Year 2 and beyond.  Leaders and those responsible for governance have not improved attendance for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders should continue to take action to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and evaluate the impact of their efforts.  Leaders and those responsible for governance have not carried out their statutory duty to consult with parents on the school’s RSHE policy. Some parents feel they do not have enough information about what their child is learning. Leaders should consult with parents on the RSE policy as a matter of urgency and take steps to provide parents with more information about what their child is learning. 22–23 September 2021

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 Leaders’ decision to close the school early on Fridays may have contributed to limited curriculum coverage. Leaders and those responsible for governance should urgently review this decision so that pupils experience the full breadth and depth of the national curriculum.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately .

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 22 February 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 22–23 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200095 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Professor Michael Hand

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 September 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Kings Heath Primary School is a large primary school with an on-site nursery for children from aged 3 years old.  The headteacher at the time of the last inspection retired at the end of the spring term 2021. The deputy headteacher was the acting headteacher for the summer term 2021. The current headteacher took up the post in September 2021.  The school is a fully accessible mainstream school with specially resourced provision for pupils with physical disabilities. There are currently seven pupils placed in this provision by the local authority.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.  The school has no religious denomination.  The school has a before- and after-school club. 22–23 September 2021

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted reports.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, designated safeguarding lead (DSL), subject leaders and the chair of governors. The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the Birmingham Education Partnership on the telephone.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at curriculum plans and discussed the wider curriculum with staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with the DSL and the deputy headteacher, who is one of three deputy DSLs. Case files were reviewed. The single central record was checked.  Inspectors met with staff, including early career teachers, experienced teachers and support staff, to discuss their workload and the support they receive to carry out their roles.  Inspectors spoke to pupils at break and lunchtime about how safe they feel in school and how they are taught to keep themselves safe.  The lead inspector visited the nursery and reception classes.  137 responses to Ofsted Parent View and 23 responses to the staff questionnaire were considered. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Jane Spilsbury, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Forrest Her Majesty’s Inspector 22–23 September 2021

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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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