Nonsuch Primary School

Inspection of Nonsuch Primary School Wood Leasow, Woodgate Valley, Birmingham, West Midlands B32 3SE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 5 and 6 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where adults are determined that pupils will do well no matter their background. Teachers are developing a sound knowledge of the subjects they teach and enjoy working at the school. Leaders make sure that teachers are improving their skills all of the time. Pupils learn a lot during their time at Nonsuch Primary School as a result. Pupils love telling people about what they have learned. For example, pupils told inspectors lots of details about the role of women over time from what they had studied in their history lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They behave well, are kind to one another and treat each other with respect. This means the school is a calm place where pupils are ready to learn. Bullying is rare in school, and pupils are confident to talk to a grown- up if it ever happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers appreciate what the school does for their children. They feel that the school is warm and friendly. Staff are always there to listen and help when there is a problem.

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better?

Teaching pupils to read is very important to leaders. They train teachers thoroughly so that they can teach pupils to read well from the start of the early years. Teachers make sure that pupils practise their reading a lot. They use books which are at just the right level for pupils. Pupils who fall behind in their reading go for short catch-up sessions. These work well because teachers know exactly what pupils need to catch up on. Leaders help parents to support children’s reading. They put on workshops and provide online resources.

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better?

Teachers have a well-developed understanding of how pupils learn. They repeat key knowledge to make sure that pupils understand the work. They encourage pupils to talk about what they are learning. The focus on talking is helping pupils in the early years to develop their language and communication skills. Teachers explain things carefully. They break the curriculum down into small steps to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders check that teachers use appropriate resources to support pupils with SEND. They work with staff to ensure that the individual needs of pupils are met. This helps pupils learn the curriculum successfully.

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better?

Leaders have made staff training a priority. Teachers’ skills and confidence to teach the full range of subjects are developing well. Leaders check to see how well different subjects are being delivered. They know that there is still work to do. For example, in music, teachers are less confident to use musical instruments in lessons. 5 and 6 October 2021

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Pupils study the full range of curriculum subjects, which leaders have carefully planned. This means that teachers have plenty of guidance on how they should plan their lessons and can check pupils’ understanding as they go along. Teachers assess very regularly in lessons. However, assessments at the end of a unit or a year are not as helpful to teachers or pupils as they could be.

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Leaders have thought about how the early years prepares children for key stage 1. For example, children learn about time, including the past and the present. This prepares them well for their history topic ‘toys over time’ in key stage 1.

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Pupils’ relationships with their teachers are warm and pupils work hard for their teachers as a result. Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy behaving well inside and outside. They have plenty of opportunities at Nonsuch Primary School to go on trips, meet visitors and experience the wider world. Leaders plan these activities carefully, thinking about what pupils need to know. For example, there are visits from a history specialist and visits out to local high schools. Leaders provide bespoke opportunities for pupils with specific needs so that they are better prepared for life after school. For example, some pupils go to local community organisations to learn about how different adults help in society. Others develop their social skills by working in small groups. All pupils visit a range of places of worship, the theatre and local landmarks during their time at school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The trust supports the school to make sure that all of the required checks on staff are made before they start work. Leaders make sure that records are well kept and concerns are acted on quickly. Staff know how to report any concerns they have. Leaders provide high-quality safeguarding training on many different topics. These include safeguarding issues that are common to the local area. This means that staff are confident to see potential problems and provide help for pupils who need it. Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe in the curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Ongoing assessments are working well but summative assessments are not as useful as they could be. This is because they do not relate to the curriculum well enough. Leaders should make sure that summative assessments have a clear purpose and can be used to evaluate the quality and implementation of the curriculum.  Some teachers need to improve their knowledge in some subjects. Leaders should make sure that staff are confident and effective in teaching the full range of subjects. This should include a focus on subject-specific knowledge and teaching, 5 and 6 October 2021

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so that teachers are more confident, for example, to use school instruments when teaching music.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 5 and 6 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10201052 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 July 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Nonsuch Primary School is a part of the Birmingham Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher and senior leadership team, curriculum leaders, teachers and other staff. They met with a member of the multi-academy trust central team and a local governor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and music. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also 5 and 6 October 2021

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considered the responses to a staff questionnaire. They evaluated documentation, including the school’s strategic plans, and curriculum planning.  To evaluate safeguarding, inspectors looked at staff vetting records and the process for recruiting staff safely. They spoke with the designated safeguarding leaders and reviewed a range of case files. They spoke with staff and pupils about their knowledge of safeguarding.  Inspectors observed breaktimes and lunchtimes and looked at how pupils come into and leave school. They also considered responses to an online questionnaire for pupils. To evaluate parents’ views, inspectors held discussions with parents and looked at responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Dan Owen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Cameron Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 October 2021

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