St Margaret's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School Richmond Road, Olton, Solihull, West Midlands B92 7RR

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 November 2021

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 23 and 24 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school, and feel happy and safe. This is because they are well cared for by all staff and respected by other pupils. Pupils thrive in the inclusive community where everyone accepts and celebrates difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop a strong sense of what is right and wrong. They understand the importance of values such as tolerance and respect. Pupils live by the motto, ‘Treat others as you like to be treated.’ Bullying seldom happens. If it does happen, staff deal with it quickly and effectively. Pupils know that they have responsibilities towards each other and the environment. One pupil explained this, saying, ‘We are God’s hands on earth.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. They listen attentively to staff and concentrate on their work. Pupils are sensible when discussing their learning with their partners. Most pupils enjoy their learning because the curriculum is engaging. In many subjects, pupils know and remember what they have learned recently and in the past. In some subjects their knowledge is less secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities on offer. These include learning to play a musical instrument, singing in the choir and playing curling.

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better?

The school has been through some significant challenges in recent years, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, leaders, including governors and trust leaders, have continued to focus on improving the school. They keep pupils at the heart of all their decisions. Leaders make sure that all pupils get the support they need to reach their full potential.

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better?

Children get off to a good start in Nursery. Staff develop partnerships with parents and carers from the beginning. They take effective steps to meet children’s needs. The children are active learners. They concentrate and keep trying until they achieve what they set out to do. Children in Reception learn to read, write and count straight away. They use the sounds they know to read and write simple words and captions. They can count and order numbers to 10.

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better?

Reading has a high priority in the school. Staff have the expert knowledge they need in order to teach phonics and early reading well. Plans show clearly what children should know term by term. There is a clear sequence of learning in lessons that all staff follow. Staff use a range of assessments to identify when pupils need extra help to keep up. The extra support helps pupils, including those who struggle to read, to develop their confidence and read more fluently. Many books the pupils read match the letter sounds they know. The school is currently moving to a new phonics programme with new books that will all match the sounds children know. Younger pupils respond to books well, because staff read in an engaging way. Older 23 and 24 November 2021

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pupils can talk about books they have read by different authors, and can compare different themes.

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In mathematics, curriculum plans are well sequenced so that pupils build on what they have learned before. Staff give clear explanations. They provide support to make sure that pupils know and understand what they are doing. Staff use assessments well to decide who needs extra help to keep up.

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In many subjects, including science, curriculum plans identify the specific knowledge that pupils need to know and build on over time. Staff understand precisely what to teach and when. They do this clearly and as a result, pupils know and remember what they have learned. However, in some subjects, such as history, there are gaps in pupils’ learning.

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Leaders makes sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same ambitious curriculum as all pupils. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) provides staff with effective support and training to help them meet pupils’ needs. This helps pupils to learn the curriculum well and catch up when they have fallen behind.

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Leaders, including governors, are also ambitious for disadvantaged pupils. They use additional funding effectively to close any gaps in achievement. This includes providing one-to-one tutors and external support for attendance.

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There is a calm and orderly environment around the school, both in lessons and out on the playground. Leaders and staff manage behaviour well. They have positive relationships with pupils, and provide effective guidance and support for pupils when issues arise.

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The school provides many opportunities to develop responsible, active and respectful pupils. There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ character and pupils strive to reach a ‘gold standard’, which means giving 100% in everything they do.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff are suitable to work with children. They carry out the appropriate checks. All staff have completed safeguarding training. This helps them to identify anything of concern. The school has effective systems, that all staff know, for reporting concerns. Leaders are quick to respond to any issues identified. They work well with pupils’ families to provide help and support. Leaders also work with other agencies, when required, to make sure that pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum teaches pupils how to stay safe, including online. 23 and 24 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all curriculum plans identify the precise knowledge that pupils will know and build on over time. As a result, pupils’ knowledge in some subjects is not as secure as it should be. Leaders must make sure that all plans identify the precise knowledge pupils need to know, so that it builds on their knowledge and supports them to make connections with what they have learned before.

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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. 23 and 24 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199444 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website http://st-margarets-school.co.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school in September 2018. When its predecessor school, St Margaret’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The predecessor school received its last section 48 inspection of church schools on 18 June 2018. It is unknown at present when the next section 48 inspection will take place, due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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. 23 and 24 November 2021

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 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 inspections.  Inspectors held meetings with: the headteacher; the deputy headteacher; the SENCo; the early years leader; the designated safeguarding lead (DSL); subject leaders; governors, including the chair of the governing body; and the chief executive officer and the director of school improvement from the academy trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors looked at other curriculum plans, including music, physical education, and computing.  The lead inspector met with the headteacher, who is the DSL. Pupils’ case files

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were reviewed. The single central record of the checks on the staff’s suitability to work with children was scrutinised.  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 about how safe they feel in school and how they learn to keep themselves safe.  Inspectors visited the Nursery and Reception classes.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, the pupils’ survey and the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Helen Forrest, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katy Kent Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 November 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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