Sundridge Primary School

Inspection of Sundridge Primary School Sundridge Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, West Midlands B44 9NY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 December 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the best for all pupils. They prioritise their care and well-being. As a result, pupils are happy and feel safe. They know that if they are worried, they can talk to the adults in school. Pupils are keen to learn new things.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have developed the curriculum. They prioritised reading, and this means that pupils get off to a good start learning to read when they begin school. However, not all subjects are as well planned. Teachers are not always sure about what to teach or how to teach it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers ensure that pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn about road safety and how to stay safe online. Bullying rarely happens but pupils know that if it does, then staff will sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities, for example by being art and play leaders. The school serves a diverse community and differences are respected. As one pupil said, 'Everyone has something special’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. Teachers quickly sort out any disagreements. Pupils enjoy playing games like ‘stuck in the mud’ and learning to hip-hop dance and do the ‘Lambeth walk’. Pupils enjoy clubs such as tag rugby, Gaelic football and archery.

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better?

Leaders have focused on developing the curriculum. They have organised training for staff in a wide range of subject areas. This has had a particularly positive impact on early reading. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are developing their reading skills well because staff understand the best way to teach the curriculum in this area. Teachers ensure that the phonics programme helps pupils to develop their early reading skills. Books are well matched to the sounds that pupils already know. Adults regularly share exciting stories with pupils, and pupils say that they enjoy reading.

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better?

The development of the curriculum, and the related training, have also begun to help staff in some other subjects. As a result, some subjects are well planned and ordered. In music, for example, pupils confidently and enthusiastically use the correct vocabulary to talk about their learning over time. In mathematics, pupils use their knowledge of times tables to help them solve calculation problems.

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better?

However, this clear planning and teaching is not present in all subjects. In some subjects it is not clear what key knowledge and skills pupils will learn and when, so pupils’ learning does not build over time. Teachers do not always check what pupils know and remember. This means that for some pupils, including those with SEND, gaps form and get wider. Expectations of pupils and their work are not consistently 7 and 8 December 2021

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high enough. Some subject leaders do not yet know enough about the strengths and weaknesses in their curriculum areas. This means they do not know what needs to improve.

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In the Reception class, relationships are warm and positive. Children are happy and settled. They get off to an early start with reading and mathematics. The early years curriculum is based on a series of topics and children’s interests. However, it does not clearly set out the key skills and knowledge children will learn. This means that teachers do not consistently provide ways for children to practise their new skills as they play. Leaders are developing the early years curriculum with the aim of providing a solid foundation for the whole-school curriculum.

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Pupils understand diversity and respect and celebrate differences. They are developing an understanding of life in modern Britain and discuss different cultures and faiths with confidence. Leaders have developed a well-thought-out relationships and sex education programme. This starts in the early years with the NSPCC ‘Pants’ programme. Leaders encourage pupils to be healthy and active. Pupils enjoy playing traditional games with their friends in the ‘outdoor adventure club’.

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There is a calm atmosphere around the school. Pupils are kind and as one says, ‘Using one kind word can make a difference to someone’. There is very little bullying. Pupils have good understanding of what bullying is. Pupils know that sometimes arguments happen. However, they trust adults to help resolve any issues.

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Leaders, including governors, want the very best for pupils and staff, recognising when they need support and seeking help. Most parents are happy. They say communication is good and the school does all it can to support their children.

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Leaders work hard to make necessary improvements. However, they do not always check closely enough that all staff have clearly understood and are doing what is expected of them. Staff feel very well supported and recognise that leaders have taken measures to reduce workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Keeping pupils safe is everyone’s responsibility in this school. Leaders organise training and regular updates for all staff. This means that staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders respond to concerns quickly. When required, they work with external agencies so that the right support is put in place for pupils and their families. Through the curriculum, staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, including when using social media or playing online games.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about healthy relationships. As a result, they talk knowledgably about ‘families, friends and acquaintances’. 7 and 8 December 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are developing their curriculum planning. In some subjects, this is in the early stages. They should develop this planning fully in all subjects and put it into place, ensuring that medium-term planning provides the detail that staff need, in order to know what key knowledge they need to teach and when to teach it.  Some curriculum leaders are in the early stages of their role. Consequently, subject leaders do not all have a clear understanding of how to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in their curriculum areas. Senior leaders need to make sure that subject leaders have the time, support and expertise to monitor their curriculum areas to address any areas for improvement.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not always know the best ways to teach key skills and knowledge. Leaders should continue to provide them with support and training to ensure staff have the necessary skills and understanding to adapt their teaching in order to meet the needs of all pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the Reception class, curriculum planning does not clearly identify how knowledge and skills are ordered and connected. This means that children’s learning does not always build on what they already know. Leaders need to continue to review the early years curriculum to make sure it gives children the opportunities to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare them for the next phase of their education.

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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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10211097 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 and 14 December 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 this into account in their evaluation.  The lead inspector held ongoing meetings with the headteacher. She met with three members of the local governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector also met with two representatives of Birmingham Education Partnership.  Inspectors held meetings with the designated safeguarding leader, the early years leader, the special educational needs coordinator and other leaders.  As part of the inspection, the inspectors focused mainly on early reading, mathematics, art and design, and music. They met with subject leaders and teachers to talk about the quality of education in these subjects. 7 and 8 December 2021

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 Inspectors made visits to classrooms. Most of these visits were with subject leaders.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school. They looked at pupils’ work to see how well staff implement the curriculum.  Safeguarding documents were checked, including the checks that leaders make on staff’s suitability to work with children. The inspectors checked that staff implement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively across the school.  Inspectors talked to parents at the end of the day. The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text responses received during the inspection.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plan, policies, curriculum

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documents, SEND records, published information about pupils’ performance and minutes of local academy board meetings.  The inspectors looked at information published on the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Moran, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Harwood Her Majesty's Inspector 7 and 8 December 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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