St Luke's CofE First School

Inspection of St Luke’s Church of England First School Plymouth Road North, Southcrest, Redditch, Worcestershire B97 4NU

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 January 2022

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 12 and 13 January 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St Luke’s Church of England First School. They are happy and safe. The core values of community, diversity and well-being are central to this school’s work. Bullying is not tolerated at the school. Staff act quickly to resolve any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders do not set high enough expectations for what some pupils can achieve. The work provided for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) does not meet their needs. Mathematics and reading are taught regularly and work builds on what has gone before. Pupils enjoy reading. However, leaders have not made the necessary improvements to the curriculum in some subjects to ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils’ behaviour is managed fairly across the school. Pupils are polite and friendly. On occasions, when expectations are not high enough, some pupils become distracted in class. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play happily together. Pupils who are play leaders or well-being leaders help out in different ways. Activities such as after-school clubs and trips have started again as COVID- 19 restrictions have eased. These help pupils to grow in confidence, develop new interests and broaden their outlook.

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better?

In the main, leaders have ensured that the curriculum is carefully sequenced and is being implemented effectively. However, in some subjects, the curriculum does not enable pupils to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the subject. As a result, pupils do not deepen their learning and they do not remember key information. In some subjects, including design technology and music, curriculum plans have only recently been introduced. Leaders’ plans were delayed because of the pandemic. This means that leaders have not yet evaluated the impact of this new curriculum on what pupils know and remember.

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better?

Curriculum leaders ensure that teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach each subject well. Teachers teach pupils the vocabulary needed to deepen learning. This allows pupils to build up knowledge over time. Despite this, teachers do not always set work that is well matched to the needs of pupils. This is because teachers’ checks on some pupils’ learning are not as effective as they should be. As a result, teachers do not always pick up when pupils are struggling or need to move on.

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better?

Good communication between home and school helps children in early years settle well into school life. They develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff have high expectations of children. They model early language and communication skills well. Teachers plan learning activities that are well matched to children’s needs. Children enjoy learning about number through stories, songs and rhymes. Leaders now prioritise reading. Recent changes in the teaching of phonics are being implemented. 12 and 13 January 2022

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However, teachers’ expectations in reading are still not high enough for some pupils. Not all pupils read to adults regularly in school. Some books for a few pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not closely match the sounds pupils are learning.

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Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum consistently meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. As a result, some pupils are not effectively supported in class. Some parents and carers of pupils with SEND are concerned about the quality of support their children receive at school. Pupils in the nurture group are supported well. They receive additional pastoral support and support from external agencies where required. Leaders have made some recent progress in securing effective support for some pupils with SEND.

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Activities beyond the academic curriculum support pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoy fundraising for charity. A planned carol-singing visit to a local care home was cancelled due to the pandemic. Instead, pupils enjoyed writing letters to residents. Trips and after-school clubs, such as those for drama, gardening and sports, have been reinstated. Opportunities for roles such as spiritual leader, play leader and well-being leader allow pupils to take on responsibilities. In doing so, they develop confidence and communication skills. In personal, social and health education lessons, pupils confidently share ideas and feelings. They listen to and value the opinions of others. Strong pastoral support means that pupils get the help and advice they need.

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Governors have an understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. Those new to governance talk confidently about recent improvements. However, governors are clear that the school has not made as much progress as they would have liked due to COVID-19. Staff feel well supported by leaders, who manage their workload effectively. Staff are appreciative of the support they receive from leaders to cope with the impact of COVID-19 on school and home life.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil. They are aware of specific areas of concern, such as protecting pupils from sexual harassment, radicalisation and exploitation. Leaders seek the right support for vulnerable pupils. This includes support from external agencies when necessary.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the appropriate checks on staff are undertaken before they are appointed. Pupils regularly learn about how to maintain healthy relationships and to keep safe when online. They know how to raise concerns with trusted adults in school. 12 and 13 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers’ checks on some pupils’ learning are not as effective as they should be. This means that teachers do not always pick up when pupils are struggling or need to move on. This slows their progress. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use assessment well to identify accurate next steps for pupils.  Provision for some pupils with SEND does not meet their needs. This means that some pupils do not get the help and support they need in order to be successful. Leaders need to review provision for some pupils to ensure that all pupils with SEND get the help and support they need to do well in school. Teachers should ensure that reading books for pupils with SEND who are still at the early stages of reading are matched to the sounds they are learning.  In some subjects, the curriculum does not enable pupils to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding. This means that pupils do not deepen their

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

knowledge and they struggle to retain key information. In these subjects, leaders need to review the curriculum to make steps in learning more explicit and allow pupils adequate time to deepen their learning and remember more of what they have been taught.  Leaders have recently introduced revised curriculum plans in a small number of subjects. They have not yet evaluated the impact that these plans are having on what pupils know and remember. Leaders should support subject leaders to evaluate the impact of plans on what pupils know and remember.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 12 and 13 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

20 and 21 March 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school was judged to require improvement at the most recent inspection of denominational education, and the content of the school’s collective worship, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in November 2021. Section 48 inspections were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They restarted in September 2021. The next inspection will be within eight years of the previous section 48 inspection.  The school does not use 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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in geography, reading, mathematics and music. This included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, examining curriculum 12 and 13 January 2022

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documents and talking with pupils and staff. They also looked at work from a sample of other subjects. Inspectors considered information on the school’s website.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included examining the record of employment checks on school staff.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class and at other times during the day.  During the inspection, inspectors had formal meetings with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, subject leaders, the SEND coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, the early years leader, governors, a representative of the local authority and a representative from the diocese.  The inspector took account of responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the pupil survey and the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Tim Hill Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 January 2022

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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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