Peterbrook Primary School

Inspection of Peterbrook Primary School High Street, Solihull Lodge, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands B90 1HR

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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 Requires improvement 8 and 9 February 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Peterbrook Primary School. It is a warm, caring school where pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils enjoy learning and they listen to their teachers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There have been some improvements since the last inspection. Leaders have started to develop the curriculum and this is leading to some good learning in some subjects. However, in other subjects, the curriculum has not been planned in sufficient detail. Teachers are not always clear about the important things they need to teach. Leaders do not check regularly enough that effective learning is taking place in lessons. This means that not all pupils are learning as well as they could, including in reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand about different types of bullying. They are confident to talk to their teachers about it. They know it will be sorted out. Pupil peer mediators are well trained and proud of their role in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils enjoy a wide range of exciting activities. Pupils really enjoy learning to play instruments. They practise cooking skills and martial arts after school. As one pupil says, these opportunities ‘help us lead our lives outside of school’.

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better?

Leaders have reviewed the curriculum. They have developed a more subject-based approach. Teachers now have a better understanding of what to teach and when in some subjects. This means that pupils make strong progress, for example in mathematics and physical education (PE). In some other subjects, the curriculum is less well developed and the content is not clearly set out. This means that teachers are unclear about the important skills and knowledge pupils need to learn. Consequently, pupils do not know and remember key information. Leaders do not check often enough how consistently and effectively the curriculum is being delivered in lessons.

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better?

Senior leaders have not yet made sure that all curriculum leaders have the skills and expertise to carry out their role. This means that in some subjects, leaders do not check how well pupils are doing in lessons across the whole school. As a result, leaders do not have an accurate picture of how well pupils are learning or if the support they are getting helps them enough.

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better?

Leaders have made reading a priority. From starting school, pupils have daily reading and phonics lessons. Teachers ensure that pupils read at school. They encourage them to read at home and most do. Pupils enjoy listening to adults read stories. However, there is variability in the delivery of the current phonics programme. Teachers do not consistently check that pupils can decode, blend and read the sounds they have been taught. This means that some pupils do not read 8 and 9 February 2022

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books that match the sounds they are learning or make the progress in reading that they should. A new approach to teaching phonics is about to be introduced. Pupils who need it are given extra support which helps them catch up with their reading.

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Developing provision in the early years has been a school priority. The leader and staff have created well-organised and welcoming learning areas, which help children to develop their skills and knowledge. The early years leader has started to develop the curriculum, but this does not yet contain the detail about what staff should teach, when or how. This means that staff are not always clear about what they expect children to know and remember.

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The special educational needs and disabilities leader identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Most pupils with SEND receive extra support from adults in class. Sometimes they work in smaller groups with adults from the SEND support team. However, leaders do not check often enough that the support that pupils are getting in small groups or in class helps them to make the progress that they should.

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Pupils behave well. Pupils are confident that staff will sort out any poor behaviour. Attendance has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic and leaders have been swift to act on this. They build positive relationships with families and put help in place to get pupils into school. As a result, persistent absence has decreased.

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Leaders ensure that pupils experience a wide range of opportunities, including a recent residential trip. Pupils enjoy making democratic decisions. They help to decide what charitable events will take place in school. Pupils show understanding of fundamental British values. Their personal, social and health education helps them to show tolerance and respect. As one pupil says, ‘It’s good to be different.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know their community well. They ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training. They know what to do if they have a concern. Leaders respond to these concerns quickly. The school’s family support team works with others to find the right support for pupils and their families. Parents value this support.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to stay safe as part of the curriculum. This includes learning how to cross the road safely and how to stay safe online.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff undergo detailed employment checks. Governors regularly check the well-organised central record. 8 and 9 February 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some curriculum leaders do not yet have the skills or expertise to carry out their role effectively. This means that they do not have a complete overview of their subject from the early years to Year 6. Senior leaders should ensure that all curriculum leaders are well trained and supported to enable them to develop the skills and knowledge they need to be able to check how well their subject is being taught from the early years to Year 6.  The curriculum in some subjects, including early reading, is not sufficiently well planned and sequenced through the key stages. This means that teachers do not plan lessons that connect to prior learning. Leaders should ensure that curriculum planning sets out the essential knowledge that pupils are expected to learn, from early years to Year 6.  Some teachers do not have the confidence or expertise to teach the curriculum well. This means that some pupils do not make the progress they should. This

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

includes pupils with SEND. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive the training they need to deliver well all the subjects that they teach.

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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. 8 and 9 February 2022

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School details

Chair of governing body Andrew Schneider

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 June 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 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 second routine inspection the school received since the COVID 19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector held a range of meetings with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. She met with four members of the governing body, including the chair, in person.  The lead inspector met with the team of senior leaders from the school.  The lead inspector also met with representatives of Solihull local authority. 8 and 9 February 2022

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 Inspectors held meetings with the designated safeguarding leader, the assistant headteacher, the early years leader, the special educational needs coordinator and other leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, PE and history.  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.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum planning and spoke to leaders about some other subjects, including geography. They talked to the curriculum leader and teachers about the quality of education in these subjects.  Inspectors made visits to classrooms. Most of these visits were with the assistant headteacher and subject leaders.  Inspectors visited the early years part of the school. Most of these visits were

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with the early years leader.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their learning and experiences at school. They looked at pupils’ work to see how well staff implement the curriculum.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  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 beginning and end of the day. The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including 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

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included the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement plan, school policies, curriculum documents, SEND records, published information about pupils’ performance and minutes of governing body 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

John Bates Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 February 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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