Greet Primary School

Inspection of Greet Primary School Percy Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, West Midlands B11 3ND

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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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 15 and 16 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm and welcoming school. Pupils enjoy attending and they behave well. Pupils are proud of their school. They feel safe because they know that staff always listen to them. Pupils show respect to each other and to adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is. They say that if bullying happens, then staff sort it out quickly. Staff care about pupils and want the best for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are not helped to achieve as well as they should in some subjects. The new leadership team is determined to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. Leaders’ recent actions are starting to help pupils to make the progress they should. Parents are aware of recent changes but some are not clear about the reasons why these have been made.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities. Older pupils enjoy organising games and activities at lunchtimes. School eco-councillors talk proudly about the work they do. Pupils understand the need to keep healthy, both mentally and physically. They are proud to count their daily steps on their pedometers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the different books they get the chance to read and know how important it is to read well. As one pupil said, ‘Books help you to be smart.’

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better?

The school has been through a challenging time. A major flood that caused significant damage to the school building, COVID-19 and significant staffing and leadership changes led to a period of turbulence. Trustees have recently appointed a new leadership team and they are taking determined steps to get the school back on track.

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better?

Leaders have started to improve the quality of education. They are developing an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum. This is more developed in some subjects than in others. In the subjects that are further ahead, leaders have made it clear what knowledge they want pupils to learn and the order in which it must be taught. They have also provided training for staff. This means staff deliver these aspects of the curriculum well. As a result, pupils know more and remember more.

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better?

In other subjects, curriculum planning is not precise enough. It does not set out what pupils need to learn in clear, logical steps. Staff have not yet received the training they need. They are not always clear about the best ways to deliver the curriculum. This stops pupils from building on their learning over time.

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better?

In English and mathematics, staff and leaders check regularly how well pupils are learning. In other subjects, this is just starting. Some subjects have new leaders. 15 and 16 March 2022

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These leaders do not yet have the expertise to check if their curriculum planning is helping pupils to know more and remember more. They do not know if teachers are delivering the curriculum well. This means that they do not know how well pupils are achieving.

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Leaders have made reading a priority. They have provided staff with training and clear guidance. This means that teachers know which sounds to teach and when to teach them. They have the confidence and expertise to deliver the phonics curriculum well. Pupils learn to read new sounds quickly when they start in reception. They read books which match the sounds they are learning. Pupils who need to catch up get the right support. Pupils enjoy reading. They know it is important and prepares them for life ahead.

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Leaders make sure that provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is varied and well matched to their needs. Some pupils with more complex needs spend some of their time learning in ‘the Hive’. This provision offers some well-targeted support when pupils need it.

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Children in the early years settle quickly because staff are caring and supportive. They behave well and enjoy playing and talking together. However, the curriculum is not planned well enough. This means that staff do not know exactly what to teach and when to teach it. There are not enough opportunities for children to deepen their understanding. This means that they do not always achieve as well as they should.

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Pupils are polite and courteous. Staff support pupils to sort out any disagreements they have. Pupils behave well, and learning is rarely disrupted. Leaders have secure systems to monitor pupils’ attendance and challenge any persistent absence.

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Leaders provide opportunities to teach pupils about the world they live in. Through assemblies and the new relationships curriculum, pupils learn to be tolerant and respectful of others. Pupils enjoy attending the singing and reading clubs. Pupils talk about Sparkhill and why they are proud to live there. Leaders encourage pupils to have ‘no limits to what they can achieve’.

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Staff enjoy working at Greet Primary School. They say that leaders consider their workload when they make changes. They know there is work to be done but feel well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know the school community well. They understand how best to support their pupils. Leaders ensure staff are well trained. Weekly briefings keep safeguarding at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Staff know what to do if they are worried about a pupil and take action if they have concerns. Leaders respond quickly and work with other agencies if needed to provide the right support. 15 and 16 March 2022

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Pupils say they feel safe in school. They say teachers keep them safe and will always help them if they need it. They understand how to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In most foundation subjects, curriculum planning is new and not as precise as it should be. This means that teachers are unclear about what pupils need to learn and by when. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum planning is sequenced equally well. This will help teachers to plan the next steps in learning that pupils need so that pupils know more and remember more across the curriculum.  Staff’s subject knowledge is not as secure as it needs to be in some subjects. This is because they have not yet received the training they need to help them deliver some aspects of the curriculum well. Leaders should ensure that staff are well trained and supported to deliver the curriculum effectively.  Leadership in some curriculum areas is new. Leaders do not have the specialist knowledge required to check how well the curriculum is being delivered. Trust and senior leaders should ensure that curriculum leaders receive the necessary

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

support and training they need to lead their subject area effectively, including having the knowledge to be able to check on the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning.  Curriculum planning in the early years does not provide enough detail to inform teachers about what children need to be taught and when. Leaders need to review and develop the early years curriculum, making sure that staff teach the most important skills and knowledge that children need to have by the end of the Reception Year.

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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 . 15 and 16 March 2022

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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. 15 and 16 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211778 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in leadership arrangements and staffing in recent years.  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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector held a range of meetings with those responsible for governance. She met with the chief executive officer of the Trust and 2 Trustees in person, including the vice-chair. She also met with four members of the local advisory board, including the chair and vice-chair in person. 15 and 16 March 2022

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, who is a designated safeguarding leader, the safeguarding manager, the business manager, deputy headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator and other leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics English, history, geography and physical education.  For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, 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 books and spoke to leaders about some other subjects, including science. They met with teachers to talk about the quality of education in these subjects.  Inspectors made visits to classrooms. Most of these visits were with deputy headteachers, assistant headteachers and subject leaders.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, in classrooms and at

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breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors made visits to the early years part of the school. Most of these visits were with the deputy headteacher and the headteacher.  Inspectors 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.  Safeguarding documents were checked, including the checks that leaders make on staff’s suitability to work with children. Inspectors checked that staff implement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively across the school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and the 41 free-text responses received during the inspection.  Inspectors considered emails that were sent by parents.  Inspectors spoke to a number of parents, either in person or by telephone.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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 Inspectors looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This 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.  Inspectors looked at information published on the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Moran, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector Richard Sutton Ofsted Inspector Anne Potter Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 March 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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