Summerhill Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Summerhill Primary Academy Upper Church Lane, Tipton, West Midlands DY4 9PF

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Outcome

Summerhill Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Summerhill Primary Academy are prepared well for learning at secondary school. They study a wide variety of different subjects and reach high standards in English and mathematics. Teachers follow detailed, well-ordered curriculum guidance and know what they are doing. Staff provide extra help for any pupils that need it. However, occasionally the work teachers give pupils does not support their learning as well as it might.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well most of the time. If bullying happens, then staff sort it out quickly and do all they can to stop it happening again. Adults support pupils’ behaviour well and make sure pupils work hard. Classrooms are calm and purposeful places in which to work and learn. Staff model respectful behaviour. They are fair and kind to pupils and help them to understand the importance of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do lots of interesting things in lessons. During this inspection, for example, some pupils attended sessions with a storyteller while other classes benefited from professional drama workshops. Outside, pupils go on trips to different places. These help to support learning and broaden pupils’ outlook and interests.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

This well-led school is very successful at teaching reading and mathematics.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children get off to a great start in the early years. Teachers have a sharp focus on teaching speaking, listening, letter sounds and numbers. This continues throughout key stage 1 and beyond. Staff do a lot to promote an interest in books and reading throughout the school. In all classes, staff regularly read to pupils. They introduce them to different authors and invite storytellers into school. In addition, class reading areas are full of suitable and interesting books. Consequently, most pupils develop the reading knowledge they need to be literate and interested in reading. Staff are well trained and 29 and 30 March 2022

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have good subject knowledge. The mathematics curriculum is similarly well organised and effective. Even so, teachers’ attention to correct pencil grip in the early years and key stage 1 could be better.

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In other subjects, leaders have identified the subject-specific knowledge that pupils should learn. They have produced clear guidance to follow and supported staff with precise feedback and training. Different subjects are taught regularly, and all pupils receive a broad curriculum. Support for subject leadership is strong. Trust-wide expertise is used to support staff to identify the important knowledge to be taught and remembered by pupils. In modern foreign languages, for instance, leaders have pinpointed the key vocabulary and structures that pupils need to succeed. This approach to curriculum design is typical.

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The school uses the United Nations sustainability goals to inform aspects of curriculum planning. The aim of these is to teach pupils about how to care for our planet and one another. These messages are promoted through assemblies and often in lessons. In many instances, this is appropriate and supports pupils’ social and cultural development well. However, at times, staff weave in these messages in ways that distract pupils from what they need to learn and remember in a particular subject. This is because they introduce ideas and language that are too hard for pupils to understand. At other times, some staff make careless errors. This confuses pupils, and they do not learn as well as they might.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support. Their needs are identified accurately, and their learning is checked carefully. Leaders seek expert advice and act swiftly to help pupils who need help with their behaviour or learning.

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Leaders and staff have created a calm, purposeful and respectful climate for learning. Staff manage any difficult situations in calm, constructive ways and lessons run smoothly.

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The school provides trips and extra activities, including clubs and childcare on Friday afternoons. Looking ahead, leaders are considering ways to increase opportunities for even more pupils to take part in extra-curricular activities.

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Governors know and support the school well. They understand their role and have confidence in the leadership of the school and the trust. They follow the correct procedures and ask the right questions. Consequently, they have the information they need to steer the school in an informed and ambitious direction.

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Most staff say that they are happy with leaders’ arrangements for considering their workload, although a few disagree.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 29 and 30 March 2022

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Leaders are rigorous in their approach to safeguarding. They keep up to date and know the pupils and local risks well. Adults notice and act on any concerns that arise. They make sure that information is recorded and shared in the right way.

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Staff understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. School systems provide detailed information that enables leaders to spot any patterns and address concerns appropriately.

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Pupils learn about safe behaviours and how they should behave towards others. Pupils trust adults in school to help them with any problems or worries.

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Adults’ suitability to work in school is checked and recorded.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, staff add information about the school’s sustainability messages into different subjects. Sometimes this works well and supports subject-specific learning. Sometimes it does not. Instead, it confuses pupils because they do not understand, or it distracts them from the planned learning. At other times, some staff produce resources with mistakes in them. Again, this can confuse pupils. Leaders should check that staff are implementing the school’s good-quality curriculum guidance in consistent and accurate ways. They should do this to ensure that pupils remember the right things.  In the early years and key stage 1, staff do not do enough to teach correct pencil grip. This causes problems with letter formation, which can lead to unhelpful writing habits that are hard to change later. Leaders should improve the way pencil grip is taught in early years and key stage 1.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Summerhill Primary, to be good in February 2015. 29 and 30 March 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 29 and 30 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227736 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteachers Hayley Lloyd-Davies and Natalie Rich

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School details

Website www.summerhillprimaryacademy.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened as an academy in December 2017. It is part of The Rivers Church of England (CE) Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).  The school provides before- and after-school childcare on site.  The school uses one alternative provider, which is registered.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, modern foreign languages and history. In these subjects, the inspectors visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, examined teachers’ plans and talked with pupils and staff about the way the subjects were planned and taught. Inspectors also considered some other subjects in less detail to check how they were organised and taught.  Inspectors considered 2019 external performance data about the school and looked at school documents. These included information about leadership, behaviour, 29 and 30 March 2022

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attendance, the school curriculum and improvement planning. They also checked the school’s website.  Inspectors asked pupils, staff and leaders about safeguarding arrangements. The lead inspector examined the record of employment checks on school staff and looked at other school records. Inspectors found out about safety procedures and routines at the school.  Inspectors watched pupils’ behaviour in class, assembly, at lunchtime, on the playground and at other times during the day.  During the inspection, inspectors had formal meetings with the executive headteacher, heads of key stages 1 and 2, other leaders, members of the school improvement board, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of The Rivers CE MAT.  Inspectors talked informally with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. In addition, they took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff,

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Inspection team

Diane Pye, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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