Priory Primary School

Inspection of Priory Primary School Limes Road, Priory Estate, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4AQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 10 and 11 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ passion for pupils to ‘be ready, be respectful, be safe, be Priory’ shines through every decision they make and action they take. Nothing is left to chance. This attention to detail is making a real difference to pupils’ behaviour and learning. Pupils are proud of jobs they have, such as playground buddies and house captains. They enjoy being involved in leading the school and making a positive difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have rightly focused on improving behaviour. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is good and they can concentrate on their learning. Pupils feel safe and have absolute faith that adults will sort any playground problems out. In the words of one pupil, reflecting the views of many, ‘The teachers are making it better and the disagreements are getting less.’ Pupils know about different types of bullying. They say that it ‘barely happens’, but that telling an adult gets it sorted out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Clubs are back up and running after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Pupils enjoy these. They like the sports competitions. Pupils also like the new games they play at lunchtime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have concentrated on reading, as well as changing behaviour for the better. This a strength of the school. Pupils are learning to read well.

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better?

Trust and school leaders have a clear understanding of what is working well and what needs to happen next. Trust leaders bring a belief that all pupils will achieve success. They use their knowledge, expertise and resources to create positive change. School leaders bring this belief to life. They say, and inspectors agree, ‘We hold our pupils in our hearts and our minds.’

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better?

Many people speak of the difference the headteacher is making. He has created a team of leaders and staff who know what to do and when to do it, and who understand why they are doing it. Staff feel well supported. They say that the behaviour policy has made a real difference to their work in school.

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better?

Staff deliver phonics with preciseness. They give effective support that helps all pupils to get better at reading. Leaders have introduced many different ideas to help pupils enjoy reading, such as the secret reader and the five-million-word challenge. These, alongside skilful storytelling at the end of the school day, help pupils to value their reading time.

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better?

Developing a love of reading begins as the youngest two-year-olds start school. Children in the ‘time for twos’ and Nursery provision love visiting the little lenders library. This continues in Reception with visits to the local library. Staff think about every opportunity for learning that they create in early years. 10 and 11 May 2022

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Strong leadership ensures that children get the best out of their time in early years. A clear and well-laid-out curriculum is in place. Staff spend time talking and interacting with children throughout the day. From the moment they start in the setting to when they leave for Year 1, children learn how to be learners. This helps children grow and develop in all areas and to be ready for moving into key stage 1.

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Leaders have put in place a curriculum that builds on what pupils know from early years. The curriculum is planned well. It lets teachers know what to teach across all subjects and helps them to have the right resources. This is helping some, but not all, pupils to be successful in their learning. Leaders have, rightly, had to focus on providing clarity and structure about what pupils should be learning. They have not yet ensured that teachers have sufficient skills to refine how they teach it.

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Pupils like the range of subjects they study, and the fact that behaviour does not stop them from learning. However, pupils are not able to remember or talk about much of their previous learning. In English and mathematics, too many mistakes are not corrected or are left too long before being corrected. This means that pupils continue to get the same things incorrect. Not enough pupils are working at the standard at which leaders want them to be.

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Leaders know all pupils well. They know that some pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, need specific help to join in and be successful at school. Leaders take time to find out what each pupil needs and build bespoke provision around this. The Hub and The Cove resources are examples of this. The joined-up thinking, care and teaching are ambitious on behalf of these pupils. These ambitions are realised.

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Pupils enjoy a range of opportunities and responsibilities. These help them to know how to make a difference in society and to the world.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils enjoy the quizzes that help them think about relevant topics. These include those on online safety, friendships and staying safe in different ways. Pupils like the way in which playground buddies keep them safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that adults in school are safe to work with children and they report any concerns raised. Training is regular and rigorous. It helps staff to know what to do in response to different concerns. They do it. Leaders follow up concerns. They keep detailed records and work with a range of agencies. Leaders ask themselves, ‘Have we done all that we can to keep pupils safe?’. 10 and 11 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not always adapt curriculum plans to meet pupils’ needs. This means that some pupils spend time waiting in lessons or not understanding their learning. Leaders need to provide further development, so that teachers can refine the curriculum in a way that makes sure that all pupils are achieving well.  Pupils’ mistakes, especially in English and mathematics, are not consistently corrected or are not corrected promptly. As a result, pupils repeat the same mistakes or are not being helped to work at the standard leaders expect for their age. Leaders need to make sure that all teachers identify and address promptly errors and misconceptions so that pupils make better progress.

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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. 10 and 11 May 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is in the Hales Valley Trust. This is the school’s first inspection since opening as an academy with the trust.  The school has Nursery provision for two- to four-year-olds.  The school makes use of a registered provider.  A new headteacher was appointed in January 2021.

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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 of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, computing, physical education and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 10 and 11 May 2022

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Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work and spoke to leaders and pupils about some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils read.  Inspectors had formal meetings with the headteacher, other leaders, the chief executive officer of the Hales Valley Trust, other trust leaders, school staff and pupils.  The inspectors talked informally with parents and carers, pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. In addition, they took account of the responses to Ofsted surveys of the views of staff, pupils and parents views.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at lunchtime. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors met with leaders about the school’s safeguarding procedures. Inspectors reviewed policies and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors spoke to pupils, parents and staff about pupils’ safety.

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 Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans, minutes of trust and local governing body meetings and information on the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Ogden Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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