Scotch Orchard Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Scotch Orchard Primary School Scotch Orchard, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6DE

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Outcome

Scotch Orchard Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Scotch Orchard Primary School is a small school with close links to the local community. Pupils and parents value the small size of the school and its friendly atmosphere. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe because staff are caring and attentive to their needs. When pupils are worried about something, they can post concerns in the ‘worry box.’ Staff always follow up on posted concerns. Pupils like this system.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all the pupils. They have designed a curriculum that helps pupils to learn well and to make good progress through the years. Teachers focus on developing pupils’ interest in learning from Nursery to Year 6.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on well with each other and with staff. They behave well in lessons. They also behave well during breaktime and lunchtime. Staff reward good behaviour with green cards and stickers. The few pupils who get a red card for bad behaviour get help to improve their attitude. Pupils say that bullying is not a problem at the school. They know that staff would deal with it well if it happened.

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

Leaders and teachers have organised learning in all subjects to prepare pupils well for secondary education. From the early years to Year 6, pupils follow a well-structured and coherent curriculum. In Nursery and Reception, staff support children’s personal, social, and emotional development effectively. They also equip children with the key early literacy and numeracy skills needed to be well prepared for key stage 1. In key stages 1 and 2, teachers plan learning to ensure that pupils progress well through each year group.

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

Teachers plan activities that help pupils remember what they learn. As a routine, they start lessons with activities that revisit previous learning. In mathematics, for example, pupils may start with a problem to solve using a concept they have learned before. In history, pupils start by answering questions about an event they have studied in their 8 and 9 June 2022

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topic work. Pupils find this way of learning helpful. They say that what they do in lessons is interesting and often challenging. They enjoy working with each other and do not disrupt lessons.

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Teachers check pupils’ progress in lessons and end-of-unit tests. These checks allow them to identify and help pupils who are not making as much progress as they could.

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Leaders and teachers started to work on improving the curriculum after joining a multi- academy trust in 2018. But the new curriculum has only been fully implemented since September 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic and staff absences disrupted its implementation. As a result, teachers are still refining the way to teach some subjects, and there are some inconsistencies in practice between year groups.

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Staff start familiarising children with books and stories in Nursery. They teach formal phonics from the start of Reception. Teachers make sure that children who have difficulties with learning to read get support. Short and focused intervention sessions allow children who struggle to keep up with the rest of their group in phonics lessons. Targeted support continues in Years 1 and 2 to ensure that all can read well enough by the start of Year 3.

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The curriculum and extra-curricular activities contribute effectively to the personal development of pupils. They learn about citizenship, the rule of law and democracy through the personal, social, and health education programme. They also learn about relationships and the importance of respecting other people’s faiths and opinions. After- school clubs, where pupils can develop their skills in sport and music, are popular and well attended. Year 6 pupils are looking forward to the residential trip to France that will take place later this summer.

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Leaders and staff make sure that all the pupils are well looked after and can fulfil their potential. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The special educational needs coordinator and the staff work closely together to ensure that pupils with SEND can enjoy all aspects of school life. Teachers have detailed information about pupils’ needs and adapt learning for them. Many pupils with SEND take part in after-school clubs.

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Leaders and staff work well together. Staff enjoy working at the school. They appreciate leaders’ support. Being part of the multi-academy trust has had a positive impact on the school. The chief executive officer and the board of trustees provide strong governance. They support and challenge leaders effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff have up-to-date training. Staff are clear about their duty of care. They are confident about identifying and reporting potential safeguarding issues.

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Safeguarding

Leaders follow up on any serious concerns with determination. They work well with 8 and 9 June 2022

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families and external agencies to protect pupils who may be at risk. Leaders and trustees follow safer recruitment procedures carefully.

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Staff teach pupils how to manage and avoid risk in their everyday lives. Pupils learn how to use the internet and social media safely. Presentations in assemblies provide further information about managing risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some inconsistencies in the way the curriculum is delivered in some subjects in some year groups. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is fully embedded and that it is delivered consistently across all year groups.

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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 or outstanding 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, Scotch Orchard Primary School, to be good in February 2016.

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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. 8 and 9 June 2022

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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 June 2022

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School details

Headteacher Helen Hastilow (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Website https://scotchorchard-staffs.secure- dbprimary.com Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher has been in post since September 2021.  The school became an academy and joined the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership in September 2018.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, who is also designated safeguarding lead (DSL), the assistant headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator. The inspector also spoke with a trustee, the multi- academy trust’s chief executive officer and the multi-academy trust’s director of education.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at 8 and 9 June 2022

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector checked safeguarding arrangements and school records. The inspector discussed safeguarding policies and case studies with the DSL. He talked to teachers and other staff about the safeguarding training they had received and how they put this training into practice.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime, talked informally to groups of pupils and talked to parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, the online inspection questionnaire, including written responses. He also considered responses from staff to their online inspection questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Patrick Amieli, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 June 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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