Pinfold Street Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Pinfold Street Primary School Pinfold Street Extension, Darlaston, Wednesbury, West Midlands WS10 8PU

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Outcome

Pinfold Street Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Pinfold Street Primary. They enjoy school, and they work and play well together. Pupils show respect and care for each other. This is a school where nurture is at the centre of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in classes and on the playground. They are polite and wait for adults to pass as they move through corridors. Pupils are proud of their school and all that it offers to them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say bullying does not happen very often because bullying is not allowed. Pupils learn how to manage their feelings. They work together to resolve differences. Pupils trust adults in school to help them sort things out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders prioritise the development of communication skills. Staff encourage pupils to express how they are feeling and why they are feeling that way. Pupils show respect for each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. The curriculum provides pupils with high- quality education and develops their aspirations for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Enrichment is provided within and beyond the school day. Pupils are enthusiastic about the school farm, art, forest school, woodlands school, music and the range of sports on offer to them. Pupils eagerly anticipate residential visits in Years 4, 5 and 6.

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

The curriculum is ambitious in its breadth and scope for all pupils. Staff work well together to teach it effectively. For example, in mathematics and reading, staff teams have planned how knowledge builds incrementally over time. Leaders ensure that teachers and support staff are trained to deliver the school’s curriculum well. Teachers make sure that pupils have time to consolidate what they have learned. Pupils revisit their learning and practise to become confident. 18 and 19 October 2022

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In Reception, children get off to a flying start in reading. Before they join the school, leaders share the school’s approach to teaching reading with parents and carers. Staff are well trained to teach phonics. Therefore, they teach it well. Pupils enjoy reading. Reading achievements are celebrated through regular contact with parents via the school’s reading app. The teaching of reading is helping pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to become confident and fluent readers.

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Pupils benefit from the consistent whole-school approach to the teaching of mathematics. They thrive on the challenge in mathematics lessons. Pupils learn from an early age to explain in words their mathematical thinking. Staff have high expectations of presentation in pupils’ books. Teachers check for gaps in knowledge in both mathematics and reading, and quickly address them. Assessment in some of the other subjects is less well developed. This means that teachers do not always identify where pupils need extra help or have gaps in their learning.

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Leaders are keen to strengthen the curriculum further. They know that some teachers with curriculum responsibilities have a lack of knowledge about the early years curriculum and how this relates to their subject. Leaders’ aim is to help ensure a seamless curriculum for all pupils from the early years to Year 6.

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Pinfold Street is an inclusive school. Staff use information about pupils to provide for their individual needs. Trained teams of staff lead interventions and personalised support for individuals and groups. Pupils with SEND are supported very well in school.

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Pupils behave very well. At lunchtimes, the breadth of play experiences on offer to pupils is wide. Pupils wait politely for a sports bib to become available so they can join in games such as handball, hockey and football. Year 6 pupils enjoy the privilege of playing football on the field. Pupils take care of their environment. For example, they take responsibility for picking up litter at lunchtime. Leaders think carefully about how to equip pupils for their future to ensure, as the school motto says, that they are ‘Prepared for Life’. Leaders ensure that pupils have a wide range of experiences within and beyond the school day. For example, pupils pet and feed animals on the school’s farm, including the goats, chickens and rabbits. These types of experiences help to promote pupils’ personal development. In addition, leaders prioritise the mental health of pupils and staff in the school community. One member of staff said,

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‘We are all part of the Pinfold family.’ Leaders think about workload and carefully consider the impact their decisions may have on staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Systems to monitor vulnerable pupils are robust. Leaders act quickly to keep pupils safe. Leaders know the pupils’ families well. The pastoral team is highly visible on the playgrounds each day. Leaders promote a culture of being vigilant. Staff and governors 18 and 19 October 2022

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receive regular safeguarding training and updates. Leaders ensure systems to check visitors and new staff are rigorous. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and offline. Pupils learn about legal and illegal drugs. Older pupils are proud of their first-aid skills. Pupils say they have trusted adults they can talk to. Pupils say they feel very safe in school. Parents and staff agree.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, not all subject leaders have a secure knowledge of how their subject relates to learning in the early years. This means that pupils do not build on their learning as effectively as they should. Leaders should take further action to ensure the curriculum is seamless from the early years to Year 6 in all subjects so that pupils use their prior learning well to make good progress.  Teachers’ assessment in some subjects is not always providing them with helpful information about pupils’ next steps. Therefore, gaps in pupils’ learning are not always identified and addressed. Leaders should ensure that assessment in all subjects is helpful in addressing any gaps in pupils’ understanding and precisely planning the next steps in learning.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2017.

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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. 18 and 19 October 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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240529 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 and 8 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection both the headteacher and deputy headteacher are new to their roles.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leader, teaching and learning leader, subject leaders, special educational needs coordinator, the chair of the governing body, governors, teachers, parents and staff.  During the inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. The inspector visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, talked to pupils, talked to staff about the way the subjects were planned and taught and observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. 18 and 19 October 2022

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 The inspector looked at school documents, including information about the school curriculum, behaviour, attendance and the minutes of governors’ meetings.  To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the school’s policies and procedures. The inspector met with safeguarding leaders and spoke to pupils and staff.  The inspector reviewed information published on the school’s website.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed around school, in classes and at playtime and lunchtime.  The inspector reviewed and discussed records of pupils’ attendance.  The inspector spoke with a local authority representative.  The inspector spoke to parents at the end of the first day of the inspection. She reviewed the 25 Ofsted Parent View responses and considered the free-text comments. The inspector took account of the 33 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Pamela Matty Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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