Little Heath Primary School

Inspection of Little Heath Primary School Spring Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV6 7FN

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Little Heath Primary School is a school full of compassion. Pupils say that everyone in school is kind, and parents and carers agree. As one parent said, the school feels like a ‘second family’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school, and are happy there and feel safe. They say that they have trusted adults to talk to. Pupils understand what bullying is, but say that bullying very rarely happens. If it does, teachers deal with it and it stops.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well mannered. They behave well in lessons. During breaktimes and lunchtimes, they look out for each other and play cooperatively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Little Heath, difference is celebrated. Pupils understand that people can be different in a variety of ways. For example, over 40 languages are spoken at home by pupils and their families. Pupils enjoy learning about other faiths and cultures. One pupil, voicing the view of many, said: ‘If everyone was the same, it would be boring.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the best for all pupils at this school. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed some of their plans. There is some work to do to ensure that all pupils can access the good quality of education that leaders want.

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better?

There have been recent changes to leadership at all levels at Little Heath Primary School. New leaders have focused on improving the curriculum. In some subjects, such as physical education (PE) and science, leaders have identified what pupils will learn. This knowledge is sequenced in a logical order so that pupils can begin to build on what they already know. In some subjects, leaders are beginning to introduce activities to help pupils remember what they have learned before. However, some of these changes are very new and are not consistent in all subjects.

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better?

A large proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language. Teachers do not always check whether pupils know the vocabulary that they need to understand what they are being taught across the curriculum. This means that, at times, some pupils’ progress is limited. This includes some pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read.

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better?

Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception. They read books matched to the sounds they are learning. Leaders make sure that pupils’ reading development is regularly assessed. However, some pupils who speak English as an additional language do not know the meaning of the words they are learning to read. This hampers them in understanding what they are reading.

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better?

In Reception, most children work happily with their classmates. Leaders plan activities that follow children’s interests and experiences. For example, children 1 and 2 November 2022

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enjoy real-life learning in a mechanics’ garage role-play area. However, leaders do not ensure that all learning is adapted to meet the needs of all children. This includes children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Recent changes to leadership have led to pupils with SEND being more accurately identified. Some pupils with significant needs receive adult support to help them to learn alongside their classmates. They are fully included in the life of the school. However, their needs are not always met fully through the curriculum.

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Pupils behave well in school. They are respectful towards each other and to teachers. As a result, learning is rarely disrupted. However, there is inconsistency in the way in which behaviour is managed and a lack of commonly agreed strategies that are known by pupils and staff. Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. This means that they miss out on important learning.

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Leaders ensure that there is a range of clubs on offer. They ensure that all clubs are free for all pupils. Leaders ensure that pupils experience other opportunities. For example, pupils in Year 6 visit north Wales on a residential trip. Other pupils work with a locally based building society, learning financial and life skills. Leaders also ensure that all pupils learn tolerance and understanding. For example, pupils spoken to enjoyed learning about other faiths and beliefs.

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Governors are currently restructuring their committees so that they can offer the support and challenge leaders need to help them drive school improvements. With leaders, they ensure that staff feel listened to. Staff appreciate that leaders are mindful of their workload. All staff who responded to the survey enjoy working at Little Heath Primary School.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a priority. They are aware of local risks and make sure that they teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. For example, leaders have ensured that the school has links with local police community support officers.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff receive regular safeguarding training. Staff know how to identify pupils who may be at risk of potential harm. There are systems in place to record concerns, and these are used and followed up rigorously. Leaders also engage with external services, when required, to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not currently ensure that pupils who speak English as an additional language are fully supported to access the curriculum. As a result, some pupils 1 and 2 November 2022

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are unable to understand what they are being taught, including when learning to read. Leaders should ensure that teachers consider carefully what vocabulary all pupils need to understand, so that they can learn successfully across the curriculum.  Leaders are developing the curriculum. As a result, in some subjects, there is still work to be done. Leaders should continue to develop the curriculum and share good practice so that all subjects are well planned and sequenced and include the consistent use of retrieval strategies to enable all pupils, including those with SEND, to succeed.  Leaders do not analyse attendance data with sufficient focus. As a result, they do not proactively seek to remove potential barriers, and some groups of pupils miss school too frequently. Leaders should analyse attendance information to better detect any patterns or trends and use this analysis to work with families to

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overcome barriers to pupils’ attendance.

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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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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. 1 and 2 November 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

28 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school has a very high proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and PE. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans where these were available, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read. 1 and 2 November 2022

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 The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and the pastoral leader.  The lead inspector held meetings with the chair and representatives of the governing body and spoke to representatives from the local authority.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. The inspectors spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead, looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, looked at safeguarding records and talked to pupils and staff.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments. The inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspectors talked to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Anna Smith Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 November 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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