Hollyfield Primary School

Draft and confidential - Not for disclosure or publication Inspection of a good school: Hollyfield Primary School Hollyfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B75 7SG

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 November 2022

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Outcome

Hollyfield Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils at Hollyfield Primary School. They are committed to ensuring that every pupil achieves well. Pupils are happy, feel safe and enjoy coming to school. However, some pupils do not attend as regularly as they should and are sometimes late. This means that their learning is disrupted and affects how well they achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum. Pupils enjoy reading. This is because leaders ensure that reading is taught well. Parents are positive about the quality of education their children receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders offer pupils a range of trips and visits to broaden their interests. For example, pupils visit a farm to learn about life cycles. They also visit a toy museum to deepen their knowledge of children’s play in Victorian times. Older pupils enjoy the ‘space sleepover’ and Condover Hall residential. Pupils enjoy attending a range of clubs. These include choir, multisport, football, dance and gymnastics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils engage well when learning in classrooms. Pupils are kind and respectful of one another. They play well together at social times. Rare incidents of bullying are ‘nipped in the bud’ by leaders. Pupils are confident that staff will resolve any concerns they have.

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

Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum. It sets high expectations for all pupils. Teachers have received training to enable them to deliver the curriculum effectively. They make sure that pupils have the right knowledge and vocabulary to be successful in their learning. Teachers check on learning in lessons and recap prior learning. This helps pupils to remember what they have learned before. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best, and pupils live up to these expectations. 22 and 23 November 2022

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Children in the early years settle well into school life. This is because clear routines are well established, and staff have high expectations for all children. Staff carefully plan learning that builds on what children know and can do. As a result, children develop early language and number skills well. Leaders ensure that children in need of additional support are swiftly identified and get the help they need to be successful. Children begin to develop confidence through making choices in their learning. However, on some occasions, staff do not make the learning in the wider curriculum clear enough. When this happens, children do not know what is expected of them when they are working independently.

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Reading is prioritised by leaders. The reading curriculum is carefully planned and staff are well trained. Phonics is taught well. Teachers ensure that books are carefully matched to the sounds younger pupils learn. This helps pupils to practise the sounds they know when reading. Leaders have ensured that teachers have the resources they need to teach reading well. Pupils read regularly during the school day. Pupils who fall behind in their reading are swiftly identified and supported to catch up quickly. As a result, all pupils achieve well in reading.

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Leaders identify pupils in need of additional support quickly. They make sure that these pupils get the help and support they need to be successful in school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as other pupils. Staff support them effectively and they achieve well.

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Pupils enjoy fundraising for charities and the local foodbank. Opportunities such as digital leaders, house captains and art ambassadors allow pupils to take on responsibilities. Pupils know that they have the right to make choices and express their views. They learn about the rights of the child. Pupils are proud of their bronze ‘Rights Respecting Award’ status. The school rules and class charter help pupils to ‘do the right thing’.

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Pupils develop an understanding of democracy through the school council and the eco council. They learn about different faiths including Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and people with no faith. Pupils visit different places of worship, such as the local church, synagogue and Buddhist pagoda. They learn about different cultures and celebrations, including Eid, Diwali, New Moon, Christmas and Easter. This helps pupils to understand that ‘while we are different, we respect one another’. This ensures that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders have undertaken an honest evaluation of the school. Governors know the school well and talk openly about recent challenges. They have worked effectively with the new headteacher to bring about rapid improvements to the quality of education. Leaders have ambitious plans for the school’s continued improvement. However, they do not know how well pupils are learning in subjects other than English and mathematics. This is because assessment systems to check pupils’ achievement are not yet embedded in all subjects. Staff value the support from leaders to manage their workload and well-being. 22 and 23 November 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise pupils’ welfare. They ensure that staff attend regular safeguarding training. This helps them to identify when pupils might be at risk of harm. Staff record and report concerns, such as neglect, swiftly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They learn about online safety, healthy relationships, stranger danger and water safety. Pupils know how to raise concerns with trusted adults.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know their families and the local community well. They work well with external agencies to secure the right help for pupils who need it. Leaders carry out the appropriate pre-employment checks when recruiting new staff.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school regularly or on time. This disrupts their learning and impacts on how well they achieve. Leaders should strengthen the monitoring of pupils’ attendance and punctuality, and work closely with parents so that all pupils attend school regularly and punctually.  In the early years, staff’s planning and expectations of learning in the wider curriculum are not clear enough. On occasion, children lack direction and are unclear about what is expected of them. Leaders should ensure that staff plan for and support children to practise and consolidate their learning when working independently.  Leaders do not have robust assessment systems in place for foundation subjects. This means that subject leaders do not check how well pupils are achieving in the curriculum. Leaders should support subject leaders to systematically monitor how well pupils are learning, to check that they are making good progress in all subjects.

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Background

When we have judged 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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2013. 22 and 23 November 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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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. 22 and 23 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226996 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 28 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The new headteacher was appointed in September 2022.  The school is part of the Four Oaks Learning Co-operative Trust for Excellence.  The school does not use 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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in history, mathematics and reading. These included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, examining curriculum guidance and talking with pupils and staff. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work from a sample of other subjects. They also discussed the curriculum with subject leaders.  The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. They reviewed reading resources.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation on the school’s website. 22 and 23 November 2022

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 The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included examining the record of employment checks on school staff.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times during the day.  During the inspection, the inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher, the acting assistant headteacher, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the pastoral manager, the designated safeguarding leader and the early years leader. The inspector also met with three representatives of the governing body, the school improvement adviser and a local authority representative.  Inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 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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