Gossey Lane Academy

Inspection of Gossey Lane Academy Gossey Lane, Kitts Green, Birmingham, West Midlands B33 0DS

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe at Gossey Lane Academy. They try hard to live the school motto ‘together we aspire’. Pupils are polite and kind to each other. They play well together. Occasional incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively by leaders. Pupils are confident that staff will deal with any concerns or worries they have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have not made sure that the curriculum is ambitious enough. This means that expectations for pupils’ achievement are not consistently high enough. This particularly affects some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Recently, leaders have started to review the curriculum to raise expectations. This work is at an early stage and there is more to do. Parents have mixed views about the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils broaden their interests through activities such as trips and visits. A Year 5 visit to a local chocolate museum, for example, deepened their learning about the Mayans. A variety of clubs such as sports and choir help pupils to develop their talents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy coming to school. However, some do not attend school regularly enough, particularly some disadvantaged and SEND pupils. This means they miss learning, which hinders their progress. 10 and 11 January 2023

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better?

Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is ambitious enough for all pupils. In some subjects, learning is not well sequenced. This means that pupils do not build securely on what they have learned before. Staff have not had sufficient training to teach some subjects well enough. Assessment is not used consistently well, so work is not carefully matched to pupils’ needs. As a result, they do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Reading is prioritised. Staff have the resources they need to teach reading well. Pupils read, and are read to, regularly. Most staff have been trained to teach the phonics scheme. Books match the sounds that pupils are learning. This helps pupils to practise new sounds when reading in school and at home. Pupils who fall behind are supported to catch up with their reading. Pupils now achieve well in phonics.

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better?

Expectations for pupils with SEND are not consistently high enough. Leaders have not ensured that the identification and support for pupils with SEND are effective. Weaknesses in the education, health and care plan target-setting process mean that information is not precise enough to support pupils to be successful. Teachers do not adapt enough of what they do to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Some pupils are not well supported to learn alongside their peers.

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better?

In the early years, however, leaders set high expectations. Staff support children well to settle into school life and routines. For instance, they help them to work and play cooperatively with others and to take turns. This helps them to feel happy and secure at school. The early years curriculum is well planned and prepares children for key stage 1. They get off to a good start with their early reading, writing and mathematics. For example, some children write full sentences independently.

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better?

In the early years, staff build supportive relationships with children and ensure their learning needs are identified and met. They make sure children get the support they need to be successful. Children enjoy taking on responsibilities, such as ‘fish feeders’ or ‘safety officers.’ This helps them to develop respect for their learning environment.

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better?

The school provides strong opportunities for pupils’ positive personal development. Pupils show respect for others. They are proud of the school’s gold United Nations Children’s Fund Rights Respecting Schools Award. Opportunities to be ‘Gossey Gardeners’ or pupil leaders enable pupils to take on responsibilities. Visits to different places of worship and residential trips widen pupils’ horizons. In personal, social and health lessons, pupils listen to and value the opinions of others. Pupils enjoy weekly discussions and debates about issues, such as the suffragette movement.

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better?

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and significant staff changes have slowed school improvement. This is partly why leaders have not improved the school as much as they would have liked. However, leaders’ oversight has lacked focus at times. Recent 10 and 11 January 2023

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changes in the Washwood Heath multi-academy trust (MAT) have brought more rigour to holding school leaders to account for the school’s performance. Currently, leaders are starting to take more focused and effective action to drive improvements. However, they have more to do to improve provision, attendance, and outcomes for pupils.

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Staff are positive about the support from leaders to manage their workload and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure staff understand their role in keeping children safe. Staff record and report any concerns to safeguarding leaders.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make the appropriate pre-employment checks when recruiting new staff. They work well with external organisations to support pupils, and their families, to get the help they need. However, at times, communication and recording are not as robust as they might be. There is no evidence that pupils are unsafe at school. However, some administrative processes could be tighter.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They learn about online safety, road safety, fire safety and how to stay safe near water.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not ambitious enough for all pupils. This is because, in some subjects, learning is not sufficiently well sequenced to help pupils know more and remember more over time. Leaders should review curriculum design so that learning in different subjects is carefully sequenced, so that pupils’ knowledge builds up logically over time.  Leaders’ processes to identify the needs of pupils with SEND lack sufficient rigour. This means that some pupils do not get the right help and support they need to achieve well. Leaders should review their processes and provision for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND. They should do this, so that these pupils learn as successfully as possible.  Leaders’ oversight of the quality of education, SEND provision and use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is not sufficiently focused. In addition, some safeguarding administrative processes are not robust enough.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Senior leaders should ensure that all leaders and staff with responsibilities undertake their roles effectively. They should do this to ensure robust accountability and consistency of practice across the school. 10 and 11 January 2023

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 Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should, particularly some disadvantaged or SEND pupils. This means that they miss learning and fall behind. Leaders should work closely with these pupils and their families to overcome barriers to regular attendance. They should also review how additional funding could be used to support better attendance at school.

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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256931 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 April 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not have nursery provision.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.

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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 provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in geography, mathematics, music and reading. These included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, considering curriculum design 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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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 Inspectors observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. They reviewed reading resources.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation on the school’s website.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included examining the record of employment checks on school staff.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times during the day.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the SEND coordinator, the designated safeguarding leader, the early years leader, representatives of the local governing body and Washwood Heath MAT, including the chief education officer.  Inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, and pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lesley Yates Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 January 2023

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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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