Hurst Green Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hurst Green Primary School Narrow Lane, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 9NZ

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

Hurst Green Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders at Hurst Green Primary School have high expectations of all pupils. They have created a culture where pupils are nurtured, feel safe and achieve well. Pupils wear their uniforms with pride. They demonstrate the school principles of ‘be ready, respectful, responsible and safe’. These values are embedded into school life and pupils say that ‘this is just part of our learning’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know pupils well. Pupils say that their teachers are caring and help them to learn well. Pupils love coming to school. They behave well. Pupils say, ‘This school is amazing! The adults are really kind to us here.’ Pupils say that bullying is rare. Adults deal with bullying effectively if it should happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand that not everyone is the same. They know this should not make a difference to how they treat each other. Pupils respect each other and explain that ‘if someone is upset, we help them to be happy’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to take part in a range of student leadership opportunities. Some are involved in decision-making as part of the school council. Others work as digital leaders teaching other pupils about keeping safe online.

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

Leaders have a good understanding of their school and are clear on what they need to do to bring about further improvements. They have set out what they want pupils to learn and the topic words they should know across subjects from Reception to Year 6.

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

Despite the careful attention to detail paid to what pupils should learn, not all teachers consistently follow this. For example, the vocabulary that should be taught is not always the vocabulary that is taught in lessons or on the knowledge organisers that pupils use. This means that although pupils can explain their learning, their explanations are not 17 and 18 January 2023

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always as accurate or precise as they could be. Leaders do not check that teachers deliver the planned curriculum through their teaching carefully enough.

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Leaders ensure that reading is a high priority. Pupils enjoy reading and sharing the high- quality books in the school library and in their English lessons. Children in Reception begin learning phonics as soon as they start school. Staff have strong subject knowledge in this area and are skilled at delivering the phonics teaching. Children have a secure knowledge of the letter sounds they have been taught. Many are already confidently using their phonics to read simple books. Teachers put help in place to support pupils who need extra support. As a result, almost all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are learning to read well.

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Teachers explain new information clearly and ask a range of questions that encourage pupils to think about their learning. Teachers give pupils time to discuss their ideas with a partner as an opportunity to rehearse their answers and respond in a considered way. Pupils benefit from a range of practical learning activities, including the use of a variety of equipment and conducting experiments in science. This helps pupils to have a better understanding of their learning.

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Leaders are quick to identify pupils’ additional needs. Additional adults are used effectively to support all pupils in lessons. Pupils’ behaviour allows them to enjoy their learning. Where occasionally pupils do not behave as well as expected, teachers quickly address it. This ensures that pupils, including those with SEND, make good progress through the curriculum.

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Adults in Reception provide well-planned activities for children. These activities support children to be independent and sociable and to communicate well with each other. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning.

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Pupils have opportunities to take part in activities that support their personal development. These include taking part in the Halesowen carol concert, visiting the local church at harvest and learning sign language to use in the Christmas performance. The school has links to the local care home and each year pupils perform songs to residents. Pupils also take part in clubs after school, including netball and football.

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Leaders and governors are mindful of staff well-being and workload. Staff feel supported by leaders and talk about changes that have been made to have a positive impact on their well-being. Many staff have stayed at the school for several years because they feel happy and valued. Parents and carers also express positive opinions about the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across school. Leaders check that staff are safe to work with children. Staff understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe and act quickly to record concerns and share information with leaders. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Adults are vigilant to any signs that a pupil may need help and leaders are swift to address concerns.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils say they know who the trusted adults are in school. They can name an adult they would go to if they had a problem or just need to talk.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are not always checking the right things through their monitoring activities. For example, sometimes the vocabulary that is used in lessons does not match the planned curriculum. Therefore, pupils are not always learning the correct information for the topic being taught. Leaders need to ensure that they carefully monitor the implementation of the curriculum to ensure that it matches what it being taught in lessons.

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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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2013.

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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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240836 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Garry Hall and Gillian Withers

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  This school has two people who fulfil the role of the chair of the governing body.

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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, senior leaders, members of staff and the school improvement adviser from Dudley local authority. The inspector held a meeting with four members of the governing body.  Deep dives were carried out in reading, mathematics, science and geography. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons and scrutiny of work. The inspector also spoke to pupils and watched pupils read to a staff member. The inspector also looked at the curriculum plans and pupils’ work in other subjects.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation, improvement and curriculum documents, and the school website. Minutes of governors’

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meetings and reports from external advisers were also considered. The inspector also looked at pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safeguarding records.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text comments. She also took account of responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Mel Davies, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 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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