Perton First School

Inspection of a good school: Perton First School Manston Drive, Perton, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire WV6 7LX

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 February 2023

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Outcome

Perton First School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that feels like a family. Pupils enjoy coming to school and learning new things. They greet visitors with a smile and display good manners. Pupils feel safe because they can trust the staff to look after them. Leaders, staff and parents work well together to provide pupils with a range of positive experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations of every pupil. Pupils do not disappoint. In lessons, pupils listen well, try their best, work cooperatively and focus on their work. There is a relaxed atmosphere around the school. On the playground there is lots to do. Pupils enjoy playing games and chatting with their friends. Staff take bullying seriously and deal with any issues when they arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, supported by governors and staff, are constantly improving the curriculum and other aspects of school life. However, leaders know that there is more to do to enhance the delivery of the curriculum in a few subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. There is a shared view that the school is at the heart of the local community. Parents value the visibility and approachability of the headteacher. They also comment that staff constantly go above and beyond for their children.

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

Across the curriculum, leaders have considered the order of learning carefully. The curriculum finds its roots in the early years and prepares children well for Year 1 and beyond. In the Nursery and Reception classes, teachers make learning interesting. Children learn lots of new things every day and activities build on what they already know. The youngest children get off to a great start.

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

The knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn is sequenced well within and across all year groups. As a result, teachers know what to teach and when to teach it. 14 and 15 February 2023 Teachers value this guidance because it reassures them that what they are teaching is building on what pupils already know.

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

In most subjects, teachers possess secure subject knowledge. They model subject- specific language accurately, which pupils use when explaining their own understanding. Teachers explain new learning clearly. They use questioning well to explore pupils’ understanding. In most instances, teachers check that pupils have understood new learning and adapt their teaching if required. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is quite new. In these subjects, teachers’ knowledge and expertise are not fully secure and the curriculum is not delivered as effectively as it could be.

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

Reading underpins the entire curriculum across early years and the rest of the school. Staff teach phonics consistently well because they are well trained. There is a common structure to phonics lessons, with which pupils are familiar. Pupils read with accuracy because reading books are matched to their phonics ability. Teachers quickly identify any pupils who are falling behind with their reading and give them help to keep up. The love of reading is promoted well through the English curriculum, daily story times and the use of the school library. As a result, many pupils can name and talk about their favourite book.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in lessons and all aspects of school life. Leaders have established clear systems to identify any pupils who have SEND. Leaders involve parents in this process. Teachers know pupils well and consider pupils’ needs when planning learning activities. Additional help is at hand if a pupil needs extra support.

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

Pupils relish the wide range of after-school clubs and trips that are on offer, especially the Year 4 residential trip. Pupils understand the need for a balanced diet. They know which foods are healthy and which are not. Pupils learn about the different types of families that exist in their local community. Pupils have a developing understanding of the different faiths and beliefs that exist in society. They say that everyone, regardless of their background, is welcome in their school.

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

Leaders know the school well. They have brought in lots of positive changes. However, leaders do not rest on their laurels and are continually looking for ways to improve the school even further. The decisions that leaders make always have pupils at the centre of them.

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

Staff work well as a team and support each other. They appreciate the training that leaders organise for them, especially in relation to understanding how pupils learn. Teachers’ workload is manageable and leaders are considerate of staff’s well-being. A comment from a member of staff sums up the feelings of their colleagues, ‘The school is like a family and there is nowhere else I would rather work.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 February 2023 Leaders and governors have made sure that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. The members of the safeguarding team are knowledgeable and carry out their roles efficiently. Leaders organise a wide range of training for all staff. As a result, staff know how to spot concerns and they know what to do if they are worried about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders work well with external agencies to secure additional support if required. Staff teach pupils how to stay safe. This includes when working online. Pupils name a range of trusted adults who they would go to if they were worried about something.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is relatively new and in the early stages of being implemented. In these subjects, the curriculum is not delivered as well as it could be, and pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should support teachers to develop their subject knowledge and expertise so that they can teach these areas of the curriculum more effectively.

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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 March 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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 14 and 15 February 2023 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. 14 and 15 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240704 Type of school First

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a nursery, which admits two-year-olds.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club on the premises. This provision is operated by the school.  The school does not use 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 school leaders and has taken this into account in his evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the two assistant headteachers. He met with governors, including the chair of governors. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector held meetings with a range of leaders to discuss safeguarding and provision for pupils with SEND.  As part of the inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the 14 and 15 February 2023 curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector spoke to groups of pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school.  Safeguarding documents were checked, including the checks that leaders make on staff’s suitability to work with children. The inspector checked that staff implement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively across the school.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text responses received during the inspection.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, school development plan, school policies, curriculum documents and SEND records.

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 February 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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