Jesson's CofE Primary School (VA)

Inspection of Jesson’s C of E Primary School (VA) School Street, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 2AQ

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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 7 and 8 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Jesson’s C of E, pupils are happy and safe. Leaders are ambitious for them. Children get off to a good start in the early years. Across the school, leaders have made positive improvements to reading, writing and mathematics. They recognise that there is still work to do across the curriculum to ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive a high- quality education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well-mannered. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in lessons. Pupils want to learn and focus well but at times, when outdoors, some pupils do not behave well. These pupils are given extra help. However, this is not always having the positive impact that leaders want. This is because the approaches used are inconsistent. Consequently, the behaviours are often repeated. Bullying does not happen often, but at times, there is name calling. These incidents are dealt with quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to take part in a growing range of after-school clubs, such as football, choir and dance. They value the trips that take place. Leaders give pupils opportunities to learn how to be leaders through taking on roles such as school councillors and play leaders. Some pupils are members of the ‘Crew’ assembly team, promoting messages from the school values to the whole school.

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better?

The headteacher is ambitious for the children. She is working to improve the quality of education pupils receive. The actions undertaken are starting to make a difference, albeit there is still much work to be done to ensure the pupils receive a good-quality education. Not all leaders have had sufficient training. They do not have an accurate picture of how well the curriculum is implemented. This means that pupils experience too much variability in the way learning is delivered.

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better?

There is a determination across the school that pupils will learn to read. Pupils start on this journey in the early years. Staff understand the importance of pupils being given books that enable them to practise the sounds they have been taught. Pupils benefit from this systematic and consistent teaching approach. They show confidence to blend sounds with growing fluency as they learn to read. This focus on reading continues throughout the school. Leaders give all pupils the opportunity to read high-quality texts. They have daily lessons where they read, talk and explore the meaning of texts.

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better?

Leaders have started to address the previous curriculum deficiencies. They have ensured that all subjects are coherently planned and sequenced. Where staff subject knowledge is stronger, the curriculum is delivered consistently well. In English and mathematics, for example, this helps pupils to know and remember more over time. However, there are other subject areas where staff subject knowledge is not secure. 7 and 8 February 2023

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In these subjects, pupils do not learn as well. In the early years, the curriculum is well thought-out and well sequenced and allows pupils to get off to a good start.

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Staff use assessment to check pupils’ general learning over time. However, it is not used well enough to check on the retention of the specific key knowledge from the intended curriculum. As a result, gaps that emerge in pupils’ knowledge are not identified quickly enough.

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This is an inclusive school. The leader for pupils with SEND ensures that staff have a clear understanding of their needs. Some pupils with SEND are taught in the Learning Centre. However, in some subjects in the curriculum, pupils with SEND do not achieve well. This is because teachers are not consistently clear about the best way to adapt lessons to meet these pupils’ needs.

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Leaders have established clear routines and expectations, and these are evident from the early years onwards. In lessons, this enables learning to take place with minimal disruption. These high expectations are not yet embedded outside the classroom.

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Leaders work tirelessly to improve attendance, with a good degree of success. However, there are still a significant number who are persistently absent or who arrive late. This means these pupils miss important aspects of their education.

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The school provides a range of opportunities for the personal development of pupils. They learn about key values and issues such as diversity and inclusion. Some other important aspects of pupils’ personal development are not as well developed. Pupils do not demonstrate an age-appropriate understanding of the range of fundamental British values. There is also a lack of focus on developing aspects of pupils’ character in the curriculum, such as independence and resilience.

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Current governors show an understanding of their role. They provide a balance of support and challenge aimed at continuing to move the school forward. Governors fulfil their statutory duties and ensure that safeguarding practices are robust and clear.

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Staff speak positively about how leaders carefully consider their workload and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors make sure that safeguarding is a high priority. Staff are vigilant and they know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil’s welfare or safety. Staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training. They spot pupils who need early help or are at risk of harm. 7 and 8 February 2023

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Staff with specific responsibility for safeguarding work closely with external professionals to make sure that pupils get the help that they need promptly. They record information about concerns to build an understanding of pupils’ needs. The relevant recruitment checks are carried out on staff before they start to work at the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not have an accurate picture of how well the curriculum is implemented. This means that pupils experience too much variability in the way learning is delivered. Senior leaders need to support curriculum leaders to accurately evaluate the implementation of their subject so that training and support for teachers are more precise.  Provision for pupils with SEND is not fully effective. There is an inconsistency regarding the support and delivery of the curriculum for these pupils. As a result, they do not learn as well as they should. Leaders should support teachers to ensure that learning is consistently adapted for these pupils in order for them to achieve well.  Teachers’ subject knowledge in some subject curriculums is not secure. This means that pupils do not learn as well in these subjects. Leaders must ensure that teachers have secure subject knowledge and an understanding of pupils’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

needs so that pupils, including those with SEND, know more and remember more over time.  There are a significant number of pupils who are persistently absent or who arrive late. This means that these pupils do not learn as well as others. Leaders should continue the strong partnerships with parents to ensure that they understand the importance of sending their children to school regularly and on time.

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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256932 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 30 April and 1 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England primary school. It is part of the Diocese of Worcester. The last statutory inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 took place in March 2020.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision. This is a local authority provision, provided via a traded service which offers pupils short-term bespoke intervention.

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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 received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, geography, music and Spanish. They met with subject leaders, 7 and 8 February 2023

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visited lessons, including in the early years, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  Inspectors reviewed information about other curriculum subjects and considered a range of information about pupils’ personal, social and health education.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to staff.  The lead inspector spoke with governors.  Throughout the inspection, inspectors spoke with several groups of pupils, including pupils with SEND, to hear their views of their education as well as about behaviour and safety.  Inspectors met with some parents, considered correspondence from parents sent to Ofsted and reviewed responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The lead inspector spoke by telephone with the external consultant and local authority adviser about the work of the school.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and parents and considered their responses

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to the Ofsted survey.  Inspectors evaluated safeguarding by speaking with leaders, staff, pupils and parents. They reviewed a sample of leaders’ records. Inspectors reviewed the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

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Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Andrew Orgill Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Bassett Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2023

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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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