New Hall Primary School

Inspection of a good school: New Hall Primary School Langley Hall Drive, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B75 7NQ

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Outcome

New Hall Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending New Hall Primary School. There is plenty to do, and all pupils are involved and welcomed, including those who are new to the school. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ academic achievement and behaviour, and pupils work hard to live up to these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They know that there are trusted adults to speak to if they have any concerns. They learn how to keep themselves safe online, for example by not sharing personal information with people they do not know. Pupils behave well in lessons and at less formal times of the day. If bullying happens, adults ensure that it stops.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy working towards individual and collective rewards in their ‘teams’ and voting for what to spend their ‘golden balls’ rewards on. They appreciate initiatives and the opportunities on offer. For example, some pupils thoroughly enjoy reading in ‘The Cove’ at breaktime; others take blankets onto the grass area to curl up with a book.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities. For example, pupils vote for school councillors, and other pupils apply for jobs such as prefect and subject ambassador.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak highly of the school, staff and leaders.

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

Leaders and teachers are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have organised the curriculum so that pupils can make links between ideas. For example, in Year 1, pupils enjoy learning about several significant people in the past at the same time, rather than studying them in isolation. This means that they can make links across periods of history and talk about a range of people who achieved significant ‘firsts’. 22 and 23 March 2023

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New Hall Primary School is a ‘reading school’. Leaders ensure that pupils learn to love reading. As soon as they start in Reception, children are taught to read by skilled adults. Leaders ensure that there are plenty of books to match the sounds children know. Pupils’ reading is regularly assessed. If pupils fall behind, high-quality intervention is put in place to ensure that they quickly catch up. All staff support pupils who are learning to read. This includes, for example, lunchtime supervisors. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND or those who are new to the country, learn to read effectively.

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Despite many strengths in the organisation of the rest of the curriculum, leaders in some subjects do not consistently identify precisely what is to be learned in each topic. They have not always identified small steps of learning within their broad objectives. This means that, at times, some teachers, in some subjects, are not clear enough about what to teach. This means that some activities are not selected to help pupils learn what leaders intend. In some lessons, teachers do not check carefully enough what pupils know. This means that some pupils do not understand the work they have been given, or do not have the required foundations in place to achieve success. Some other pupils complete work they can already do. When this happens, pupils do not make as much progress as they could.

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Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is usually broad and includes a wide range of experiences and opportunities. However, the curriculum becomes more limited as pupils prepare for tests in Year 6. Here, the curriculum is not as well balanced across the year.

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Leaders provide well for pupils with SEND. There are clear systems in place to identify and meet the needs of pupils. Leaders work with a range of external agencies and use skilled adults in school to ensure that pupils are very well supported. They also ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, are fully included in the many opportunities on offer.

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Pupils behave very well. In lessons and around school, they listen to instructions, follow routines and show respect for others. As a result, learning is not interrupted. Pupils show a very good understanding of others, particularly those who are new to the country and new to the school. They can clearly articulate their learning about difference. For example, those pupils spoken to understood about different types of families. Leaders ensure that there is a carefully planned programme of personal development. This includes trips, visitors and assemblies. As a result, pupils learn much to prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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The relatively new leadership team knows the school well. It is ably supported by governors. Staff are appreciative of all that governors and leaders do to support their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. They make sure that staff are well trained. Staff are vigilant, and report any concerns using robust systems. 22 and 23 March 2023

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Leaders are quick to take action, and involve external support, where needed. Leaders challenge external agencies, when necessary, to ensure the best outcomes for pupils.

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Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. For example, they learn about fire safety and online safety.

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Leaders, including those responsible for governance, ensure that all the checks on adults who work in school are carried out and recorded accurately.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not broken down the curriculum into small enough steps. This leaves some teachers unclear about exactly what they need to teach. As a result, some activities do not support pupils in learning the intended curriculum. Leaders should ensure that they clearly identify precisely what is to be learned, so that all teachers can consistently choose the right activities for pupils to learn the intended key knowledge.  Some teachers do not check pupils’ understanding carefully enough. As a result, some pupils are moved on too quickly, and some are not sufficiently challenged. Leaders should ensure that teachers accurately check what pupils can do, so that their learning is moved on at the right time.  In Year 6, there is a strong focus on preparing pupils for statutory testing. As a result, pupils do not study the full breadth of the national curriculum across the whole of the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

academic year. This limits pupils’ understanding of important concepts that they may wish to study further in later years. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in Year 6 is broad enough to enable all pupils to have a full breadth of experience in all subjects, at all times of the school year.

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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 September 2012. 22 and 23 March 2023

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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 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club on site.

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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.  During the inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans where they were available, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher (also special educational needs coordinator), curriculum leaders and a pastoral leader. 22 and 23 March 2023

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 The inspector held meetings with the chair and other representatives of the local governing body and spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. The inspector spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and a pastoral leader, looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, looked at safeguarding records and talked to pupils and staff.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. There were no responses to the Ofsted staff or pupil surveys.  The inspector talked to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 March 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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