Cherry Orchard Primary School

Inspection of Cherry Orchard Primary School Cherry Orchard Road, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, West Midlands B20 2LB

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 28 and 29 March 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Cherry Orchard are proud of their school and are happy to be there. They have positive relationships with staff and work well with their peers. The school’s values of equality, respect, understanding, courage, friendship and honesty are threaded throughout the life of the school. Pupils embrace differences and show respect for each other.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand what bullying means. If it happens, adults sort things out quickly. Pupils are kind and take care of each other. They understand the importance of including everyone in school life.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want all pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and pupils in the resource base. The curriculum in almost all subjects helps pupils to do this.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders enrich the curriculum through a range of trips and visitors to the school. For example, a ‘Roman soldier’ has visited Year 4. Leaders provide opportunities to develop talents and interests. Pupils enjoy sports tournaments, singing in the choir and playing musical instruments.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. Personal development and pastoral care are a strength. Staff know pupils well. They help them to become confident, resilient individuals. Pupils are enthusiastic to learn about different faiths and cultures represented in school.

p.2

better?

Leaders and governors know the school well. They know the school’s strengths and what needs to improve. There have been considerable changes in staffing over the past year. Leaders have done all they can to minimise the disruption to pupils’ learning. Most staff say that leaders have supported them well during this period of change.

p.2

better?

Leaders make sure that no time is wasted in teaching pupils to read. Starting in the early years, pupils learn phonics every day. Staff check how pupils are doing in their reading. If pupils fall behind, they receive support to help them catch up. The effective teaching of phonics helps pupils to become fluent and confident readers. Leaders encourage pupils to want to read. Teachers read to pupils every day. They select books carefully to develop pupils’ knowledge of a range of authors. Pupils enjoy reading and understand why it is important.

p.2

better?

Pupils study a broad and interesting curriculum. In the early years, there is a sharp focus on building children’s vocabulary through stories. Staff teach the basics that children need to know for learning in Year 1 and beyond. However, sometimes teachers do not ensure that children form letters and numbers with care. In addition, in key stages 1 and 2, sometimes teachers do not have high enough 28 and 29 March 2023

p.2

3

expectations of pupils’ letter formation and presentation. As a result, some pupils do not form their letters correctly and their work is difficult to read.

p.3

3

Leaders have identified the end points they want pupils to achieve in each subject and year group. In many subjects, they have broken this down into the specific knowledge pupils will learn. Teachers revisit previous learning with pupils. This helps them to build their knowledge and skills over time. Teachers explore concepts in depth, which helps pupils to develop rich knowledge in many subjects, for example mathematics and geography. In a small number of subjects, leaders have not set out the small building blocks of content that pupils will learn. This means that teachers are not clear about what pupils already know and what they will learn next.

p.3

3

Teachers explain things clearly in lessons. They check how pupils are doing. However, teachers do not always notice when pupils are ready to move on in their learning. As a result, pupils sometimes lose concentration and so they do not achieve as well as they could.

p.3

3

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. This includes pupils in the main school and those who attend the resource base. Teachers identify and assess the needs of pupils with SEND well. They provide the right support so that all pupils follow the same curriculum. Each pupil is supported to access the curriculum and achieve success. Where possible, pupils from the resource base attend mainstream classes. They work well with other pupils. As part of their curriculum, these pupils learn a range of life skills.

p.3

3

Children in the early years learn routines that help them behave well. They work happily together. Children share and take turns. Older pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They listen carefully in lessons.

p.3

3

Pupils have a strong understanding of British values. They can explain what tolerance and the rule of law mean and why these are important. Pupils celebrate different religious festivals, for example, Easter, Vaisakhi and Eid. Pupils have leadership roles. They are proud to be members of the ‘sports crew’ and ‘green influencers’. The school’s wider work supports pupils to be confident and independent learners.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders check that all adults who work in school are suitable to work with children. They provide staff with regular training on safeguarding issues.

p.3

Safeguarding

Staff report any concerns, no matter how small, promptly. Leaders are tenacious in engaging the help of outside agencies, such as children’s services. They make sure that pupils get the support they need as quickly as possible. 28 and 29 March 2023

p.3

4

Leaders work closely with parents and carers and partnership agencies to make sure that pupils get the help they need. Staff support pupils’ emotional needs effectively. They enable pupils to feel safe at school. They teach pupils how to manage risks, such as when using the internet.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified the specific knowledge they want pupils to learn. As a result, sometimes teachers are not clear what has been taught before and what they need to teach and when. Leaders should continue to develop subject leaders’ expertise so that they can make sure that end points are broken down and teachers are clear about the knowledge pupils need to learn and in what order they should learn it.  In some lessons, teachers do not use assessment effectively to identify when pupils are ready to move on their learning. This means that some pupils do not make the progress through the curriculum that they could. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are able to use assessment effectively in lessons to identify when pupils have understood what is being taught and are ready to move on.  Teachers do not have consistently high expectations of pupils’ letter formation

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

and presentation. This means that some pupils form letters inaccurately. Too many pupils do not take sufficient care with their presentation, which makes their work difficult to read. Leaders need to ensure that handwriting is taught consistently across the school. They should make sure that all teachers have consistently high expectations of pupils’ handwriting and presentation and that they address any errors in letter and number formation.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 28 and 29 March 2023

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 18 December 2017 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 There is a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. This provides for pupils with autism spectrum disorder. There are 20 pupils on roll in this provision. The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors completed deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and geography. They met with subject leaders, visited lessons (including in early years), reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  Inspectors reviewed information about some further foundation subjects, including through discussions with leaders and holding meetings with pupils. 28 and 29 March 2023

p.5

6

 Inspectors met with leaders to discuss behaviour and attendance, and provision for pupils’ personal development, special educational needs and early years.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils in meetings, in lessons and as they moved around the school premises.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the free-text comments and to the staff survey. There were no responses to the Ofsted survey for pupils.  Inspectors spoke with some parents to hear their views of the school. Inspectors spoke with several members of staff, including about their training and leaders’ support for their well-being. Inspectors also reviewed a staff survey conducted by leaders.  Inspectors considered a range of information about safeguarding, including through discussions with pupils, staff and leaders. Inspectors sampled leaders’ safeguarding records.  The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority and reviewed

p.6

6

information from the local authority’s work to support improvement at the school. The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.

p.6

Inspection team

Dawn White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Kate Wilcock Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 March 2023

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

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

p.7