Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Shaela Good Headteacher George Dixon Primary School City Road Edgbaston Birmingham West Midlands B17 8LE

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of George Dixon Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection of your school that took place on 15 June 2023, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous graded (section 5) inspections.

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of George Dixon Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you, other senior leaders, governors and the local authority the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. I also met with some teachers, visited a sample of phonics and other lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at school improvement plans. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also looked at a sample of pupils’ work and listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the

The school should take further action to:

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made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the

 Continue to embed your new curriculum and the strategies you have introduced to help teachers check on pupils’ learning so that all teachers implement the curriculum consistently and use the information from their checks to inform subsequent learning.

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Main findings

Since the previous inspection, leadership and staffing have remained stable. While the governing body has also largely remained unchanged, there have been some recent new appointments. There has been a reduction in the number of classes in the early years, from two classes to one.

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Main findings

You, along with your staff, have rightly focused on addressing the areas for improvement that were identified at the previous inspection. You have ensured that the phonics programme, which was new at the time of the last inspection, is now being used consistently so that pupils learn to read fluently and confidently. Pupils new to the country and new to English quickly learn the sounds that letters make and how to blend them together in words they enjoy reading. You are also implementing additional strategies to improve pupils’ fluency when reading. These areas are already proving successful.

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Main findings

Your work to overhaul the wider curriculum is having a positive impact. You and your leadership team have supported subject leaders to identify precisely what pupils should learn and remember, including important vocabulary. As a result, work in books and pupils’ responses in lessons show that, over time, they are building on what they know. You have rightly identified that there are some further refinements to be made in how your curriculum is implemented. You have also correctly identified that teachers now need to focus on using the information they collect when checking what pupils have remembered, in order to inform what they teach next. You have ensured that staff receive appropriate training so that they develop the right skills to bring about the improvements you intend.

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Main findings

Following the previous inspection, you put in place a clear behaviour policy and introduced one school rule. Pupils know the school’s values, the ‘7 Cs’, and these shine through in lessons and at more informal times during the day. As a result, the number of incidents of inappropriate behaviour has reduced, and there is a calm, purposeful environment in which pupils learn and play happily together.

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Main findings

Governors check leaders’ work and visit the school often to understand where the school is making improvements and what needs to happen next. You have been proactive in engaging a range of external support, and you use the advice you receive productively. Staff feel that you are considerate of their well-being and are mindful of this when introducing changes.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Birmingham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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