Oakhill Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Oakhill Primary School Hawksworth, Glascote Heath, Tamworth, Staffordshire B77 2HH

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Outcome

Oakhill Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Oakhill Primary is a place where everyone is welcome and appreciated. Leaders and governors have created an ambitious ethos which makes sure that staff and pupils are ‘growing and succeeding together’. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Everyone is committed to the school values of teamwork, respect, resilience, ambition, empathy and confidence. Pupils are happy in school. They feel safe and know that adults care about them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes. Pupils rise to these expectations and understand the ‘SMART’ rules, which help them to behave. They behave well in lessons and on the playground. Pupils play well together and show kindness to each other. They say that if bullying occurs staff deal with it. Leaders’ records support this view.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious to raise the aspirations of not only the children but also the local community. The recent addition of a nursery, which includes two-year-old provision, is further securing this ambition. Parents are highly appreciative of this. One parent’s comment was typical of many when they said, ‘We have been thrilled with our child’s progress in all areas of learning, socialising and development.’

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

Leaders have put a well-structured curriculum in place. They have identified what they want pupils to learn and when they should learn it. This knowledge is then broken down into logical steps. This means that teachers are clear about what they should teach and in which order. Subject leaders have worked hard to understand how their subject is delivered in the new early years provision. As a result, they have ensured that pupils build on prior knowledge in preparation for the next stages of their learning and achieve well. 19 July 2023

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use their expertise to explain new learning clearly to pupils. Pupils are provided with many opportunities to revise and recap previous learning. For example, in design and technology, regular focus weeks enable pupils to build on their knowledge of mechanisms and textiles so that by Year 6, they can design and make simple toys. Teachers use assessment strategies well. They regularly check pupils’ understanding in lessons and over time. Teachers use this information skilfully to address any misconceptions that pupils develop.

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Books and reading are central to the curriculum. Pupils know that reading is important. One commented, ‘The more you read, the more you know.’ Staff read to children regularly and explore a range of vocabulary. The teaching of reading skills starts early. For example, children in the two-year-old provision listen to and describe sounds made by different materials, which prepares them well to identify sounds spoken in words later in nursery. Staff have developed their expertise to teach early reading. They have ensured that the books pupils read are closely matched to the sounds they know. Staff also use assessment strategies well to identify where there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge. They provide extra support to pupils to help them catch up where required. This has helped many pupils to improve their phonics knowledge. However, there are still a very small number of pupils who struggle to blend the sounds to read fluently.

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Leaders and staff accurately identify the specific needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff provide appropriate help and support for pupils with SEND, including children in the early years. Leaders make sure that staff have the information and training that they need to help these pupils to follow the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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Children in the early years follow routines which help to develop positive learning behaviours. This is the starting point for pupils’ good behaviour in the school. They behave well in and out of the classroom and there is little disruption to learning. The school’s anti-bullying ambassadors are well trained and work hard to address any issues, no matter how small. They said, ‘We don’t call it bullying; we call it bullying behaviour.’ This helps pupils to understand how to improve their behaviour if necessary.

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Pupils have a secure knowledge of different religions and beliefs and of fundamental British values. They understand why these are important in society today. Pupils benefit from enrichment opportunities that enhance their learning of the curriculum. For instance, they go on trips to places such as a local army museum, places of worship and a space centre. There are a number of after-school clubs, such as football, dance and homework.

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Governors know the school and its community well. They challenge and support leaders in equal measure. Staff work closely together and support each other well across the federation. They feel well supported by leaders with regard to their workload and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 19 July 2023

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Leaders ensure that safeguarding systems are robust. Staff are provided with regular training, including a weekly ‘safeguarding memo’. This helps to ensure that safeguarding is at the forefront of staff’s thinking. Any concerns are spotted quickly. Leaders secure help for pupils who need it, working in partnership with external agencies. This helps them to provide timely and proportionate support for pupils and their families.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe both in and out of school as well as online. They understand how to do this, for example staying safe on local roads following safer cycling training.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, some staff do not make sure that pupils use phonics accurately in order to read words. This slows some pupils’ learning of how to read words fluently. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive training and support to make sure that all pupils use phonics well to support their reading.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2018.

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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. 19 July 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. 19 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10290562 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 17 and 18 April 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has been federated with Hanbury’s Farm Community Primary School since 2014.  The headteacher is executive headteacher at both schools.  Leaders makes use of one unregistered alternative provider.  Leaders operate a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the lead inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher. He also met four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. 19 July 2023

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 The inspectors viewed a range of safeguarding documentation. They examined checks on safer recruitment and spoke with members of staff to check their safeguarding knowledge.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and design and technology. They met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and viewed examples of pupils’ work.  An inspector observed children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 read to a trusted adult.  The inspectors spoke with members of staff about their workload and well-being.  An inspector spoke with staff at the alternative provision used by the school.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspectors considered the responses, including the free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. They also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys. An inspector also spoke to parents and carers at the end of the school day.

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 Inspectors looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement priorities, school policies, curriculum documents, SEND records, behaviour records, attendance records and minutes of meetings held by the governing body.

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell His Majesty’s Inspector 19 July 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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