Yardley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Yardley Primary School Harvey Road, Yardley, Birmingham B26 1TD

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Outcome

Yardley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the best for all pupils. It expects pupils to work hard and behave well. In line with the school values, pupils learn to ‘Inspire’, ‘Aspire’ and recognise the importance of ‘Teamwork’. They apply these attributes in their daily learning and collaboration with others. As a result, this is a harmonious and productive learning environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has continued to strengthen the curriculum. It has invested in new books and materials to ensure that staff have the resources needed to help pupils build the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. Adaptations and improvements made to the teaching of early reading and mathematics have paid off. The majority of pupils reach age-related expectations. Pupils also enjoy the range of subjects the school offers. Mathematics is a firm favourite for many.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enthusiastic learners. They know that staff care about them and that they can talk to an adult if they are worried about anything. This helps pupils feel safe at school. The school curriculum is carefully planned to ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe when not at school, for example stranger danger, road safety and online safety.

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

The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum. It reflects the diverse community that the school serves. The curriculum is coherently sequenced. Pupils build the essential knowledge and skills from early years to Year 6. This helps prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge and present content clearly. They skilfully question pupils to check their understanding. Teachers pick up and address 19 and 20 September 2023

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misconceptions during lessons. They provide pupils with prompt feedback. However, the school’s systems to check pupils’ learning over time lack precision in some subjects. They do not allow teachers to gauge with sufficient accuracy what pupils can do or remember.

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The school treats all pupils equally and ensures that they participate fully in school life. This includes pupils with special educational needs and or/disabilities (SEND), whose additional learning needs are identified accurately. Activities are suitably adapted to ensure these pupils learn the same things as their classmates. The school provides bespoke resources and extra adult support for those with specific needs. This helps pupils complete work set and achieve well.

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The teaching of early reading has improved. There is a robust approach to teaching phonics from Reception to Year 3. More pupils now reach the standards expected. Staff provide appropriate support to those who find reading difficult. Home reading books are matched to pupils’ attainment and interest. Pupils listen to teachers reading stories aloud to encourage a love of reading. This begins in the early years, where animated and expressive staff bring stories to life.

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Pupils are respectful and behave well. They know and follow the school’s behaviour policy. Carefully chosen routines and high expectations are established right from the early years. Pupils settle to work quickly and concentrate well in lessons. Learning is not disrupted by inappropriate behaviour.

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The school checks and tracks pupils’ attendance regularly. It provides an appropriate balance of support and challenge for families where poor attendance is an issue. There is a robust action plan in place and the school is tenacious in following up cases of persistent absence. Nevertheless, improving attendance continues to be an ongoing challenge. Too many pupils miss important lessons and fall behind their classmates.

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The school provides a range of extra-curricular opportunities. These promote pupils’ personal development well and extend their interests and skills. Pupils develop leadership skills through roles such as class and curriculum ambassadors. They learn to be active citizens and contribute to the wider community through involvement in local projects. Pupils have a growing understanding of fundamental British values. They welcome and respect others from different faiths, races and cultures.

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The school successfully promotes continuous professional development for all staff. Many undertake additional qualifications to enhance their roles. Early career teachers are well supported by experienced tutors and mentors. Many staff are ‘home grown’, having previously been trainees or support staff in school. The school is considerate of staff workload and well-being. Staff appreciate reductions to their workload and the support they receive from leaders.

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There are effective systems in place to track pupils’ progress in some subjects. However, monitoring of the curriculum and assessment lack rigour. Some staff are new to their subject roles. Others have limited opportunities to check on the quality and accuracy of curriculum delivery and impact. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Governors are well informed about the school and fulfil their statutory duties. They provide appropriate levels of challenge and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the school’s systems to assess pupils’ learning are not fully developed or effective. This means that teachers do not have a secure enough understanding of whether pupils have learned the essential knowledge and concepts they should. The school should continue to develop assessment methods to check how well pupils learn and retain key information.  The school has limited oversight of some curriculum areas. This is because there are too few opportunities to monitor the quality of curriculum implementation and the accuracy of assessment. The school should ensure that there are sufficient opportunities to check the quality of curriculum delivery and validate assessments made in all classes.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly. This means they miss out on important learning and do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that parents understand the importance of attendance and its positive impact on pupils’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

learning so that the number of pupils who are persistently absent reduces.

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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 a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some 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 May 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. 19 and 20 September 2023

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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' is used to mean pupils with SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10290578 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes since the previous inspection. There have been some staffing changes, but overall staffing has remained stable.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and six governors, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also had a telephone discussion with a representative from the service commissioned by the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, art and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked 19 and 20 September 2023

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at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at pupils’ work.  The inspectors met with teaching staff to talk about curriculum, staff workload, and the behaviour and personal development of pupils. They also met with groups of pupils to talk about their learning and well-being.  The lead inspector observed a selection of pupils reading to members of staff. Other pupils were heard read their own work during lesson visits.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors checked the following: the school’s single central record; spoke to senior leaders about safeguarding procedures; took account of the views of staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation

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and plans for improvement. Records of attendance and behaviour incidents were checked.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at playtime and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  The inspectors talked to parents after school and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff on site through discussion with these groups and from their online questionnaire responses.

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Young His Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 September 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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