Peters Hill Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Peters Hill Primary School Peters Hill Road, Amblecote, Brierley Hill, West Midlands DY5 2QH

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Outcome

Peters Hill Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, staff, pupils, parents and governors are proud of Peters Hill Primary School. Pupils enjoy attending this inclusive school, where all can take part fully in school life and do well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn, play and achieve success alongside their classmates. Pupils' understanding of equality, acceptance and the importance of welcoming others is strong.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy living up to the high expectations set by the school. They are polite and friendly. Pupils behave well in lessons and during less-formal times of the day. There are warm relationships between staff and pupils, and pupils know that there is always a trusted adult to talk to if they have a worry. They know that adults look out for them. As a result, pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the range of activities and extra opportunities on offer. For example, pupils can vote for school councillors or choose to be part of the ‘Globetrotters’ team who discuss world events. 'Class charters' help pupils to understand how rules and laws work, preparing them for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak very positively about the care and support their children receive at Peters Hill.

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

The motto of ‘Fly high; flourish and fulfil’ sums up the ambition that leaders and staff have for every pupil at Peters Hill Primary School. Since the previous inspection, the school has worked hard to further improve provision for all pupils.

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

The curriculum has been very carefully considered and sets out key knowledge for pupils to learn and remember over time. This starts in the early years, where children quickly settle into Nursery and Reception and learn the foundations that they will need for later years. 19 and 20 September 2023

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The school has ensured that subjects are consistently planned using their ‘curriculum pathways’ model. In some subjects, this curriculum thinking is a real strength. For example, in art, the curriculum clearly sets out an ambitious programme of what pupils are to learn, from the early years to Year 6. Careful thought has been given to how pupils can build a ‘toolkit’ of knowledge and skills so that they can develop as artists themselves. For example, younger pupils confidently talk about Pablo Picasso’s ‘blue period’ and how they can use cool colours in their own work to convey a mood.

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In mathematics, the clear structure of the curriculum means that pupils are able to build on their learning over time. As a result, pupils confidently talk about their learning. They develop fluency and competency in number work, which stands them in good stead for later learning. The changes to the mathematics curriculum have yet to have the impact on pupils’ results in Year 6 that the school wants. The school knows this and is continuing to develop and further strengthen provision in mathematics.

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There is a structured phonics programme in place. This clearly sets out what to teach and when to teach it. Staff have received training to deliver phonics. However, pupils in the early years fall behind in the reading programme. This means that many pupils enter Year 1 not being as ready for their next stage of reading as they could be. While many pupils catch up in Year 1, systems in place to check how phonics is implemented had not identified how to ensure that this does not continue to happen.

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The school works hard to foster a love of reading for all. Staff regularly read to pupils, and initiatives such as ‘Shakespeare week’ mean that pupils can enjoy stories from different times and places. The library area is well organised and inviting for pupils.

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Pupils with SEND are very well provided for. The school swiftly identifies barriers to pupils’ learning. Staff are trained to meet pupils’ individual needs. As a result, pupils with SEND are very well supported to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. ‘Learning agreement time’ in the early years helps children to develop positive attitudes to learning as soon as they start. These positive attitudes continue as pupils move through school. This means that learning time is not lost.

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The school is continuing to develop an ambitious programme to support pupils’ personal development. A recently introduced ‘citizenship award scheme’ has been designed to encourage pupils to contribute to their class, school and the wider world. This is accessible for all pupils. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online, for example through not sharing passwords.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 19 and 20 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils are falling behind at the earliest stages of reading. As a result, they are not as ready for the next stage of learning to read as they could be. The school should ensure that all pupils receive phonics provision that prevents them from falling behind in learning to read.  The school’s systems to check how the phonics curriculum is being implemented are not as robust as they could be. As a result, the school has not addressed areas for development as quickly as they could. The school should now enact the action plan very recently put together to ensure that phonics is implemented consistently well.

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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 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.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Imelda Gilhooley

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 On-site before- and after-school provision is managed by an external provider.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and design, and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans where they were available, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. 19 and 20 September 2023

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 The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector met with the chair and representatives of the local governing body. The lead inspector also met with an external school improvement partner and spoke to the headteacher of the registered alternative provision used by the school.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. The inspectors spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, 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 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. The inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil

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surveys.  The lead inspector talked to parents and families at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gareth Morgan 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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