Rednal Hill Junior School

Inspection of Rednal Hill Junior School Irwin Avenue, Rednal, Birmingham, West Midlands B45 8QY

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 26 and 27 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. They enjoy the positive relationships they have with their classmates and staff. The school has high ambitions for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are plenty of opportunities and visits to widen pupils’ learning, for example trips to the Black Country Museum and the Thinktank Science Museum. Pupils talk about these experiences with excitement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s ‘golden norms’ expectations of behaviour. They treat each other with respect. Pupils talk politely and with confidence to visitors. They think about the needs of others and follow well-established school routines. Pupils feel safe at school. They know that there are adults to go to if they are worried about something.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They learn a wide vocabulary and use it well. The work that pupils are given builds their knowledge over time. Pupils learn to read well and enjoy their reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils support national charities and the local food bank. They appreciate the opportunities to take an active role in school life. These include as house captains, friends against bullying ambassadors and peer mediators.

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better?

The school has undertaken a rigorous review of the curriculum. This is most advanced in reading, writing, mathematics and science. In these subjects, pupils’ achievement is improving. Curriculum plans in all subjects aim to outline the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn. Some subject areas, however, are not as developed as others.

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better?

Teachers skilfully connect new learning with knowledge that pupils have already acquired. Teachers use their subject knowledge well in presenting and explaining new concepts to pupils. Pupils develop a strong body of knowledge and skills in most subjects.

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better?

The school has evaluated and carefully redesigned its provision for pupils with SEND. Pupils with educational, health and care plans are now well supported in their learning. The school has strong systems in place to identify the needs of individual pupils. The school is continuing to make adaptions for all pupils with SEND, but support in some areas is not as precise as it could be. As a result, some pupils with SEND are not yet able to access the full curriculum and achieve well.

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better?

Reading is a priority in the school. Pupils successfully build on their phonics learning from key stage 1. Staff are provided with high-quality phonics training. Where pupils fall behind, adults provide the support needed to ensure that pupils catch up quickly. The books that pupils read in all years are well matched to the curriculum and 26 and 27 September 2023

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pupils’ understanding. Pupils are encouraged to read as widely as possible. The school works well with families so that pupils practise their reading even more at home.

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Pupils learn to respect one another. They are proud of what they achieve and are ambitious for themselves and others. There is a community atmosphere in the school where all pupils and staff are valued. Pupils work hard in lessons. The calm atmosphere in classrooms allows pupils to focus on their learning.

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Pupils learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships and how to be safe and keep themselves safe. Pupils have a strong awareness of how to be safe online. This learning has been shared with parents and carers. Pupils have a good understanding of various faiths and have visited different places of worship.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. The school works hard with families to reduce the number of persistent absentees. It is continuing to explore ways to improve attendance. This is making a difference for many pupils. However, there are still some pupils who do not attend school regularly enough.

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Staff feel well supported. Leaders plan meaningful professional development, which is valued by staff. The governing body is knowledgeable and secure in its ability to challenge and support leaders effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject areas are not as well developed as others. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could in all areas of the curriculum. The school should support subject leaders to identify the component knowledge that pupils need to build their knowledge and skills sequentially.  Support for pupils with SEND in some areas is not as effective as it should be. This reduces pupils’ ability to access the full curriculum. The school should ensure that pupils receive the right level of support to complete work set in order to help them to achieve as well as they should.  The attendance of some pupils is not high enough. This affects their academic and social development. The school needs to continue to build on its work with families so that families understand the importance of pupils attending well. 26 and 27 September 2023

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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.

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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). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Mark Eaves-Seeley

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The governing body manages before- and after-school provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: checked 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. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a member of staff.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including geography, art, computing, design and technology, music and Spanish.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors spoke to parents on the school playground.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at different times of the day,

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and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around school.  The inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans and information on the school’s website.  The inspectors talked informally with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. In addition, they took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff’s, pupils’ and parents’ views.

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Inspection team

David Buckle, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Janet Satchwell Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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