Colmore Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of Colmore Infant and Nursery School Colmore Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands B14 6AJ

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 7 and 8 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Being ‘ACE’ sits at the heart of every pupil’s experience at this school. Even before a child’s first day, the school welcomes them to the Colmore family. In early years, the school places children’s interests and identities at the centre of the curriculum. Staff skilfully engage children in learning. This all helps to ensure that children get an exceptional start to their education. This high-quality education continues through key stage 1, where pupils build on what they know. Consequently, pupils achieve very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. There is a clear emphasis on the right to learn and the right to feel safe. Children and pupils across the school know these rights and actively promote them. They support each other in their learning and play, showing kindness and high levels of respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a range of high-quality experiences outside lessons, including a vast array of clubs. There are many opportunities to raise money for charity and visit local attractions. Pupils are proud of their ‘Rights Rangers’ roles. They take this responsibility seriously and ensure that they keep their class informed of the important work they are doing.

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better?

The school aims for everyone at Colmore to thrive. It firmly believes that this starts with individuals having a positive image of themselves and an ability to understand and regulate their emotions. The whole team works together to make this happen for all children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

Staff get to know all children and pupils well. Before children start at the school in early years, the school finds out as much as it can from parents and carers and external agencies to enable a smooth transition to school. Staff also find out what children are amazing at, feel confident about and are expert in. They use this information to plan the curriculum carefully. Staff immediately use a range of characters to help children understand a wide range of emotions. This supports children to settle quickly, express themselves and form strong relationships. Children with SEND have additional support to help them access the curriculum and make strong progress.

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better?

Leaders promote reading very well. They ensure that as soon as children start school, they experience a wide range of stories and poems. Children take great delight in acting out familiar rhymes. This all helps to develop a love of reading. Very quickly, children develop an awareness of sounds in their environment and in words. This prepares them for learning to read. Once children do start learning to read, they make swift progress. This is because the school has a consistent and rigorous approach. Close tracking of what children can and cannot do enables staff to target the gaps in their knowledge at every opportunity. This consistent approach 7 and 8 November 2023

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continues in key stage 1. Pupils who need extra support to keep up have regular interventions. This is helping them to read with increased confidence and fluency.

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Pupils love learning, particularly in mathematics. The teaching of mathematics is highly structured. Staff use consistent language and modelling to support pupils’ thinking. This enables pupils to develop a strong understanding of number and the importance of place value. Pupils also have frequent opportunities to reason and problem-solve. In other areas of the curriculum, the school has set out precisely what it wants pupils to know and remember. This helps staff to focus on this important knowledge when teaching and supports pupils’ learning well. Pupils, for example, recall in detail the cause of the Great Fire of London and speak articulately about techniques used by different artists they have studied.

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Pupils with a range of different SEND are very well catered for. The school ensures that there is rapid and robust identification of needs. It plans support to meet pupils’ specific needs and regularly reviews the impact this has. This regular reviewing ensures that provision changes as pupils’ needs change. It also ensures that there is no limit to what pupils can achieve. Parents appreciate how staff go above and beyond to meet the needs of their children.

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In lessons and around school, children and pupils demonstrate their understanding of how the school expects them to behave. They are highly engaged during lessons and cooperate with each other. The way in which the school helps pupils to develop their understanding of rights and to respect the rights of others is impressive.

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The school places great emphasis on developing pupils’ character and experience of the world around them. This includes a range of visits to places linked to the curriculum. The school also provides high-quality opportunities beyond the curriculum. Workshops on illustration and going to allotment club are just two examples.

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Leaders engage well with staff. They are mindful of staff workload. Staff feel valued and are rightly proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 7 and 8 November 2023

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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). 7 and 8 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 October 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Colmore Infant and Nursery School is in a hard federation with Colmore Junior School. The two schools have one governing body.  The leadership structure of the school has changed recently. There was previously an executive headteacher across the infant and junior schools, with a head of school in the infants. From September 2023, the head of school became the headteacher.  The school does not use alternative 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. 7 and 8 November 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school had 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.  Inspectors spoke to the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other leaders.  The lead inspector spoke to the chair of governors and other governors. She also spoke with the school improvement partner and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 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 also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also looked at other curriculum areas through looking at pupils’ work

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and speaking to pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.

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Inspection team

Helen Forrest, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emily Garner Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 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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