Lift Four Dwellings Primary

Inspection of Four Dwellings Primary Academy Quinton Road West, Quinton, Birmingham, West Midlands B32 1PJ

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of this school is Michelle Court. This school is part of Academies Enterprise Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Rebecca Boomer- Clark, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Hall. 29 and 30 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Four Dwellings Primary Academy. They know that staff want the best for them and feel confident to talk about any issues, as well as their hopes and wishes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well in lessons. They remain focused and want to learn. The behaviour of pupils at breaktimes is orderly. Pupils make friends easily and feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ well-being and personal development are paramount. The school provides a wide range of enrichment activities for pupils. This allows pupils to enhance the skills and talents they already have or learn new ones. Every opportunity that the school provides is open to all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can apply to become reading ambassadors, academy councillors, rights respecting champions and sports leaders. Pupils take these roles seriously, enjoying the responsibility this brings. There is a wide range of clubs and after-school opportunities for pupils, both sporting and non-sporting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Opportunities to explore a variety of careers start in Nursery and increase as pupils move through the school. This helps pupils to understand the wide range of career options available and be aspirational. The school has high expectations of all pupils, who do well in school.

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better?

The leadership of the school has changed recently, resulting in rapid improvement. The school is ambitious for all its pupils and has carefully considered the curriculum it offers. This has contributed to pupils doing much better than in the past.

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better?

The school places a high priority on developing pupils’ vocabulary and language skills. Children settle quickly into a language-rich environment in early years classes. Staff model and develop children’s language through rhyme, stories, play and at social times. Pupils take part in discussions and debates in lessons to support their learning. Each week, they take part in ‘Vote for Schools’ activities, debating topical issues such as homelessness or voting for the story at the end of the day.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of the school. At the entrance is a well-equipped, attractive library that all pupils visit regularly. Appealing book corners feature in classrooms and corridors. The teaching of early reading skills is a strength of the school. Pupils who need support receive it quickly. Pupils love reading and make good progress in their phonics learning.

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better?

The school plans the curriculum in a coherent, logical way. All subjects, including those at an earlier stage of development, follow a successful approach that includes 29 and 30 November 2023

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checking pupils’ understanding in lessons and at the end of each unit of work. Adults quickly remedy any gaps or misunderstandings pupils may have. This ensures pupils make good progress. The school identifies adaptations they need to make to the environment or curriculum to ensure pupils with SEND receive the support they need. As a result, all pupils access the curriculum, thrive and become successful and confident.

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Pupils take pride in their work. They present their work beautifully. Pupils do particularly well in subjects such as English and mathematics. However, in a few subjects, the work given to pupils is not always well matched to pupils’ ability and does not meet the ambitious end-points the school has set out.

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The school has worked hard to improve attendance. Pupils are positive about the certificates and awards they receive for attending regularly. The school provides support and workshops led by external agencies who explain the difference that attending daily can make to a child’s outcome in life. The school invites parents to join their children in learning workshops and provides other events on areas such as phonics and starting school. As a result, parents feel confident in supporting their children and in how they can work with the school to help them achieve.

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Pupils talk eagerly about their ‘Remarkable Passports’. They earn awards for their work and for demonstrating the school values: ‘Be Unusually Brave, Push the Limits, Be Big Hearted, Discover What is Possible’. The rewards build to badges and, finally, a gold ‘Dylan the Dinosaur’ badge. Pupils proudly display these on their uniforms or in pride of place at home. Pupils have an impressive knowledge and understanding of fundamental British values and can relate them to their school values and the way they treat others.

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Staff enjoy working in the school. The trust offers effective support and challenge to leaders. This has all contributed to helping the school improve.

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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 work given to pupils does not consistently enable them to achieve the aims of the curriculum. This means that pupils do not always secure a depth of knowledge and understanding across all topics. The school should ensure that the work given to all pupils is well matched to the ambitious end-points set out in each subject. 29 and 30 November 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). 29 and 30 November 2023

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CEO of the trust

Website www.fourdwellingsprimaryacademy.org

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CEO of the trust

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 June 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is part of Academies Enterprise Trust.  The principal was appointed in March 2022.

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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.  The lead inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 29 and 30 November 2023

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 During the inspection, the inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and computing. 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. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and looked at samples of pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors held meetings with the principal, other senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator, members of staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with the regional director of education and a member of the school’s academy council. The lead inspector also spoke with the director of education for the trust.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and

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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 lead inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans and information on the school’s website.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. The inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  A team inspector spoke with parents and families at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Tina Willmott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Carli Mccallin Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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