Tudor Grange Primary Academy Yew Tree

Inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy Yew Tree Wherretts Well Lane, Solihull, West Midlands B91 2SD

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of this school is Rajneet Kundi. The school is part of Tudor Grange Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Claire Maclean, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Rock. There is also an executive headteacher, Sarah Deakin, who is responsible for this school. 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ethos of joy, love and respect runs through the heart of everything at Tudor Grange Academy Yew Tree. Staff are united in wanting the best for every pupil. The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement, and pupils work hard to meet these. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a welcoming place where pupils learn to celebrate difference. Staff encourage pupils to understand and appreciate each other’s views and to value the diversity of the school community. Many staff and parents agree that the school feels like a family.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know the pupils well, and the school provides high-quality pastoral support to pupils and families. As a result, relationships between adults and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils are happy at school, and they behave well. Older pupils act as role models and look after the younger children. Pupils know that adults will help them with any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of clubs to develop their interests and talents. These include computing, chess, silent singing, paper-craft club and netball. Older pupils learn to be independent and resilient on residential trips, where they experience zip-wires, canoeing and other adventurous activities.

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better?

The school has high aspirations for all pupils to be successful, both in and out of the classroom. The ambitious curriculum identifies the knowledge pupils need to learn. Learning is sequenced so pupils build on what they have learned previously. This helps them to remember important knowledge and skills.

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better?

Staff explain ideas clearly and regularly check that pupils understand the learning. Teachers choose activities that help pupils to learn well. For example, Year 2 pupils were given interesting mathematical problem-solving activities to practise division techniques they had just learned. This embeds their learning and, as a result, pupils can explain their reasoning for the answers they give. In science, teachers check what pupils can remember about previous learning before adding in new information. Pupils then undertake well-designed tasks. For instance, in Year 6, pupils worked in groups to investigate the impact of a behaviour such as smoking or lack of sleep on the body. They then become ‘expert’ in that area and teach other pupils what they know.

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better?

Pupils benefit from a structured approach to their learning of writing in English lessons. However, in other subjects, errors in punctuation and spelling are not routinely addressed by staff. This means that pupils are not making the most of opportunities to practise their writing in other subjects. 27 and 28 February 2024

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The school quickly identifies and assesses the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff make adaptations to the learning to suit pupils’ needs. Leaders closely monitor the impact of any additional support. They know that it is effective and that pupils with SEND make good progress. In the additional resourced provision (Cedars ARP), pupils receive bespoke support that meets their needs. These pupils are happy and enjoy learning.

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Pupils have access to a wide range of high-quality books every day. Reading and a love of books are a central part of school life. The youngest children listen to their teachers enthusiastically reading engaging stories, and the older pupils value the daily class story time. Pupils learn about the sounds letters make as soon as they join the school. Staff are well trained in the phonics scheme. This ensures that pupils become confident, fluent readers. Pupils who need extra help with reading get the support they need to catch up.

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The school has designed an effective early years curriculum. Two- and three-year- old children learn the routines and expectations for successful learning. In the early years, staff prioritise teaching communication skills and vocabulary. This helps the children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to develop their language skills. Staff and children have warm, positive relationships. This helps the children to develop confidence and become independent.

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Pupils are clear about the school rules. They meet the school’s high expectations for behaviour. Pupils are well mannered and kind to each other. The nurture room provides a safe space for pupils to learn to manage their emotions if needed. This helps pupils to become more resilient. Pupils know that the adults will deal with rare incidents of poor behaviour. The school celebrates good attendance and has developed initiatives such as the walking bus and pre-school sports clubs to improve attendance. Most pupils attend school regularly. However, there remains a small number of pupils who are absent too often.

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Pupils enjoy opportunities to take on responsibilities and develop leadership skills. Play leaders contribute to the happy, caring atmosphere at playtime. School councillors enjoy their roles and have been instrumental in making changes to the school, including changes to the library. Pupils learn how to be respectful citizens by raising money for charity.

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The trust provides highly effective and carefully considered support to the school. There are clear pathways for career development for staff at all levels. Staff feel valued and are proud to work here. However, some subject leaders are at an earlier stage of their career and have not yet had opportunities to develop some of their responsibilities in full, including checking how well all pupils are learning. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They take part in many opportunities to be involved in the school, such as workshops, assemblies and special events.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 27 and 28 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils are absent from school too often, especially disadvantaged pupils. This means they do not benefit from the good education provided by the school. The school should continue to develop its strategies, including its work with families, to improve attendance.  The school does not have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve in relation to their writing within the wider curriculum. In foundation subjects, some pupils make basic and repeated errors in their spelling and punctuation. The school should continue its work to implement the new approach to teaching writing so that pupils write consistently well in all subjects.  Some leaders are new to their role and have not yet had enough opportunity to develop their subject in full. As a result, they are sometimes unclear about how well all pupils are learning. The school should continue to ensure that less experienced leaders receive support so that pupils experience a well-developed

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

foundation curriculum and achieve equally well in all subjects.

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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). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Tudor Grange Academies Trust in September 2019.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school operates a breakfast and after-school club.  The school operates an ARP, ‘Cedars ARP’, for a maximum of eight pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.

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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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school. 27 and 28 February 2024

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 Inspectors met with the principal, executive principal and other senior leaders.  The lead inspector met with the CEO of the trust. She also held discussions with representatives of the board of trustees and those responsible for local governance.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  Inspectors met with the leaders responsible for the early years, pupils with SEND,

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disadvantaged pupils, behaviour, attendance and personal development.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance, and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, as well as the responses to the surveys for staff and pupils. The inspectors spoke informally with parents on arrival to school and to groups of staff.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult. Inspectors met with groups of pupils from across the school.

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 February 2024

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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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