Oldbury Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Oldbury Park Primary School Oldbury Road, Worcester, Worcestershire WR2 6AA

p.1

Outcome

Oldbury Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

Outcome

The principal of the school is Ben Irving. This school is part of the Central Region Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the executive principal (CEO), Guy Shears and overseen by a board of trustees, co-chaired by Elizabeth Keates and Orla MacSherry.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Oldbury Park Primary staff and pupils share the same high aspirations. Pupils understand and follow the expectation to ‘believe in best’. Respectful, caring and supportive relationships are at the heart of the school. Pupils are happy in school and support each other’s needs. Pupils enjoy their time with Barney, the school therapy dog. They feel safe and they say that poor behaviour is rare.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a purposeful atmosphere around the school. Pupils focus on their learning well, work hard and want to learn. Teachers speak calmly with any pupil who loses concentration and offer support to regain focus. Pupils’ very positive attitudes, along with the well-thought-out curriculum, enable pupils to achieve well by the time they leave school. A parent comment, typical of others, is: ‘Oldbury Park has worked incredibly hard to create a nurturing and supportive environment for the children who attend. The school now possesses a strong and proud community spirit.’

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school prioritises pupils’ personal development well. They have many opportunities to develop leadership roles. Pupil leaders organise presentations around online safety. The extra-curricular programme is rich and diverse. Pupils take part in a range of clubs such as dance showcase, enterprise and science.

p.1

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

There have been significant and highly effective staffing changes since the last inspection. These include a new principal and changes to staff in senior, subject and pastoral leadership roles. The school has successfully raised expectations around learning and 5 and 6 March 2024

p.1

2

behaviour. In all classes, including the early years, positive relationships between staff, pupils and parents help pupils to be confident and happy.

p.2

2

The school has developed a highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. It encourages and enables pupils to achieve their academic potential. The school has precisely identified the important things that pupils need to know to succeed particularly in reading, phonics and mathematics. Teachers present new subject matter clearly. Teachers use effective questions from previous learning to check that pupils know and remember more. All pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), follow this curriculum. The school’s actions to improve the curriculum have led to improving pupil outcomes, over time, by the end of key stage 2.

p.2

2

However, the school is reviewing the curriculums within its foundation subjects, such as the sciences and humanities. This includes identifying the important things pupils need to know to succeed. Leaders are also carefully considering the amount of time pupils have to study these subjects and whether it is sufficient to enable pupils to learn the key knowledge and skills they need to prepare them for their next steps.

p.2

2

The school’s ‘reading spine’ curriculum is in development. This connects the school’s chosen reading texts with writing tasks and cross-curricular activities. Currently, this is at an early stage of design. Year 6 pupils who have experienced the current ‘reading spine’ speak positively about ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ tasks in their writing activities. The school is moving to develop and embed this across all year groups.

p.2

2

The school quickly identifies pupils with SEND. ‘Pupil profiles’ give precise information to staff about pupils’ individual needs. Teachers use this information effectively to adapt their teaching. The school has implemented an extensive range of strategies to support pupils who are not confident readers. These include specialist teachers who rapidly address weaknesses in phonics, grammar and comprehension. This is helping pupils with SEND to make good progress.

p.2

2

Pupils display excellent self-control and highly positive attitudes to learning. Staff and pupils share highly respectful relationships. This creates an open and encouraging culture where everyone is equally valued. School attendance is high. The school has robust systems in place to support absent pupils to come back into school and to catch up on their work quickly.

p.2

2

An extensive personal development curriculum promotes the development of pupils’ character and interests. Pupils learn about topics such as healthy relationships and online safety effectively. Pupils speak positively about how the school educates them about culture and diversity. One Year 5 pupil said a strength of the school is that ‘the school is open to all cultures and everyone can come here’. The school prepares pupils well for the next stages of their education at secondary school.

p.2

2

All leaders, including those responsible for governance, know this school well. They understand how the local context impacts on pupils’ learning and attendance. Leaders review and develop all aspects of the school effectively. This includes their robust and rigorous focus on safeguarding. Trustees and governors support and hold leaders to 5 and 6 March 2024

p.2

3

account for the decisions taken. Trust leaders have supported the school effectively to make improvements in recent years. Leaders have implemented a well-thought-out professional development programme for staff which staff welcome. Leaders consult staff well about policy changes. Leaders carefully consider staff workload which staff are appreciative of.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the key knowledge and skills in foundation subjects are not currently taught in the same depth as other subjects. This means that pupils do not learn the key knowledge and skills in these subjects as deeply as they could. The school should ensure that pupils are taught the key knowledge and skills in sufficient depth in all subjects to enable them to make strong progress across the curriculum.  The school has not yet completed and delivered their ‘reading spine’ curriculum which connects reading, writing and cross-curricular learning. This means some pupils are receiving different learning opportunities than others. The school should ensure that its ‘reading spine’ curriculum is fully developed and embedded across all year groups so all pupils have a consistent educational experience to support their learning.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Oldbury Park Primary School, to be good in July 2017.

p.3

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. 5 and 6 March 2024

p.3

4

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 5 and 6 March 2024

p.4

School details

Co-Chairs of trust Elizabeth Keates and Orla MacSherry

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection July 2017, predecessor school

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of the Central Region Schools Trust which contains thirteen schools. The school joined the trust in 2019.  The principal was appointed in January 2024.  The school makes use of three alternative providers, two of which are unregistered.  A specially resourced unit caters for a small number of pupils in Reception to Year 6 who have autistic spectrum disorders.

p.5

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 has received, including since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector focused on the following deep dives: Reading, geography and mathematics. The inspector looked at leaders’ curriculum planning, visited lessons, 5 and 6 March 2024

p.5

6

looked at pupils’ work and talked with pupils about their learning. The inspector also looked at the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector reviewed a range of school documents. These included information about pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the school’s curriculum and improvement planning. The school’s website was also checked.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector observed informal times of the day as part of his evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector held meetings with the vice-chair and the chief executive officer of the trust, the chair of the local governing board and a governor, the principal and other

p.6

6

senior leaders, teachers, including early careers teachers, learning support assistants and pupils. The inspector also talked informally to pupils, staff and parents to gather information about school life.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and pupil questionnaires.

p.6

Inspection team

Stuart Clarkson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 March 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7