The Howard Primary School

Inspection of The Howard Primary School The Square, Elford, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9DB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive headteacher of this school is Jonathan Wynn. This school is part of The Staffordshire Schools Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Charlene Gethin, and overseen by a board of trustees, jointly chaired by Peter Halifax and Kevin Borg. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The Howard Primary School is at the heart of its community. Pupils are happy and safe. They are proud of their school and attend regularly. Pupils aspire to live the school’s ethos of ‘believe and achieve’. Classrooms are industrious places where pupils are enthused and excited about learning. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Pupils achieve well, particularly in reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They are respectful of their school environment. The school’s rules help pupils to learn about right and wrong; pupils make the right choice. Leadership opportunities, such as reading buddies, healthy eating ambassadors, eco-warriors and play leaders, enable pupils to make a difference to school life. Pupils meet the high behaviour expectations set.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part, enthusiastically, in the school’s rich wider curriculum offer. Educational visits and outdoor residentials allow pupils to deepen their learning. They develop independence, responsibility and perseverance skills. Pupils enjoy creating a French café. They communicate with their twinned school in France. This helps them to practise and apply their French-speaking skills. Clubs including netball, football, gymnastics, drumming and science help pupils to learn new talents and interests.

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better?

The school curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. It is carefully planned and sequenced with clear end points. Teachers know what to teach and when to teach it. Teachers help pupils to recall their previous learning so that it builds on what pupils know and can do. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately assessed and identified. Consideration has been given to the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes. However, at times, the delivery of the curriculum is not always adapted well to meet the needs of pupils, including some of those with SEND. When this happens, pupils do not learn and remember the curriculum as well as they could.

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better?

Reading is prioritised across the school. A wide range of diverse books helps pupils to develop a love of reading. Phonics is taught right from the start. Staff teach early reading very well. Pupils have regular opportunities to sound out letters and apply their phonics knowledge. Reading books match the sounds they are learning. Any pupil who struggles gets effective support to catch up quickly. And they do. Pupils read with the confidence and accuracy expected for their age. Many exceed this.

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better?

The school’s personal development offer is exceptional. It is rooted in the school’s values of love, friendship and respect. Pupils learn about risks and making safe choices, including when working online. They learn to manage their feelings and about the qualities of being a good friend. Partnership working with a university 12 and 13 March 2024

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helps pupils to learn about eco-friendly car design. Parent visitors and input from a specialist technology academy help pupils consider their future career opportunities, such as engineering. When voting for leadership responsibilities or campaigning for school councillor posts, ‘pupil polling stations’ help develop pupils’ understanding of democracy.

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Pupils apply their knowledge of different faiths, including Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Sikhism, by considering their views on the wider world. For example, pupils discuss thought-provoking issues, including a creation versus cosmology debate with a vicar and a scientist. Pupils consider festivals and celebrations and what these mean to different faiths and cultures at different times, for instance Advent and festivals of light such as Hannukah and Diwali. Pupils learn to be active citizens by fundraising for a local hospice and a care home for the elderly. All this means that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders want the best for all pupils. They know the school well and have a clear vision. The executive headteacher is held to account effectively by the trust for the performance of the school.

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Staff are proud to work at the school and feel valued. They are overwhelmingly positive about the support from leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the delivery of the curriculum is not consistently adapted well to meet pupils’ needs, including for some of those with SEND. When this happens, pupils do not learn the curriculum in the way the school intends. The school should ensure that the delivery of the curriculum is adapted as necessary so that all pupils learn well and develop the skills and knowledge they need.

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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. 12 and 13 March 2024

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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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Chair of trust Peter Halifax and Kevin Borg (Co-Chairs)

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School details

Headteacher Jonathan Wynn (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The Howard Primary School is a much smaller-than-average primary school. There are fluctuating cohorts of pupils. Currently, there are too few pupils in the Reception Year for the school to receive a separate early years judgement.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school provides before- and after-school provision for pupils.

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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

n 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the 12 and 13 March 2024

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school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of sessions, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work and held discussions with leaders about the art and geography curriculum.  The inspectors observed pupils reading to a familiar adult and reviewed reading resources.  The inspectors reviewed a range of documentation on the school’s website.  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

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils in lessons and at other times during the day.  The inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, curriculum leaders, members of the local governing committee and the trust, including the chief executive.  The inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, pupil surveys and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rebecca Cox Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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