Elmore Green Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Elmore Green Primary School Elmore Green Road, Bloxwich, Walsall, West Midlands WS3 2HW

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Outcome

Elmore Green Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Elmore Green is a school with a family feel where everyone is welcome. Positive relationships between staff and pupils, and amongst pupils, has created an atmosphere of togetherness. Pupils value the level of care and nurture that staff provide, which makes them feel safe and valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly, courteous and keen to attend school. They embody the school’s ‘ELMORE values’, which include ‘enjoyment’ and ‘respect’. Pupils display good manners and are always happy to help others. In lessons, pupils listen well and focus on their work. They enjoy working alongside their classmates and taking part in group activities. At breaktimes, pupils look forward to chatting with their friends and enjoy playing various sports, including football and tennis.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils and want the very best for them. School leaders, supported by governors and staff, are constantly looking for ways to improve the school even further. They are continuing to develop the curriculum, so that pupils experience an even higher quality of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. In particular, they appreciate the approachability of staff and the range of enrichment activities that their children experience.

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

The school has mapped out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn within and across year groups. What children learn in the Reception class provides them with a firm foundation for what they will learn in Year 1 and beyond. Teachers appreciate the precise nature of the curriculum because it clarifies what they need to teach and when they need to teach it. In addition, the curriculum gives teachers information about what pupils have learned in the previous year. This supports them to plan lessons that build on what pupils have learned before. 10 and 11 April 2024

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Teachers and teaching assistants, have secure subject knowledge in a range of curriculum areas. They explain new learning in a clear, logical manner. Staff consistently model subject-specific language accurately in their teaching. As a result, pupils use similar vocabulary when explaining their own understanding. In most instances, the choice of learning activities and the deployment of teaching assistants supports pupils to achieve well. Staff use digital technology creatively to support teaching and learning. Currently, the school is refining its use of digital technology to ensure it effectively supports the delivery of the curriculum.

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Reading is the school’s top priority. Phonics lessons follow a set structure, which pupils are familiar with. Staff constantly check that pupils are learning new sounds and remembering previously taught sounds. Where required, staff give pupils extra help so that any gaps in phonics knowledge are filled. The school promotes a love of reading through high-quality texts in the English curriculum, regular story times, weekly visits to the local library and special events. As a result, pupils enjoy reading and many can name a favourite book.

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Subject leaders are passionate about their curriculum area. They possess secure subject knowledge in their respective fields and are keen to support staff who ask for help. However, in some subjects, leaders have not been given sufficient time to monitor their curriculum areas. As a result, they are unaware of what is working well and any potential areas for development.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Pupils with SEND are fully included in lessons and all aspects of school life. Teachers ensure that pupils with SEND get the right support so that they can access the same learning as their peers. Parents of pupils with SEND value the inclusive nature of the school and the level of support that their children receive.

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Pupils appreciate the wide range of after-school clubs that are on offer. These include clubs in sign language, multi-sports and drama. Pupils look forward to the variety of trips and residential visits, which includes local attractions, as well as travelling further afield to London. They understand the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Plus, they have a growing understanding of mental health. Pupils are very knowledgeable about internet safety and explain how they keep themselves safe when working online. However, their knowledge of other faiths and cultures is less well developed.

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Staff are proud to work in the school. They are driven by a shared goal to improve pupils’ life chances by providing them with a well-rounded education. Teachers say that leaders have made positive changes to reduce workload. This gives them more time to focus on their teaching responsibilities. Staff say that leaders go ‘above and beyond’ to support their well-being, which makes them feel valued.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school is not making effective checks on how well the curriculum is taught. In these instances, inconsistencies relating to the implementation of the curriculum remain and pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should make effective checks on how well the curriculum is being delivered in all subjects, so that inconsistencies can be identified and appropriate support put in place.  The school has not ensured that the curriculum is sufficiently focused on developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths and cultures. Consequently, pupils’ knowledge of these is limited. The school needs to make sure that the curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge of faiths and cultures that are different to their own.

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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.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2019.

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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.

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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 10 and 11 April 2024

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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). 10 and 11 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 and 10 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club. This provision is operated by the school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken this into account in their evaluation.  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 ex- tent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 10 and 11 April 2024

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher. He met with seven members of the governing body, including the chair. The inspector held a telephone conversation with the school improvement partner.  The inspector held meetings with relevant leaders to discuss provision for pupils with SEND, attendance and the school’s digital technology offer.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, he held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at sam- ples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text responses received during the inspection. The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff

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and pupil surveys.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation. This included the school’s self- evaluation form, school development plan, school policies, curriculum documents, SEND records, attendance records, reports from school improvement visits and minutes of meetings held by the governing body.

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 10 and 11 April 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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