Sutton Park Primary

Inspection of Sutton Park Primary Coppice View Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6UE

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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 headteacher of this school is Lucy Middleton. This school is part of the PA Community Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Phillipa Sherlock- Lewis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paulette Osborne MBE. There is also an executive headteacher, Ashley Knibbs, who is responsible for this school and others. 10 and 11 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a highly inclusive school where everyone is valued. Pupils and staff embody the school’s values of ‘believe, inspire and achieve’. They are proud of their school and the improvements that have been made over recent years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In class, pupils are focused on learning. They progress well across the curriculum. Staff encourage pupils to treat others with respect, to build their resilience and to look after their physical and mental health.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. More recently, pupils’ behaviour has improved, including for the growing number of pupils with complex needs. Bullying is not a concern for pupils. Staff swiftly sort out any issues so that pupils feel safe and cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the opportunities that are on offer, including the trips and residential experiences in which they can take part. Pupils benefit from a wide range of lunchtime and after-school activities, such as choir, reading club and a range of sports. This helps them to develop their talents and interests.

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better?

The curriculum has been designed with care to meet the needs of all pupils. The school sets out the knowledge and skills that pupils need to acquire over time. Staff receive high-quality training. Their subject knowledge is strong. In English, mathematics and science, the school uses assessment to check what pupils have learned effectively. Subsequent learning builds on this feedback to correct pupils’ misconceptions and remedy gaps in their knowledge and skills. However, in some other curriculum areas, assessment is not used as effectively.

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better?

Reading is central to the curriculum. Children start learning letter sounds as soon as they begin school. Pupils develop their reading fluency with expert staff, who teach them well. Pupils read books that are matched carefully to the sounds they are learning. This builds pupils’ reading fluency and confidence. The school’s ‘snuggle up and read’ approach and systems for pupils to recommend books to each other promote a culture where reading is highly valued.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified swiftly and play a full part in the life of the school. Teachers adapt activities skilfully so that pupils with SEND can learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Pupils with SEND in the additionally resourced provision receive tailored support so that their needs are met well. Staff know the pupils very well, and professional relationships are strong and well established. Many parents and carers speak highly of the inclusive and supportive ethos of the school.

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better?

The early years is a vibrant, engaging environment. Children get off to a good start with their learning. The high expectations for behaviour and learning are established 10 and 11 April 2024

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in the early years. Staff are warm and caring. Children benefit from a range of activities and resources to develop their interests.

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Many parents speak highly of the school. However, some parents raised concerns following a period of turbulence in staffing. In most areas of the school, this has now been remedied. However, some pupils have been more adversely affected. In a small number of classes, particularly where staffing has been unstable, the expectations for pupils’ behaviour are not as high. Leaders have ensured that all pupils continue to access the same high-quality curriculum and pastoral support, as is the case for pupils who require additional support.

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The school analyses trends in attendance effectively and provides additional support for pupils who do not attend regularly enough. Effective support for pupils and their families is helping to improve the attendance of some pupils.

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Pupils gain from the opportunities provided to support their personal development. They learn how to stay safe online and where to seek help if they need it. Pupils play their part in promoting equality. They take pride in pupil leadership opportunities, such as being a school prefect or being elected to represent the school council. This helps pupils to make a positive contribution to the school.

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There has been significant, positive change at Sutton Park in recent years. A strong partnership between the school and the trust has ensured that there has been a considered approach to school improvement. New staff have come together quickly to form a supportive team. This has helped the school to implement improvement plans at pace. Staff are positive about the support they receive and the opportunities they have to improve their practice. Staff’s workload is always considered before necessary changes take place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of classes, where staffing has been unstable, the behaviour and attitudes of some pupils are not always positive. As a result, sometimes, learning is disrupted, and incidents of poor behaviour are not always dealt with effectively. The school should ensure that the school’s behaviour policy is consistently applied so that the behaviour of all pupils lives up to the high expectations of the school.  The way the school uses assessment in some curriculum areas is not as effective as it could be in enabling staff to identify, with sufficient precision, gaps in pupils’ understanding and address their misconceptions. As a result, pupils do not revisit key areas of learning that they may not have fully grasped. The school needs to 10 and 11 April 2024

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ensure that all subjects include timely assessment opportunities that allow teachers to adjust teaching and ensure that pupils’ progress is as strong as it can be across the curriculum.

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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). 10 and 11 April 2024

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CEO of the trust

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school became a member of the PA Community Trust in December 2019.  The school has a specially resourced provision for 11 pupils with SEND and caters for pupils with autism.  The school does not make use of any alternative 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

 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 that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders. 10 and 11 April 2024

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 The lead inspector met with representatives from the local academy board, trustees and the chief executive officer.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and religious education. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. Inspectors also talked to pupils about their learning in science and examined a sample of work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans. Minutes of governing body meetings were also scrutinised.  The inspectors looked at records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them about

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behaviour, bullying and welfare.  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 talked to parents at the start of the school day and considered the Ofsted Parent View survey responses and free-text comments. The inspectors also reviewed the responses to the staff survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils through discussion.

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Inspection team

Cathy Young, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stuart Clarkson 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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