Pheasey Park Farm Primary School and Early Years Centre

Inspection of a good school: Pheasey Park Farm Primary School and Early Years Centre Wimperis Way, Great Barr, Birmingham, West Midlands B43 7DH

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Outcome

Pheasey Park Farm Primary School and Early Years Centre continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Susan Arnold. This school is part of Elston Hall Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Kevin Grayson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gavin Hawkins.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and friendly at this large, caring and inclusive school. They greet visitors with warmth and respect. Pupils feel safe and happy in school and appreciate how adults take time to listen and help them. Pupils say that ‘everyone is treated equally and staff always make us feel good about ourselves.’ They say that bullying is not a problem and any rare occurrences are quickly sorted out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto ‘believe and achieve’ is lived out throughout all aspects of school life. Staff are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Teaching supports pupils to learn the planned curriculum and, overall, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well, following the school rules of respect, responsibility and being ready to learn. They concentrate on their learning and listen attentively to teachers and each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of high-quality opportunities that enhance their learning and support their wider development. These include a wide variety of trips and after- school clubs. Pupils benefit from swimming lessons in the on-site pool and almost all pupils can swim by the time they leave the school. Pupils revel in their many responsibilities, including acting as ambassadors or members of the school council.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious, engaging and well structured. It enables pupils to learn essential knowledge, ideas and vocabulary successfully. Lessons and additional 11 and 12 June 2024

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workshops help pupils to understand how their learning prepares them for the future. For example, older pupils apply their mathematical skills in financial management workshops. Pupils talk articulately about their learning. For example, when talking about art, pupils can discuss and compare a range of artists and talk about art movements throughout history.

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In key stage 2 lessons, staff use questioning skilfully to check and deepen pupils’ understanding. However, this is not as consistent in key stage 1. Consequently, sometimes pupils do not have a firm grasp of the concepts being taught. On other occasions, some pupils who are ready to move on with their learning, do not move on quickly enough.

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Pupils learn to read well in school. Daily story time, rewards for reading and carefully selected texts help them to develop excitement and curiosity about reading. Staff have been trained well to deliver the early reading programme. They have the knowledge, skills and resources they need to teach reading effectively. Pupils who fall behind in their reading are quickly identified and receive effective support to catch up quickly. As a result, pupils learn to read with confidence, accuracy and fluency.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly. Pupils with SEND receive support to learn the curriculum alongside their peers. However, some of the targets on pupils’ learning plans are not sufficiently specific. They do not set out clearly enough what pupils should achieve. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

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Starting in Nursery, teachers introduce effective routines to support pupils’ behaviour and learning. As a result, pupils become increasingly independent, confident and articulate as they move through the school. The early years curriculum prioritises children’s vocabulary and communication skills. Children listen to stories and learn songs and rhymes. They learn to use mathematical vocabulary, such as doubling and halving, as they explore number patterns. This provides a strong foundation for key stage 1.

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The schools’ curriculum for personal, social and health education ensures that pupils are prepared well to be happy, healthy and positive global citizens. They learn to care for themselves, others, the community and the planet. Pupils are highly inclusive and tolerant of differences.

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The school prioritises regular attendance and staff act decisively when pupils’ attendance becomes a concern. Where needed, the school provides support for specific pupils and for families who face difficulties getting their children into school regularly. As a result, most pupils attend well.

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Most parents are highly positive about the school, typically saying that staff are approachable, engaging and that their child is thriving at the school.

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Trust leaders, trustees and the governing board have a strong working knowledge of the school. They visit regularly. Staff enjoy working at the school. They appreciate the strong teamwork and care that is present in the school. They are well supported to fulfil their 11 and 12 June 2024

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roles effectively. They say that their workload and well-being are carefully considered. They feel valued and are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The individual targets identified for some pupils with SEND are too vague. They do not identify the steps pupils need to progress well with their learning. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure teachers provide clear, specific learning targets so that these pupils make the best possible progress.  Some teachers in key stage 1 do not use assessment in lessons well enough to check pupils’ understanding. Therefore, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment effectively to help pupils build on their prior learning more successfully in all subjects.

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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 predecessor school, Pheasey Park Farm Primary School, to be good in May 2016.

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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. 11 and 12 June 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). 11 and 12 June 2024

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School details

Website www.pheaseyparkfarmprimary.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 24 and 25 May 2016 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Pheasey Park Farm Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school became a member of Elston Hall Learning Trust, in February 2020.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. ◼ 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. ◼ The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing body, trustees and the chief executive officer. 11 and 12 June 2024

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◼ The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector 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. ◼ The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. ◼ Minutes of governing body meetings were also scrutinised. ◼ The inspectors looked at records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them about 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.

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◼ The inspectors talked to parents at the start of the school day and considered the Ofsted Parent View survey 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

Allyson Brown Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 June 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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