Arden Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Arden Primary School Baker Street, Sparkhill, Birmingham, West Midlands B11 4SF

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Outcome

Arden Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, their parents and carers appreciate all that Arden Primary School offers them. The motto of ‘every child, every opportunity’ underpins everything the school does. Those efforts go beyond the school day to include a wide range of experiences to develop character and broaden pupils’ awareness of the world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations of behaviour are met by pupils, who are polite and communicate confidently with staff and visitors. Pupils interact considerately with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Arden Primary School is a safe community that staff, parents and pupils regularly describe as a family. Pupils say that if anything ever bothers them, adults in school will help them. This means pupils come to school feeling safe, happy and ready to learn. Older pupils also speak of the inspiration that they gain from their teachers and the many opportunities that school offers. These include visitors who come into school to work with them, from authors to theatre groups.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their lessons. They work hard and achieve well. The school continues to revise and improve its provision; pupils have a say in what happens through a variety of leadership and ambassador roles. They enjoy and appreciate these opportunities.

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

The curriculum is carefully planned and aims to develop a love of learning. The essential knowledge and vocabulary that pupils must learn is set out clearly. This begins in Nursery. Teachers have collaborated to make links across subjects, so learning is meaningful and memorable. Staff use effective strategies to revisit learning so that pupils can recall knowledge and build upon it. This leads to strong outcomes by the end of key stage 2. 25 and 26 June 2024

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The school recognises the importance of a wide vocabulary and pupils make a real effort to learn and remember new words. Pupils know that a wide vocabulary helps them with their work, improves their communication skills and will be beneficial to them in the world of work. They are proud of their achievements.

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Reading is prioritised. This begins as soon as children enter the Nursery. High-quality training ensures that all staff teach phonics consistently well. Pupils receive the practice they need so that their knowledge and confidence grow quickly. Those who need more help with their reading are supported so that they can keep up. The school has developed a range of strategies that help pupils to become fluent and expressive readers. A love of reading is effectively promoted and each year group has their own library area with a wide range of books. Pupils are extremely proud of their book vending machine.

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Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well structured and is a strength of the school. Staff meticulously plan approaches to meet the needs of each individual. They are trained to deliver high-quality support so that pupils with SEND make the best possible progress socially and academically. The school also works effectively with parents and external agencies to make sure that families receive the right help.

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Children get off to a strong start in the early years. Highly skilled staff follow a well- planned curriculum that interests and engages them. Adults model new learning and take every opportunity to ask questions to check children’s understanding and extend their thinking.

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Pupils’ calm and attentive behaviour in lessons demonstrates the value they place on their education. They collaborate well together and their discussions with talk partners remain focused on the task at hand. Playground time gives pupils the opportunity to socialise and join in with planned activities. Their attitudes towards each other demonstrate the school’s values of respect and collaboration.

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The wider curriculum, which develops pupils’ skills, talents and interests beyond the academic subjects, is broad and well planned. The elected Young Leaders plan an assembly each week using, for example, fundamental British values as a focus. This helps pupils to understand the importance of those values and prepares them well for life in modern Britain. There is also a wide range of after-school activities that both parents and pupils appreciate. However, not all pupils take full advantage of the many opportunities that the school offers. Persistent absence is high and the school has not yet established effective strategies to reduce it.

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There is a strong team ethos across the school. Staff appreciate the efforts that leaders have made to reduce their workload. As a result, staff feel trusted and listened to. Governors have a secure understanding of the school and its context. They challenge and support leaders effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 and 26 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Rates of persistent absence for pupils, including those with SEND, continue to be high. This means pupils miss valuable learning, and their ability to build their knowledge securely over time is impaired. The school should strengthen its work with parents to improve pupils’ attendance so that all pupils attend school regularly and fully benefit from the many opportunities provided.

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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 February 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 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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 and 27 February 2019

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternate provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a schools’ 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 school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteachers and spoke with a representative from the local authority. They also met with the chair of the governing body and four other governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in some other subjects.

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 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.  The inspectors observed a selection of pupils reading to members of staff. Other pupils were heard reading during lessons.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils to talk about their learning and life in school. They also met with parents at the start of the school day. Account was taken of the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, and the staff survey.  The inspectors considered a range of documents, including behaviour, attendance and safeguarding records.

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Inspection team

Anne Potter, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Snooks Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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