Stoke Prior First School

Inspection of Stoke Prior First School Ryefields Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4ND

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Stoke Prior is a school at the heart of its community. It is a place where everyone is made to feel ‘part of the family’. Recently, the school has experienced many changes. Everyone is supportive of the new ways of doing things, demonstrating the school’s values of teamwork and collective responsibility.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils welcome visitors by holding doors open and offering a smile. They are eager to share positive views of their school. They feel happy and safe because of the caring relationships they form with each other. Staff understand pupils well because they take the time to learn about their interests. Pupils feel confident that adults will be there to support them should they have worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils achieve well. They enjoy their learning and show a determination to work hard. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are involved in all aspects of school life. Parents are happy with the support their children receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many educational visits they go on. Trips to activity centres and places of historical significance help bring their learning to life. Pupils see the importance of helping others in need. They raise money for charities and make donations to a local food bank.

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

A new leadership team, with the support of governors, has worked at pace to develop many aspects of the school’s work. They have worked effectively with their team to improve the school’s curriculum. Staff feel well supported in managing these changes. They enjoy high-quality training and opportunities to discuss ideas. Many are leading new approaches and are excited to do more.

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

Children in the early years learn to read from their first days in school. They share stories in the reading area and then act these out in their newly developed outdoor space. Staff use children’s interests to plan exciting new learning. Many pupils can read fluently by the time they leave Year 2. Those who fall behind with their reading are well supported to catch up. Most pupils enjoy reading and many read regularly at home. They listen intently to staff, who bring stories to life.

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

The school has recently introduced a new approach to writing. This is not yet being delivered consistently well. Some pupils are unable to form letters, spell or write sentences at an age-appropriate level. This affects their ability to write fluently. The school has new systems to check how well pupils understand their learning. However, sometimes mistakes in learning are not picked up quickly enough. This means that some pupils continue to make the same mistakes.

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

Improvements to the school’s curriculum are helping pupils gain a deeper understanding of their learning. In most subjects, the school has thought carefully about the knowledge it wants pupils to know. In history, for example, pupils learn about significant people and events and can successfully explain how these have shaped the world today. However, in 8 and 9 October 2024

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a small number of subjects, the school has not identified precisely enough what it wants pupils to know. Where this happens, pupils struggle to make connections to what have learned previously.

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Pupils with complex SEND needs receive the right support to help them in school. The school works well with parents and outside agencies to create effective support plans. Staff use these plans to make adaptations to learning and the classroom environment. This enables pupils to access the same learning as their peers. Pupils do not notice each other’s differences and instead focus on what makes them the same.

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Pupils are respectful and kind. They behave well both inside and outside of the classroom. Most pupils display positive attitudes to their learning and they listen with interest. Many pupils attend school regularly. The school has worked effectively with parents to improve attendance rates. They ensure that those pupils who previously missed school too often now attend regularly.

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Pupils enjoy taking part in a wide range of opportunities where they develop their talents and interests. Some learn street dance while others care for the environment by acting as eco-warriors. Pupils learn the importance of managing their own mental and physical well- being. Many understand the risks they can face online and in the real world.

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Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. Many identify the dedication of staff as a reason why their children feel so well cared for. They are happy with the communication they receive from the school. Parents’ views are valued and contribute to the school’s development and their children’s education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s new approach to writing is not being delivered consistently well. This means that some pupils are not being supported to form letters, spell, and write sentences at an age-appropriate level. The school should ensure that the expected approaches for writing are applied by all staff.  In a few subjects, the school has not identified precisely what it wants pupils to know. As a result, pupils sometimes struggle to connect their current learning to what they have learned previously. The school should ensure that all subjects have clear knowledge end points which build on pupils’ prior knowledge.  The school does not ensure that pupils’ understanding is checked sufficiently well. This means that pupils’ misconceptions are not always identified, and continue to have an 8 and 9 October 2024

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impact on their learning. The school should ensure that its new assessment processes are understood and carried out effectively.

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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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 September 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school operates before- and after-school provision.  Since its last inspection, there is a new leadership team at the school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 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 a range of leaders, including those responsible for the curriculum, teaching and learning, behaviour, attendance, personal development and safeguarding.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. 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 samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also heard a selection of pupils read.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector spoke with the school improvement adviser for the local authority.  The lead inspector spoke with the chair, vice chair, co-opted and a parent representative of the governing body.  Inspectors considered the survey responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free-text comments from parents.  Inspectors also evaluated the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Tony Bradshaw, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gill Turner Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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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