Gunter Primary School

Inspection of Gunter Primary School Gunter Road, Pype Hayes, Birmingham, West Midlands B24 0RU

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at Gunter Primary School and are happy. Pupils understand the school’s values and ‘strive to succeed’. The school helps pupils to make sensible behaviour choices. Adults are consistent in the approach they take to support pupils. Bullying is not tolerated and pupils know that adults always listen to any worries that they may have. As a result, pupils feel safe and are kept safe at school. The school also stresses the importance of pupils attending every day. It works closely with families and other agencies to try and realise this ambition.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to do well. Pupils benefit from a typically well- designed curriculum offer. The school makes sure pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make strong progress through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school places pupils’ wider development at the heart of its curriculum. Pupils have many opportunities to take on positions of responsibility and contribute to life at the school. The ‘Gunter crews’ provide pupils with roles to help others. For example, pupils can act as well-being, eco, gardening and sports crew members. The school now offers a range of clubs, including dance, book and young explorers. Pupils make full use of these opportunities. There are regular trips for each year group, including visits to museums and taking part in geography fieldwork.

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

The school has worked successfully to develop an ambitious curriculum. In each subject, and in the early years, it has set out the knowledge that pupils need to secure. The curriculum is well ordered so that pupils build their understanding over time. For example, in art and design, younger pupils learn to use pencil techniques to create texture. Older pupils then attempt to use shading to create a 3D effect. Pupils learn ways to draw and represent their work and thoughts in sketch books.

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

The school has rightly prioritised early reading. Staff are well trained and implement the school’s chosen phonics programme with precision. Pupils practise reading using books that are closely matched to the sounds they know. Pupils who need help to catch up with their peers or who arrive at different points in the school year are given the support that they need. The impact of pupil movement at different points in the year affects the school’s published outcomes. This published data does not reflect the quality of education that current pupils enjoy.

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

Pupils develop a love of reading through the high-quality stories that adults read to them. They enjoy the wide range of books available to them in the mobile library and the special suitcase of books from which they can choose. This is helping more pupils to become confident readers. In early years, the school makes effective use of story to develop children’s early language. This is helping children who are reluctant to talk to develop their speaking skills. 15 and 16 October 2024

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The school has ensured that all pupils, including those with SEND, access a broad and ambitious curriculum. Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and well supported to access the curriculum and extra-curricular offer. Staff are trained to adapt their delivery of the curriculum appropriately for pupils with more complex needs. This helps to ensure these pupils are well supported to progress through the curriculum from their different starting points.

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Teachers’ checks on how well pupils know more and remember more are generally used well. However, on occasions, pupils’ work is not sufficiently checked. In some subjects, the school does not have a clear understanding of the important pre-skills pupils need to progress well through the curriculum. This reduces the impact of the ambition that leaders have for the school’s curriculum.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. This is because expectations and routines are well established. Leaders provide additional support for pupils who need extra help to make the best social choices. This helps pupils to successfully regulate their behaviour and access the curriculum. The school has identified attendance as a continuing priority. It has established rigorous systems and works closely with families, for example developing effective routines to help pupils come to school. As a result, families are supported and challenged to ensure their child attends regularly.

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Work to promote pupils’ personal development is threaded exceptionally well throughout all learning. The school identifies topics, values and themes that are meaningful and relevant to pupils’ lives and within the wider school community. For example, pupils have extra sessions on how to manage mental health and consider how to collaborate and work with determination. Pupils have a secure understanding of how to keep safe. This includes when online or when in the real world. Pupils relish a rich set of experiences and take on additional responsibility well, for example growing potatoes then cooking and selling the produce for charity. Pupils appreciate these extra tasks. The variety of clubs, trips and residential stays enhance pupils’ enjoyment outside of the classroom.

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Governors have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. Staff, including those at an early stage of their career, appreciate the consideration given by leaders to their workload. Leaders carefully check on staff well- being, they engage all adults in gathering their views on how leaders can help, and staff feel fully supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that pupils’ understanding is consistently checked in sufficient detail. In these instances, pupils do not secure the important knowledge they 15 and 16 October 2024

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need to progress through the curriculum and achieve well. The school should ensure that assessment is used consistently to pinpoint gaps in pupils’ knowledge and to amend the curriculum sequence accordingly to ensure that pupils build a deep understanding of the curriculum over time.  A significant number of pupils are absent or persistently absent from school. This impacts on how well they learn and slows their progress. The school should continue to review how they work with parents and other agencies to tackle pupils’ poor attendance.

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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 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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 May 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school shares a site with a children’s centre. This is not managed by the school.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school provision.  The school is currently not using any alternative provision.

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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 judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team and a range of staff. They also met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography and art and design. 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. The curriculum in other subjects was also considered.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. The inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys and other surveys held by the school.  The team inspector talked to parents and families at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Richard Kentish, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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