Annie Lennard Primary School

Inspection of Annie Lennard Primary School The Oval, Smethwick, West Midlands B67 6LE

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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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 Good 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are at the heart of all that the school does. Pupils and their families benefit from the positive relationships that they form with staff. Parents and carers appreciate the caring and supportive environment at the school. This helps pupils to thrive socially and emotionally. As a result, pupils feel happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils. Pupils meet these aspirations and achieve well. Pupils are proud of their school and would highly recommend it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly and polite. They are respectful and kind to one another and to the adults in school. Pupils understand the school routines and behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They enjoy the rewards and the ‘gold cards’ that they receive for following the school rules and working hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with experiences that broaden their understanding of and outlook on the world. Pupils take part in after-school clubs, such as multi-sports and art. They enjoy taking part in national singing events and residential visits. Pupils are proud of the way they contribute to the school. For example, the playground buddies support children in the playground.

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

The school has reviewed and revised the curriculum. The key knowledge and skills that pupils should learn is identified and carefully ordered to help pupils learn more over time. In most subjects, staff regularly check pupils’ learning and use the information that they gather to adapt future teaching. However, in a few subjects, where the curriculum is relatively new, the school is in the process of developing its approach to assessing what pupils know and remember. In these subjects, teachers do not have an accurate picture of pupils’ achievement. Reading has a high profile in the school. Right from the start of the early years, children are immersed in high-quality books and stories. Phonics is taught consistently well. This ensures that children get off to a strong start in learning to read. Staff carefully check the letters and sounds that pupils know and ensure that, if any pupils fall behind, they receive

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

the support they need to catch up. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know and have learned. This helps them to read with increasing fluency and confidence. As pupils move through the school, their love of reading grows. They enjoy the range of books that the school provides. Staff get to know pupils well, which means that they are alert to their individual needs, including pupils with SEND. Pupils with complex needs receive bespoke support. Adaptations to tasks and additional resources help most pupils complete the work set. However, this is less well developed in some subjects and, therefore, gaps in learning are sometimes missed. When this happens, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. 26 and 27 November 2024

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Expectations for the way that pupils behave and conduct themselves are clear and consistent. Pupils’ behaviour in classrooms and around the school is a pleasure to witness. Children are taught the importance of good behaviour from the moment they start in the Nursery or Reception classes. They quickly settle and learn to follow routines, develop their independence and become a good friend. Pupils cooperate and play together harmoniously at social times. The school has high expectations for pupils’ attendance. It monitors pupils’ attendance carefully and works closely with individual families to identify reasons for the low attendance of some pupils. The school takes swift and effective action to provide support for these pupils and their families. This has ensured high rates of attendance for most pupils. A range of opportunities is offered to pupils to support their personal development. Pupils are taught how to live healthy lifestyles and how to stay safe. For example, they learn

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about the risks that they might encounter while online. They are taught about faiths and beliefs that may be different to their own. The school helps pupils to learn how to maintain physical and mental well-being. This begins in the early years as children learn about their emotions and feelings. This means that pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their lives. Staff are proud to work at the school. They know leaders consider their well-being and workload. Governors know the school well. They offer support and challenge in key aspects of the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not adapt tasks to meet the diverse needs of the pupils in their class sufficiently well. This means that learning is not always as effective as it could be. The school should ensure that staff have the necessary expertise to support pupils to achieve well in all subjects.  In subjects where the curriculum is less developed, staff do not check on pupils’ learning thoroughly enough. Consequently, at times, pupils have gaps in their knowledge that staff do not identify or address. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively so that pupils develop a secure body of subject knowledge. 26 and 27 November 2024

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Alison Pemberton Smith

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use 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 evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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, other leaders, the special educational needs coordinators, representatives of the governing body, the school adviser and pupils. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, computing, and art and design. They met with subject leaders to discuss 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 discussed the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by the school. This included improvement plans, leaders’ self-evaluation, minutes of governing body meetings and documents relating to behaviour and attendance.  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 considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free text

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comments. They took into consideration responses to the staff survey and responses to the pupil survey. They also spoke to parents and carers at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Karen O’Keefe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Harjit Chahal Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 November 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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