Park Hill Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Park Hill Primary School Alcester Road, Birmingham, West Midlands B13 8BB

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Outcome

Park Hill Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Park Hill is a multi-cultural school where everyone is treated equally. The values of ‘community, respect, equality, compassion, aspiration and resilience’ permeate the school. The school sits at the heart of the local community and is highly valued by parents and carers. Pupils feel proud to be members of Park Hill Primary School. Staff set ambitious aims for pupils’ achievement. These are realised. Pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff set high expectations for how pupils should behave. Pupils show respectful and responsible behaviour. They display good manners. Caring relationships are typical. Pupils know that if they have worries, adults will help them. As a result, they feel happy and safe. Classrooms are calm places for pupils to learn in. Pupils listen attentively to staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to understand what fundamental British values are. They visit different places of worship and are tolerant of the beliefs of others. Pupils take part in visits linked to their learning, such as when completing a river field study and taking a trip to a toy museum. They develop their talents, including learning to play cricket with the support of a nearby cricket club.

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

In most subjects, the curriculum sets out what pupils should learn and when. This enables pupils to build on what they know and can do. In these subjects, they know and understand important concepts. However, in a few subjects, the curriculum is not coherently set out. When this is the case, teachers are not able to share important knowledge clearly with pupils. In these subjects, pupils can become confused and struggle to know and remember more. 3 and 4 December 2024

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Reading is prioritised. Staff receive high-quality training. This supports staff to teach phonics well. Pupils are taught phonics as soon as they start school. Children in the early years learn how to recognise letter sounds. Pupils progress through the phonics curriculum successfully. They receive regular reading practice. This leads to pupils becoming confident readers. Those who need to catch up with their peers are identified swiftly and supported appropriately. Pupils read books that are well matched to their knowledge of reading. Pupils achieve well in reading.

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The curriculum for early writing and its implementation has improved to ensure that, for example, pencil grip is corrected swiftly and effectively. As a result, outcomes in writing are improving.

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In the early years, children are well cared for. Staff are calm and nurturing. They have identified that children start school requiring additional support with fine motor skills and communication and language. Therefore, staff sing songs and rhymes to help children develop their vocabulary. They provide opportunities for children to practise their fine motor skills through activities such as threading and modelling with dough. Children learn to play co-operatively and take turns role playing in the ‘Park Hill baby clinic’. This is impacting positively on children’s achievement in the early years.

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Staff possess the right expertise to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) appropriately. Most staff know how to appropriately adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND, based on their specific needs. Necessary changes to the curriculum for most pupils with SEND are being implemented successfully. The school works with external agencies to provide pupils with SEND with the support they need.

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Some pupils do not attend regularly. This means that pupils miss important learning. The school analyses the reasons why some pupils do not attend well. It works with parents to provide pupils and families with the right support. Pupils’ attendance is beginning to improve. However, this improvement in attendance has not been sustained over time.

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The school helps pupils to become active citizens. Pupils contribute to society by raising funds for national and international charities. They make a difference to school life and develop leadership skills by taking on roles as school councillors, house captains and play leaders. Pupils build their confidence, for example in Year 6, through attending an outdoor learning residential. The school helps pupils to broaden their interests. Pupils participate in activities including football, tennis and multi-skills sports. They represent their school when competing in tennis and athletics competitions. The school helps pupils to become active citizens.

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Governors know their roles and responsibilities well. Governors ask challenging questions and provide effective support. As a result, they know the school well. Funding for disadvantaged pupils is well spent. Governors make decisions in the best interests of children. Staff report that their workload is well managed, and their well-being is supported. 3 and 4 December 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum does not coherently set out what pupils should learn and when. When this is the case, teachers do not clearly share important knowledge with pupils, and pupils can become confused. The school should ensure that the curriculum is coherently sequenced in each subject so that staff can share important knowledge clearly and pupils know and remember more.  Some pupils do not attend regularly. As a result, they miss important learning. The school should continue to ensure that clear strategies are in place to help pupils and their families so that attendance improves, and pupils do not miss out on important learning.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in April 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. 3 and 4 December 2024

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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). 3 and 4 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 April 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before-school club.  The school does not make use of any alterative provision.

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Information about this inspection

n Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. n This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. n The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders. The inspector met with a representative from Birmingham local authority and Birmingham Education Partnership. Meetings were held with curriculum leaders, teachers and support staff. n The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 3 and 4 December 2024

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n The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. n The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour and interactions during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes and spoke to many pupils during the inspection. n To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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. n The inspector considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text comments. The inspector spoke to parents. The inspector also reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Emma Titchener, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 December 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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