Lutley Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Lutley Primary School Brookwillow Road, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 1BU

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Mr Alex Hall. This school is part of Hales Valley Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Rebecca Cox, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mark Simpson. There is also an executive headteacher, Kate Hall, who is responsible for this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values of ‘Learning, Caring, Aiming High—Together’ exemplify what it is like to attend Lutley Primary. Pupils are proud of their school. They are happy and enjoy the opportunity to deepen their learning and play with their friends. Preparing pupils to become active and considerate citizens of the future is a priority at this school. The school does this due to the extensive range of opportunities pupils benefit from and their active roles in school and the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious about ensuring each pupil achieves their academic potential. A carefully considered curriculum and skilled staff deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time. As a result, all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve highly. Pupils’ published outcomes reflect how well they achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Routines are set right from the very start in Reception. Therefore, pupils are respectful of one another and behave exceptionally well in a calm and orderly environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ social and emotional well-being is a high priority at this school. There are extensive opportunities to enhance pupils’ character. For example, pupils can apply for a range of 14 and 15 January 2025

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leadership responsibilities. These enable them to support and represent their peers in roles such as eco-warriors, play leaders, anti-bullying ambassadors, digital leaders and junior police community and support officers.

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

The school has created a broad and ambitious curriculum that is securely embedded and consistently well implemented across the school. Learning is adapted well to enable all pupils to access the curriculum. There are regular opportunities for pupils to recap on previous learning. Pupils make links in subjects and know how their prior learning supports new learning. For example, they know how their map reading skills develop with increasing difficulty over time and how their knowledge of times tables supports their comparisons of percentages, decimals and fractions.

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

Teachers demonstrate a secure understanding of the school’s curriculum and develop their expertise because of bespoke training provided in the school and by the trust. A forensic approach means that staff know pupils’ individual needs in detail. This ensures that learning is well matched to enable them to succeed. Pupils are diligent and produce work of a high standard across the curriculum.

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

There is a clear system in place to identify pupils with SEND. Staff receive training to meet the needs of any pupils requiring additional support. The school effectively collaborates with external professionals to identify the next steps for the most complex pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve and participate well in this inclusive school.

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

Pupils develop a love of reading right from the very start. Highly skilled staff and rigorous checks help pupils to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils requiring extra support with reading get this promptly, which enables them to catch up quickly. The school library, class reading areas, and thoughtfully chosen stories and authors expose pupils to an array of high-quality books. The class ‘bookworms’ are advocates for reading, and pupils enjoy hearing their recommendations.

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

The youngest children get off to a flying start in the early years. They benefit from opportunities to develop a wide vocabulary from the activities on offer. Routines are effective in supporting children’s social skills. This means they cooperate well with one another and respond positively to the adults around them.

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

Pupils clearly understand the school’s values, which are interwoven throughout school life and the curriculum. Pupils are polite and kind to one another. They are highly motivated in lessons. Pupils are aware that discrimination can happen but are adamant that it does not happen in their school. This, alongside high staff expectations and the inviting and purposeful learning and playing areas, leads to exceptional behaviour.

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

Pupils contribute positively to society through their links to a local adult day care centre, achieving the Green Flag environmental award, taking part in competitions with other schools and learning how to express their views in debating. The chance for all pupils to learn how to play instruments and perform enables them to demonstrate their musical 14 and 15 January 2025

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talents. An extensive list of activities, such as visits to farms, museums, places of worship, and immersive experiences such as a Stone-Age workshop and butterfly hatching, provides rich and exciting opportunities for pupils.

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Leadership at all levels is highly effective. The trust rigorously holds the school to account for the education it provides for all pupils. Strong shared values are realised as a result of the school’s drive to ensure no pupil or member of staff working at the school is left behind. Staff enjoy working at the school and appreciate the steps the school takes to support their professional development, workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 March 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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Chair of trust Mark Simpson CEO of the trust Rebecca Cox

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, leader in charge of SEND, subject leaders, teachers, support staff and the office manager.  The lead inspector met with a group of trustees and the CEO. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  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 examined a range of school documentation.  The inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  The inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text responses. The inspector also considered responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  During the inspection, the inspector met with groups of pupils both formally and

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informally during different parts of the day.

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Inspection team

Donna O’Toole, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Janet Tibbits Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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