Brownmead Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Brownmead Primary Academy Pencroft Road, Shard End, Birmingham, West Midlands B34 6SS

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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Outcome

Brownmead Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The associate headteacher of this school is Wendy Cotterill-Carter. This school is part of Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Pete Weir, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Graham Parker. There is also an executive headteacher, Sarah Johnson, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming, inclusive school. The school’s values, along with the individual class charters, are at the heart of school life. This helps pupils to develop a good understanding of difference, equality and respect. Pupils feel part of a school family. They are happy and proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well in lessons and around school. The school provides care and support for those pupils who need more help with behaviour. There are quiet places where pupils can go if they need to calm down and be ready to learn. Most parents and carers are extremely positive about the high-quality support the school provides for their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard and achieve well. They are kept safe. They are confident that staff listen and look after them well. They learn how to manage risk in their community and online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Special features of the school include the fields and woodland where pupils extend their learning beyond the classroom. Pupils enjoy wider experiences including visits to an art gallery, theatre and music events. They benefit from leadership roles such as the ‘Eco and Rights Respecting Committees’. This broadens pupils’ experiences and helps them to become responsible, caring citizens. 28 and 29 January 2025

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

The school works with other trust schools to refine and develop the curriculum. This enables the sharing of subject expertise and leadership work. The curriculum intent for all subjects is ambitious and ensures progression in knowledge and skills from early years through to Year 6. For example, from the Reception Year, children experiment with numbers. They use mathematical vocabulary such as ‘doubling’ and ‘adding’ as they work. This provides a good foundation for future learning.

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

The school has recently revised its phonics programme. Staff are well trained. They use checks on pupils’ learning effectively. This is helping most children to make more rapid gains in phonics. However, a small number of pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and apply their new sounds. This slows down the rate at which they progress in becoming confident, fluent readers.

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

The early years is warm, friendly and inviting. The curriculum prioritises children’s language and communication skills. Children join in with songs, rhymes and stories. This helps them to learn new vocabulary and develop their speaking skills. There are many opportunities for children to strengthen fine motor skills. As they become more confident, adults remind them how to hold a pencil and practise early writing skills. This prepares children well for Year 1.

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

In most subjects, leaders check the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ achievement and adapt it as needed. This ensures that pupils are able to draw on what they already know and tackle increasingly complex tasks. For example, in art, older pupils use their knowledge of composition and colour to compare the styles and techniques of Picasso and Rembrandt. Pupils regularly discuss important aspects of art. This helps them to build their knowledge over time. In a small number of foundation subjects, the school is not checking how well the curriculum is working. As a result, pupils’ recall of their previous learning is not secure.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly and accurately. Pupils have appropriate resources, such as symbols and pictures, to support their learning. However, the school does not always adapt teaching precisely enough or check that resources are supporting pupils’ learning effectively. This means that some pupils with SEND lose focus and do not achieve as well as they could.

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

The school has recently experienced a rise in the number of pupils being identified with highly complex SEND. The trust is working proactively and effectively with school leaders and external agencies to create specialist provision for these pupils. As a result, pupils are settled and achieving the best possible outcomes.

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

Impressive pastoral support and a range of strategies are leading to improvements in pupils’ rates of attendance. However, the attendance of some pupils remains too low. Addressing this issue is a high priority for the school. Pupils have a strong understanding of world religions. They talk about differences with maturity and respect. They are proud 28 and 29 January 2025

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of their charity fundraising work, such as Race for Life. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The trust provides the school with highly effective challenge and support. They work hand-in-hand with school leaders and the local advocacy group to provide the very best for every pupil. Staff feel well supported regarding their workload and feel their well-being is carefully considered.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of weaker readers do not practise and apply their skills frequently. This slows down the pace at which they become fluent, competent readers and are able to read more widely. The school should accelerate the provision of support for weaker readers to enable them to catch up rapidly.  In a small number of subjects, checks on pupils’ learning are not yet established to determine how well the curriculum is impacting pupils’ achievement. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not identified and those who could deepen their understanding do not have opportunities to do so. The school should ensure that checks on pupils’ learning are in place across all curriculum subjects to support pupils in making progress through the curriculum.  In some lessons, the school does not precisely adapt teaching for pupils with SEND and resources are not always used effectively to support learning. As a result, some pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

with SEND do not always achieve as effectively as they could. The school should ensure that adaptations enable all pupils with SEND to make progress.

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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 28 and 29 January 2025

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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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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020.

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Associate Headteacher Wendy Cotterill-Carter

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Washwood Heath Multi-Academy Trust.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The associate headteacher took up her post in September 2023.  Two assistant headteachers were appointed in September 2023.  The school runs a breakfast club managed by the school.

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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 inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 The inspector met with the associate and executive headteacher and other senior leaders. She also held meetings with members of the multi-academy trust, including the chief executive officer, the director of primary education and a trust-level leader for SEND.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons with leaders, spoke to pupils about their work and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed a selection of pupils reading to members of staff. Other pupils were heard reading their own work during lessons.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: checked the school’s single central record; spoke to senior leaders about safeguarding procedures; took account of the views of 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 inspector considered a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and

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plans for improvement. The inspector checked records of attendance and behaviour. The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour at playtime and lunchtime and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for school staff. The inspector also met with parents at the end of the school day and gathered the views of pupils and staff on site through discussion.

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Inspection team

Marilyn Mottram, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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