Princethorpe Infant School

Inspection of Princethorpe Infant School Princethorpe Road, Weoley Castle, Birmingham, West Midlands B29 5QB

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Inspection dates: 11 to 12 February 2025

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good

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The headteacher of this school is Gerrard Rothwell. This school is part of DRB Ignite 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 (CEO), Robert Bowater, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Sheldon. 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Princethorpe Infant School. The belief that ‘lives can be transformed by what goes on in school’ underpins everything that the school does for its pupils and diverse community. Parents and carers speak highly of the school’s work and care.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is celebrated and supported as an individual. Pupils learn exceptionally well and achieve highly across the curriculum. Pupils enjoy their learning. Their behaviour is exemplary around school and in lessons. Staff set high expectations and pupils live up to them. Pupils are polite and helpful. They listen carefully and do their best, so learning is not disrupted. Pupils are happy and have strong relationships with staff and each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is an extensive range of opportunities for pupils’ personal development. These include many extra-curricular activities, such as choir, craft, dance, gymnastics, athletics and basketball. Pupils can take on roles and responsibilities in school. For example, they can become school councillors, eco-school representatives and digital leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s wider curriculum is extensive, with a vast range of additional experiences. Pupils in Year 2, for instance, benefit from a visiting theatre company and trips out to a farm, place of worship and the beach at Weston-super-Mare.

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

The school prioritises the importance of pupils being able to read well by the time they leave. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. This begins when children start school in Nursery through a strong focus on communication and language. Pupils enjoy reading and hearing teachers read aloud from engaging texts. This means that virtually all pupils develop a love of reading and are keen to share their favourite books and authors. Any pupils who are falling behind with reading get effective support that helps them to catch up quickly.

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

The school’s curriculum is clear, well sequenced and ensures that all pupils are ready for the next stage. All subjects, across the curriculum, have high-quality resources and teachers have expert subject knowledge. Teachers use assessment systematically to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding. This means that misconceptions and gaps in knowledge are addressed quickly before new learning takes place.

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

The school is highly ambitious for disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language. The school promptly identifies pupils with SEND and gives them high-quality support to access learning and the full curriculum. All pupils benefit from highly effective teaching that helps them achieve as well as they can.

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

Children in the early years quickly learn the school’s routines and expectations. Staff know children and their needs well. Leaders ensure that activities are purposeful and extend or consolidate children’s learning. The early years environment is of high quality, with reading prioritised. Activities are deliberately designed to develop children’s vocabulary, 11 and 12 February 2025

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language and communication skills. This is particularly effective for those who speak English as an additional language. Children show high levels of engagement and concentration.

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A real strength of the school is the care all staff show towards pupils and their families. The school provides personalised strategies to improve attendance and does everything it can to support pupils and help them to keep safe. The pastoral, attendance, safeguarding and SEND teams work together relentlessly to ensure that every pupil and family get the right support, at the right time. This means that parents, carers and pupils can rely on the school to help them at any time they need it.

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All pupils benefit greatly from the school’s extensive personal development programme. This is because leaders have a strong sense of community and purpose so that opportunities given to pupils are both what they need and what will widen their aspirations for themselves. Pupils learn how to ride a bike and how to keep themselves safe and healthy, including when online. They learn about their rights, their place in the world and how to be an active citizen, celebrating and embracing difference. All of this means that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The school values the collaboration, support and challenge from the trust. Staff feel valued and know that leaders are very considerate of their well-being. They welcome the high-quality professional development they receive. The robust oversight by the trust means that policy, and the school offer, is checked regularly so that it is of the highest standard for pupils. Leaders leave nothing to chance and are overwhelmingly dedicated to the communities they serve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 11 and 12 February 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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Website https://princethorpe.drbignitemat.org/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the DRB Ignite Multi Academy Trust.  The school operates wraparound care, before and after 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. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors scrutinised samples of pupils’ work, spoke to school leaders and looked at curriculum documentation for some other subjects.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and other leaders, including executive leaders from the DRB Ignite Multi

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Academy Trust. The lead inspector met with representatives from the board of trustees and members of the trust improvement board for the school. The inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. The inspectors spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. An inspector talked to parents and families at the school gate.  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.

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Inspection team

Leah Adams, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nina Sangha Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 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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