Newton Regis CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Newton Regis CofE Primary School Austrey Lane, Newton Regis, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 0NL

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Outcome

Newton Regis CofE Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sara Eley. This school is part of Birmingham Diocese 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), Tim Boyes and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sarah Smith.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers, pupils and staff are united in their view that Newton Regis is a special community to belong to. Pupils feel happy and safe because of the caring relationships that they form with each other and staff. Pupils enjoy learning how to keep their minds and bodies healthy. They learn to understand their emotions and show empathy towards others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well both in class and on the playground. They learn in calm and productive classrooms. Pupils enjoy earning rewards for showing good behaviour and being motivated to learn. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. They are provided opportunities to develop their talents and interests alongside their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well in their learning because the school has high expectations for them. They leave school able to read, write and calculate at an age-appropriate standard. They are excited to learn and respond accurately when being asked to explain their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the importance of including everybody and being tolerant. They enjoy opportunities to be responsible and caring citizens for their local community. They sing to local residents, take part in festivals in the village and raise money for those less fortunate than themselves. 4 March 2025

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

There have been significant changes at this school since the last inspection. A new highly ambitious leadership team, supported by a caring trust, have redesigned the school’s curriculum. They have developed the expertise of staff who now feel confident to deliver the curriculum as intended. The school and trust have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They make changes in the best interests of their pupils.

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

Children in the early years get off to a good start. Staff understand their children well and plan activities linked to their interests. Children develop a sense of the world around them through the curiosity they show when exploring the outdoor environment when learning and during play. Children develop self-control and focus well on their learning activities.

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

Pupils in the early stages of learning to read are well supported to do so. They read books that are matched to the sounds they know. Those who fall behind are helped to catch up and receive additional reading sessions to enable them to do so.

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

There have been many positive changes to the school curriculum. In mathematics, pupils learn their timetables and number facts well. This helps them to calculate at speed and solve increasingly challenging mathematical problems. In reading, pupils are able to comprehend what they are reading. They develop a love of reading and many complete the reading challenge by reading 50 books by the time they move to their next class. However, those in the early stages of writing do not consistently form letters correctly, spell or punctuate sentences accurately. This affects their ability to write fluently.

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

Pupils with SEND learn successfully at this school. The school has trained staff in how to support SEND pupils and identify their needs. Staff make adaptations to the classroom environment and learning activities to support these pupils to make progress. The school forms strong partnerships with parents, who are provided with regular opportunities to share their views. The school works well with outside agencies to support pupils with high levels of SEND needs to develop their independent learning skills. The school has engaged in a project with the local authority to better support pupils with SEND. One parent summed up the views of many stating that Newton Regis is ‘a very special school, where each child is cherished and nurtured’.

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

The school ensures that pupils learn a broad and balanced curriculum. New learning sequences in subjects such as geography and history support pupils to develop a sense of chronology and location. Pupils enjoy learning new words and concepts in these subjects. In some subjects, changes to learning sequences are recent. As a result, some pupils have not yet formed a deep understanding of the subject-specific skills and knowledge to enable them to perform better in these subjects. Staff check pupils’ understanding by asking good-quality questions and intervening quickly when pupils make mistakes.

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

Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning and many now attend school more regularly. The school has worked effectively with parents to improve school attendance, and fewer pupils are now persistently absent from school. 4 March 2025

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Pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures and visit other places of worship different from their own. They read books about diversity and difference and discuss these in their lessons. Pupils take part in cultural events such as the Chinese New Year and sample foods from these celebration events.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Information for the school and appropriate authority

 Some pupils are not consistently well supported to form letters accurately, spell or punctuate sentences at an age-appropriate level. This affects pupils’ ability to write fluently. The school should ensure that all staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to support all pupils to write to an age-appropriate standard.  In some subjects, changes to learning sequences are relatively recent. As a result, some pupils have not yet formed a deep understanding of the subject-specific skills and knowledge to enable them to become more proficient in these subjects. The school should ensure that pupils are provided opportunities to apply and deepen subject- specific knowledge.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2015. 4 March 2025

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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). 4 March 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates an after-school provision.  Leaders work very closely with another local school within the same trust, holding leadership roles in both schools.  There is one governing body for both of these schools.  The school’s last section 48 inspection was in November 2017. Section 48 inspections were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They restarted in September 2021. The next inspection will be within eight academic years and therefore before August 2026.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 4 March 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.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors met with a range of leaders, including those responsible for the curriculum, teaching and learning, attendance, personal development and safeguarding.  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 lead inspector spoke with the deputy director of education.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the trust and the CEO.

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 The inspectors considered the survey responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free- text comments from parents.  The inspectors also evaluated the responses to the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Tony Bradshaw, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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