Radleys Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Radleys Primary School Kings Road, Rushall, Walsall, West Midlands WS4 1JJ

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

Radleys 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?

Pupils are happy and safe at Radleys Primary School. They school is a positive environment in which to learn. Pupils are respectful of adults, each other and school property. They say, ‘adults listen and make time for us’. The school’s work to ensure pupils attend school regularly and on time is rigorous. Pupils enjoy attending. They achieve well from their starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Staff apply these expectations consistently and fairly. Pupils say that caring staff make sure ‘we do the right thing’. Pupils know and follow the school’s ‘golden rules’. They listen attentively, persevere and try their best in lessons. Sports leaders and playground leaders support other pupils to play well together at social times. Occasionally, if things go wrong, adults are on hand to help pupils to resolve any issues successfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ‘101 things to do before you leave’ offer promotes excitement, develops resilience and deepens learning of the curriculum. Pupils value opportunities to play a musical instrument, perform in the choir, go on theatre visits and work with the school’s sports coach. They proudly take on responsibilities in school, such as eco-warriors, librarians, classroom monitors and well-being leaders.

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

The school has adopted an ambitious curriculum for its pupils. This starts in the early years. Important knowledge and skills are identified and sequenced. Learning builds over time with clear end points. Teachers know what to teach and when to teach it. They present new learning clearly to pupils, building on what pupils know and remember. For example, in geography pupils draw on their prior knowledge of tectonic plates and fault 25 and 26 February 2025

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lines, to consider other reasons for seismic activity in the Great African Rift Valley. Children in the early years enjoy applying their knowledge of stories when counting, for example, objects to 10 and beyond. The choices of learning activities across the school motivates pupils to learn well.

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In a few subjects, the curriculum has recently been reviewed. Checks on how well pupils are learning the curriculum in these subjects are variable across the school. There are inconsistencies in how gaps in pupils’ learning and next steps are identified and addressed. The school does not know how well pupils are learning in these subjects.

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The school prioritises early reading. Staff teach daily phonics lessons to pupils. Pupils apply new phonic knowledge when reading books that match the sounds they learn, or when writing words and simple sentences. Pupils who fall behind are identified swiftly. They get the support they need to catch up quickly. At times, there are inconsistencies in the delivery of phonics sessions. For example, occasionally staff pronunciation of pure sounds is inconsistent. Errors when pupils apply sounds in their writing can also go unchecked. This hampers the speed at which pupils learn to be fluent readers.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified. Effective engagement with external agencies means that any pupil in need of additional support to be successful gets it. In lessons, modified work, additional resources or adult support help pupils with SEND to learn well. Pupils with SEND achieve well in school.

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The school is proud of its work to celebrate diversity and challenge stereotypes. Pupils are encouraged to ‘be anything they want to be’. Workshops help to inspire pupils’ future career choices. For example, understanding farming and sustainability through work on the school allotment and talks from parents, helps pupils learn about a career working with animals.

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Pupils enjoy finding out about different faiths, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity. They understand the importance of symbolism and celebrations to these faiths. This helps pupils to respect differences. Pupils learn to be active citizens by fundraising and litter picking in the local community. They enjoy voting for school councillors or favourite books. They take part in classroom discussions or debates on topical issues. This helps pupils to understand democracy. Police-led workshops help pupils know how to keep safe online and when out in the community. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders, including governors, know the school well. They are ambitious for pupils and passionate about the school’s work. Leaders make sure the right priorities for improvement are identified and actioned. Governors effectively hold leaders to account for the performance of the school. Staff value the support they receive to manage their workload and well-being. They are proud to be part of the ‘Radley family’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 and 26 February 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some inconsistencies in the teaching of early reading. Occasional mispronunciations of pure sounds by staff or pupil errors in the application of phonic knowledge when writing, go unchecked. This hampers the speed at which some pupils learn to be fluent readers. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to teach early reading consistently well across groups, as the school intends.  Checks on how well pupils learn the curriculum in a few subjects are variable. This means that the school cannot be assured of how well pupils are learning the school’s ambitious curriculum in these subjects. The school should ensure that checks on how well pupils learn the curriculum are consistent in all subjects, so that pupils’ learning builds on what they already know and they remember more of the school’s ambitious curriculum.

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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 January 2020. 25 and 26 February 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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Reverend Colin Such

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision for its pupils.  The deputy headteacher took up post in September 2024.

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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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 25 and 26 February 2025

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils at informal times of the day as part of their evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector met with governors and held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority. The inspector also talked to pupils, staff and parents to gather information about school life.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey, Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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