St Alphege Church of England Junior School

Inspection of St Alphege Church of England Junior School Widney Manor Road, Solihull, West Midlands B91 3JG

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 1 and 2 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this ambitious, nurturing school. The school has high expectations, and pupils rise to meet them. Pupils achieve very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision, ‘let your love show’, is more than a motto; it is deeply embedded in school life. Relationships are incredibly respectful, warm and inclusive. Pupils feel safe, listened to and valued. They know that staff genuinely care about them. There is a strong focus on supporting pupils’ mental health and emotional well-being.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an extensive range of rich opportunities beyond the classroom. They enjoy taking on a myriad of leadership roles and engaging in civic responsibilities. These experiences, and many others, help pupils to grow in confidence and develop a strong sense of responsibility and citizenship.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn valuable life skills, such as how to manage money and cycle safely. The ‘chicken chiefs’ take great pride in caring for the chickens. The student leadership team make important decisions about school life. The school is preparing pupils very well for their next stages and life beyond school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils are encouraged to thrive, both academically and personally, and where love, care and ambition shine through in all that it does.

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

The school has been through a period of rapid change and improvement. It has swiftly identified weaknesses and prioritised the right things. Pupils and staff share the same vision for excellence and how to achieve it.

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

The school’s ambitious curriculum enables pupils to become confident, articulate, knowledgeable and curious. The school has carefully designed the curriculum, and how it is delivered, to ensure that pupils build on their learning as they progress through school. Many pupils achieve very highly in national assessments.

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

Staff have high levels of expertise as a result of effective professional development. Teachers model learning, and skills, clearly. This helps pupils to deepen their understanding across the curriculum. The school has developed systems that help pupils to recall what they have learned before, and for teachers to check on what pupils know and can do. However, on occasion, this information is not used to identify and provide the right next steps for pupils. In these instances, pupils do not achieve as highly as they might.

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

Reading is celebrated across the school. Pupil librarians use their extensive knowledge of different authors to recommend books to their peers and to visitors. The school ensures that there are frequent opportunities for reading across the curriculum. It swiftly identifies pupils who need extra support and puts the right help in place. As a result, pupils quickly become fluent readers. 1 and 2 July 2025

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The school has a relentless ambition for pupils to excel. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well because the school swiftly identifies their needs and meets them effectively. Senior leaders act as ‘champions’ for pupils to ensure that provision precisely addresses their challenges.

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Pupils’ behaviour is impressive. They listen attentively and respectfully. Pupils are keen to learn. They value the education they receive; their attitudes to learning are impressive. Bullying is rare. When it occurs, it is dealt with promptly.

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The school’s approach to pupils’ personal development is exceptional. There is an array of carefully chosen opportunities and enrichment activities. These help pupils to have a real voice in the school and to develop empathy, understanding and skills, which will enable them to succeed in later life. Pupils learn leadership skills and try new things. For example, some older pupils run clubs for younger pupils. Activities such as the ‘Met Gala’ give pupils an opportunity to work together, develop their understanding of sustainability, support charities and embrace their creative talents.

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Staff are incredibly proud to work at the school. They appreciate the support from leaders and the consideration given to their workload. Governors work closely with leaders. They provide the challenge and support needed to enable everyone to ‘be the best they can be’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, in some subjects, information from checks of pupils’ learning is not used to accurately identify pupils’ existing knowledge and inform subsequent teaching. The school should ensure that assessment information is used effectively to support, extend and adapt pupils’ learning.

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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. 1 and 2 July 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). 1 and 2 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Sam Smith (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 January 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Alphege Church of England Junior School is part of a hard federation of schools with St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School.  The executive headteacher joined the school in April 2023.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  This Church of England school is part of the Diocese of Birmingham. The last section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in June 2018.

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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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 1 and 2 July 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator and other leaders in school. The lead inspector met with the chair and other representatives of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke on the telephone with a representative of the Diocese of Birmingham and a representative of the local authority.  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.

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and spoke to some parents at the school gate. They considered the responses to the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Washbourne His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Jones His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 July 2025

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