Schools & FE · Report card

Hamstead Primary School

Inspected 22 Sept 2026 · URN 103895

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Keri Baylis (lead), Diane Pye, Kate Wilcock, Sara Wood

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
22 Sept 2026
Inspectors verified
Diane Pye, Kate Wilcock, Keri Baylis, Sara Wood
Postcode verified
B43 5BE
Name on report verified
Hamstead Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
103895

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Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+89Very positivemore positive than 88% of reports of this type

Reads more warmly than most reports of this type.

Praisepositiveeffectivelyfeel safesuccessfullyhigh-qualitystrongcaringsuccessful

Criticismconcernsgapsvariation

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1562w+92
Leadership216w+83
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve77w+39

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 15
Words of findings: 1,902; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 45, typical 43
Average sentence: 14 words
Next steps: 4; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 5%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 53%Leadership 7%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

Hamstead Primary School

Address: Hamstead Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, West Midlands, B43 5BE Unique reference number (URN): 103895

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils' outcomes in national tests at the end of key stage 2 are broadly in line with national averages. Disadvantaged pupils benefit from support that is helping them to achieve well. The school's outcomes compare favourably with schools that share a similar context.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils learn well across a range of subjects. They generally know and remember more as they make progress through the curriculum. Improvements to the teaching of phonics have had a positive impact on pupils' reading. Pupils build fluency and confidence from early years onwards. Their reading knowledge helps them to successfully access other areas of the curriculum.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils' work in books shows them building knowledge over time. They secure this knowledge across a range of subjects. Often they make connections across subjects and over time. They are generally well prepared for the next stage of education by the time they leave the school.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have created a welcoming environment where pupils are expected to attend regularly. Leaders regularly celebrate positive attendance rates in newsletters and in assemblies. The school has a determined but sensitive approach to supporting families if a pupil's attendance drops. They have secure understanding of the barriers that affect how regularly some pupils attend school. They use this knowledge to take an individualised approach to improving attendance. This work is proving successful. The school is rightly proud of how regularly pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) attend school. This attendance rate is higher than pupils with SEND nationally.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave very well at all points of the day. They are polite and well mannered, and engage with each other in a respectful way. In lessons, they are keen to share their understanding. They listen carefully, and learning is rarely disrupted because of negative behaviour. Staff are positive role models, and set clear expectations for pupils' behaviour. Staff respond quickly and effectively to any behaviour incidents. Some pupils benefit from personalised approaches that support them in maintaining positive behaviour.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate and informed understanding of the quality of the school's curriculum. They have designed a curriculum that is broad, balanced and well planned. It ensures that pupils build their knowledge and skills in a logical way.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders closely monitor how effectively the curriculum is taught. Teachers set tasks that help pupils practice what they have learned. They also encourage pupils to share ideas and answers regularly. This helps staff to check pupils' understanding and address any misconceptions or mistakes quickly. They do this well. Teachers provide clear explanations that enhance pupils' learning. Teachers typically make useful adaptations to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They simplify reading materials and provide useful prompts that help pupils to answer questions. As a result, pupils typically keep up with the pace of the curriculum. However, occasionally for some pupils, work is too difficult and does not build on what they already know.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Some pupils receive additional support in lessons or extra help outside of the classroom. For the most part, this support is proving successful in helping pupils close gaps and keep up.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Children make a positive start in the early years. Staff begin to establish relationships with families before children start at the school. This helps children to settle in quickly. They soon learn the rules and routines, and this helps them to stay safe and engage well with the provision.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Staff help children to develop positive attitudes to learning. They plan activities that enhance opportunities for children to learn and achieve. During these activities, staff take every opportunity to interact and extend children's learning. Communication is prioritised. For example, staff narrate children's actions and experiences, helping them to develop and extend their vocabulary and language skills. High-quality stories and books are also used to stimulate children's ideas and speech. Staff ask lots of questions to check and support children's understanding.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Leaders make reading a priority. Staff teach phonics well. Many children develop their knowledge of writing although leaders recognise this remains an area for further development. Leaders also acknowledge that, on occasion, some children are expected to write words, phrases and sentences that exceed their phonic knowledge. Leaders place a strong emphasis on developing children's language and communication skills.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other vulnerabilities are included well. Staff identify additional needs quickly and work effectively with families and external agencies where appropriate. Individual support plans help children make progress through the curriculum from their individual starting points.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders create a welcoming and inclusive environment. Staff receive training so that they know how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who may be vulnerable. They typically do this well. This helps ensure that pupils feel valued and develop a strong sense of belonging. Nevertheless, leaders recognise the need to develop staff's expertise further so that support for pupils with SEND is more sharply tailored to their specific needs.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work closely with parents, carers and external professionals to identify pupils’ needs swiftly and ensure that appropriate support is in place. They monitor the impact of this work but have identified the need to strengthen systems to check how effectively support helps pupils overcome barriers to learning. Leaders and staff follow a structured approach to identify and support pupils with SEND. This approach includes teachers adapting lessons so that pupils with SEND participate alongside their peers. As a result, all pupils access the school's curriculum.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders make effective use of external agencies to support vulnerable pupils, including those known to social care. Additional funding, including support for disadvantaged pupils, is used appropriately to help reduce barriers to learning and improve attendance.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a secure understanding of what the school does well and what it needs to improve. Their actions have already resulted in many improvements. They have successfully gelled the school community, working cohesively and collaboratively in the best interest of all pupils. Improvements in the early years and key stage 1 mean that pupils are now better prepared for learning in key stage 2.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide opportunities for staff to develop professionally. This has increased staff's expertise and the effectiveness of teaching. Leaders have now identified the need to enhance staff's specialist knowledge further to increase the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders promote staff's wellbeing. Staff recognise this and appreciate the efforts taken to manage their workload. They feel supported and valued. The majority of parents also recognise and appreciate the support their pupils receive from caring staff. Their kindness and respectful approach reflects the school's ethos and values. There is a sense of belonging in school. Pupils thrive because of the positive culture.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors have an accurate understanding of the school and its context. They support and challenge leaders to ensure that pupils receive a high-quality education. They strengthen the work of leaders and share the same high standards and expectations. They ensure that the school meets its statutory responsibilities effectively.

p.4