Little Heath Primary School: Read the full Ofsted report

Little Heath Primary School continues to be rated 'good' by the education watchdog after inspectors most recent.

Praise was given to its 'ambitious' curriculum, but there is room for improvement with regard to provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

The full report is below:

What is it like to attend this school? 

Pupils are happy at school. They enjoy learning and playing with their peers. Pupils live up to the school’s three overarching rules requiring them to be, ‘ready, respectful and safe.’ They value learning and are inquisitive. Children in the early years delight in exploring the impressive indoor and outdoor learning areas.

Pupils work hard to achieve the school’s high expectations. Starting in the early years, pupils sustain concentration and focus on learning without distraction. They support each other well during group tasks. During class discussions, pupils show great enthusiasm. They use sophisticated language and articulately explain their ideas. They take pride in their many academic and personal achievements. Pupils celebrate the success of others.

Pupils willingly take positions of responsibility. They play an active role in the student council. Older pupils lead mixed-age ‘friendship groups’ to get their peers’ feedback. Pupils appreciate the way the school uses their views to make any necessary improvements.

 Pupils benefit from the many opportunities to develop their interests and talents. They have fun and thrive in the wide array of clubs the school provides. This includes impressive sporting activities. 

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

The school has a well-planned and ambitious curriculum in place. The curriculum is organised so that pupils learn knowledge in a sensible order. The school provides staff with clear guidance about the exact knowledge pupils must learn. Staff follow this guidance closely and typically plan effective learning activities. This includes providing pupils with opportunities to review what they know. As a result, pupils remember much of the key knowledge leaders intend.

Staff routinely check what pupils have learned. They ask pupils thought-provoking questions to assess their understanding. These questions also enrich pupils’ understanding and use of new vocabulary. When pupils have forgotten or misunderstood something, staff provide timely support. This helps pupils keep up and so avoids them falling behind.  

Most pupils read fluently, enjoy reading and appreciate the well-stocked library. Staff in the Nursery and Reception classes develop children’s communication and literacy skills with lots of purposeful discussions. This helps them learn to listen, so they are ready to learn phonics. Along with precise phonics teaching, staff help pupils learn the necessary knowledge to understand what they read. Staff effectively help pupils that find reading difficult. These pupils become fluent readers. 

SEND provision

The school quickly and accurately identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs is particularly noteworthy. These pupils learn how to manage their emotions and maintain positive behaviour. However, the school’s guidance for staff about how to support pupils with cognition and learning needs is occasionally vague or unclear. In such instances, staff do not provide the exact support pupils need. As a result, some of these pupils are not learning as well as they could. 

The school’s guidance for staff about what some pupils with SEND require is occasionally vague or unclear. This is particularly the case for pupils with cognition and learning needs. As a result, staff do not always provide the exact support these pupils need. This leads to some of these pupils not learning as well as they could. The school must provide helpful guidance, including training, for staff to support pupils with SEND more effectively so they achieve consistently well.  

School environment

The school’s well-established ethos ensures that pupils learn in a calm and purposeful environment. Staff effectively teach the school’s expectations and model the school’s expected conduct. In line with the school’s approach, pupils admirably make positive behaviour choices simply because it is the right thing to do rather than seeking rewards.

 Pupils value their time at school, and so maintain regular attendance. The school has strong relationships with parents which means they can readily provide support when there are issues with attendance. The school has effective measures in place to ensure pupils maintain regular attendance.

The school has a well-planned programme to support pupils’ wider development. Pupils’ studies of the curriculum are enriched by trips to places of local, national and international interest. Staff enrich pupils’ learning through visits by guest speakers. Pupils speak knowledgeably and enthusiastically about their learning, such as when they studied the Vikings. To foster pupils’ independence and resilience, the school has a well-structured series of residential experiences. Pupils learn how to manage being away from home and the skills to be self-sufficient. The school ensures that pupils learn about relationships and how to live happily alongside people with different beliefs and lifestyles. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

 Parents, staff and pupils have confidence in the leadership of the school. Staff appreciate leaders’ support to maintain a reasonable workload.  Governors have the expertise to carry out their statutory duties. They have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They hold leaders to account for the quality of the school’s work.

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.