Albert Pritchard Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school where everyone is made to feel welcome. Pupils know and live the school's values of resilience, belonging and hope. They relish occasions such as singing with choirs from across Wednesbury at Lichfield Cathedral.

Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school. They told inspectors about how much they enjoy running the 'never be lonely library' at playtimes and making sure others are happy.

Staff have high expectations of all pupils, including of how they behave.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and behave well. Lessons are calm and pupils work hard. Poor behaviour is rare, but when it happens, staff help pupils to understand how ...they can improve it.

Relationships between pupils and staff are positive and pupils feel well cared for.

Since the pandemic, levels of pupils' absence have been higher than before, and remain so. Leaders have worked tirelessly to reduce absence and it is reducing.

But levels are still higher than leaders know they could be. This means pupils miss out on learning.

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

Leaders want pupils to do their best.

They have high expectations for all, including those pupils who may be disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that provides pupils with exciting learning opportunities, which they enjoy. In mathematics and English, leaders have made sure that teachers know exactly what to teach and when to teach it.

In mathematics, for example, pupils become fluent users of number because teachers revisit prior learning regularly.

In a small number of other subjects there is equal ambition, but the detail of what pupils should learn is less precise. This means that pupils are not always remembering as much as they could.

Leaders know this and are currently reviewing the content in these subjects.

Learning to read has a high priority. Starting in nursery, children begin to learn phonics.

They become familiar with their sounds quickly because of successful daily phonics sessions. Leaders have ensured that all adults who teach phonics, do so consistently and effectively. Adults provide catch-up sessions for any pupils who fall behind.

This extra help is working well to ensure all pupils are doing as well as they can. Adults know exactly the phonic knowledge that pupils know. This helps them provide pupils with books that are matched precisely to the sounds they know.

Pupils become fluent, enthusiastic, and confident readers.In the early years, staff plan a curriculum that is well considered and carefully structured. They know the children's needs and interests and use this to provide activities that help children learn well.

Communication and language are high priorities. Adults model language consistently and regularly and this helps children improve their language skills. The early years environment is welcoming and enables children to experience fully the broad curriculum.

The outside space provides safe and exciting physical development opportunities. Children relish these activities, particularly the balance bikes and other ride-on vehicles, which help develop their core strength.

This is a very inclusive school.

Teachers and support staff are skilful in identifying and working with pupils with SEND. They provide additional learning sessions or adapt the delivery of the curriculum to make it accessible. Staff are passionate about involving all pupils in all opportunities on offer.

The curriculum extends beyond the classroom. Pupils sing in the school choir and have sung at a local cathedral. They grow food on the school site to learn about where food comes from.

Pupils have enjoyed sporting tournaments against other schools. They enjoy the trips they go on and look forward to the Year 2 overnight residential. There are extra-curricular clubs on offer, but take up is not high.

Despite the oldest pupils only being seven years old, they have lots of opportunities to contribute to school life. They take on active pupil leadership roles, including leading assemblies or becoming sports leaders. Pupils are well prepared for their next move to junior school.

Governors and leaders across the federation know the school and pupils very well. Through regular monitoring, they identify what is going well and what needs improving. There is a shared passion for continuous improvement.

Leaders are mindful of staff workload and well-being. Staff feel valued and supported. They are proud to work at Albert Pritchard Infant School.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils at this school are kept safe. Leaders know the children and their families well and offer support when needed.

They train staff effectively to recognise risk. Staff revisit this training regularly. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns about pupils.

When they inform leaders of concerns, leaders take prompt, appropriate actions.

Leaders keep meticulous safeguarding records. These allow them to maintain oversight of pupils who might be at risk.

Leaders also make checks on adults who visit or work at the school to make sure they are safe to do so.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not set out what children need to know in sufficient detail. This means that pupils are not learning and remembering as much as they could.

Leaders need to set out exactly the curriculum content that teachers need to teach in these subjects, and when they need to teach it. This will help pupils learn more and remember more. ? Despite the best efforts of leaders and staff, too many pupils are still absent from school too often.

This means that some pupils are missing important learning. Leaders need to find alternative strategies to work with parents, so that pupils attend school regularly and do not miss valuable learning opportunities. ? Despite leaders offering extra-curricular activities, take up is not high.

This means that not as many pupils are benefitting from these activities as could be. Leaders should analyse the attendance at extra-curricular activities carefully to establish why take up is lower than they would like. They should then adapt provision to maximise the numbers of pupils attending and benefitting from these activities.