Perton Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

The school provides an outstanding quality of education for its pupils. Despite the many changes in staffing, good and in some respects excellent leadership and management have ensured that all pupils in Years 1 to 4, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those from minority ethnic groups, make outstanding progress. Attainment has remained significantly above the expected levels for pupils' ages in Year 4, and significantly above average in Year 2, for several years.

Well-established, rigorous systems for checking teaching and learning, and an exceptionally well-planned creative curriculum ensure that all pupils in Years 1 to 4, including those in mixed-age classes, m...ake excellent progress, no matter who is teaching them. The quality of teaching in these classes is consistently good or better, and a substantial proportion is outstanding. New staff in these years have settled into their roles well.

Excellent curricular planning has contributed greatly to improvements in writing, ensuring that more pupils reach higher levels in this aspect of English. The curriculum is also planned well to meet the children's needs in the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, it is not taught consistently well, and children make only satisfactory progress overall in that age group.

Much support has been provided for the relatively new team, who are committed, reflective, and share the school's vision for improvement. Nevertheless, there are still differences in provision between classes in the Reception year which the school's leaders are working hard to eradicate. Overall, the school's self-evaluation is accurate and well-founded.

It has too generous a view of the Early Years Foundation Stage because it is based on historical outcomes rather than on current provision and the more limited progress children are now making. The school's successes in addressing issues from the previous inspection and in sustaining high standards in the rest of the school have been excellent. However, the slow progress towards achieving consistently good practice across the Reception classes means that the school has good, rather than outstanding, capacity to sustain improvement in the future.

Pupils say they feel very safe in school. All parents and carers agree. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

It has a highly positive effect on their learning and personal development. Pupils state confidently that 'This is an anti-bullying school and there is no bullying because they [staff] teach us not to bully'. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make the same excellent progress as other pupils, as do pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Both groups benefit from high-quality support that keeps them very focused on doing as well as they can. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. This is fostered from the earliest age, with children in Reception classes explaining how eating fruit and vegetables is good for them.

Pupils thoroughly enjoy school. Good-quality marking ensures they know how well they are doing in literacy and numeracy. Marking is not as consistently good in other subjects and pupils are therefore less clear about how to improve their learning in them.

Pupils are successfully encouraged to contribute to the way the school is run, to take part in school and community events, and learn about the wider world and how to take their place in it. They are exceptionally well prepared for their future. All of this is part of the excellent care, guidance and support the school provides for them, and which parents and carers greatly appreciate.

Information about the school

In this average-sized school, the proportion of pupils known to eligible for free school meals is below average, as is the proportion with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There has been an increase in the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds since the previous inspection, and it is now above average. An average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Nursery class and in two classes in the Reception year, one of which is a mixed-age class including pupils in Year 1. There has been a considerable turnover of staff since the previous inspection, and the headteacher is the only member of the teaching staff who was at the school at that time. The school has recently renewed its national Healthy Schools status, its anti-bullying pledge and the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

Privately-run before- and after-school clubs, and an afternoon crèche, operate on the school premises. A privately-run mother-and-toddler group uses the school hall for one session per week. They are inspected separately.