Acocks Green Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Pupils make exceptional progress in this outstanding school. 'My child and the children I care for are extremely happy and proud to be at Acocks Green School. It is a wonderful community that prides itself on achieving and aiming high.'

These words from one parent and carer sum up what the inspectors found. Pupils achieve high academic standards and their personal development is outstanding. The school has made remarkable progress since the previous inspection.

All key areas of provision and outcomes show significant improvement. Outcomes are outstanding as a result of an excellent quality of education and high levels of care, guidance and support. The quality of teaching is outstanding.
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Teaching in half of the lessons observed was outstanding and in the great majority of other lessons was good. The curriculum is of a high quality and supports the excellent progress that all groups of pupils make. As a result of excellent care, guidance and support, pupils are confident learners, they say that they feel exceptionally safe in school and enjoy being there.

Outstanding levels of leadership and management have brought about this notable improvement, and ensure that the school has an excellent capacity to improve even further. Although attendance has improved over recent years, due to robust monitoring and determined action by the governing body and school staff, it remains stubbornly satisfactory. Senior leaders monitor the academic progress and personal development of individual pupils and identified groups with rigour.

Staff feel intuitively that long or frequent absence from school has a detrimental impact on pupils' learning, but as yet they do not have data-based evidence to confirm this view. They do not yet monitor the progress of poor attendees as a specific group. The school is highly thought of in the local community.

Pupils participate in local carnivals and engage with the community at times of religious festivals. However, there are limited links with local industry and businesses through which pupils' experiences of, and involvement in, the outside community might support learning. The school is working to extend its global links to provide pupils with more opportunities to learn about other cultures through first-hand experiences.

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides children with an outstanding start to their education and school life. Children are very well prepared to move into Year 1 with well above average attainment across all areas of learning. This profile of improving attainment has become well established over the last three years.

Children make outstanding progress in both the Nursery and Reception classes.

Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average, two-form entry, primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above the national average.

There is a high number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and a much higher proportion than usual speaks English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils identified with special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than in most schools, and the proportion with statements of special educational needs is about average. The school has been awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark, the ICT Mark, National Healthy Schools status, the Active Mark and Arts Mark Gold.