Birchwood Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Achievement is outstanding.

Standards in reading writing and mathematics are rising sharply. Pupils now make excellent progress in all three subjects throughout the school and attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is above average. Attainment in reading is very good.

Pupils are encouraged to read widely and have access to often challenging texts, which they read with enthusiasm and skill. The most-able pupils frequently reach outstanding standards in their work, particularly in reading and maths. Disadvantaged pupils, for example those in receipt of the pupil premium, achieve well.

The school ensures any gaps betwee...n their attainment and other pupils in the school are quickly closed. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are very well-supported and make good progress from their starting points. Pupils' spelling, punctuation and grammar are very strong.

Results in the national tests are above average. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and thoroughly enjoy school. Their behaviour in and out of lessons is impeccable at all times and they feel safe.

Their attendance is high and is meticulously tracked by the school. The quality of teaching is outstanding. Teachers and support staff have very high expectations and plan lessons which are inspirational and challenging.

All groups of pupils are well catered for, including the most able, the disadvantaged and disabled and those with special educational needs. Teachers challenge pupils to 'aim high' and rigorously evaluate their own practice to ensure it fully meets the needs of all groups and provides them with a stimulating and enriched education across the school. Support for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

The school's curriculum strongly promotes key values such as tolerance, respect for others and understanding. Leaders at all levels are working purposefully to develop a new assessment system that reflects the requirements of the new National Curriculum. The inspirational leadership of the headteacher has ensured that the school continues to improve.

The management of teachers' performance is robust and this, and the good support teachers receive, has led to marked improvements in teaching and achievement. The headteacher is very ably supported by senior staff and the well-informed governing body. The school's provision for Early Years is outstanding.

As result Reception children make outstanding progress. The well-trained and highly skilled staff ensure that pupils' achievement in the early learning goals is well above expectations by the time they leave Reception.

Information about this school

The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.

The large majority of pupils are White British, with English as their first language. The proportion of pupils supported through a statement of special educational needs or education, health and care plans is broadly in line with the national average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding from the government for children in local authority care, those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics in Year 6. The headteacher leads two other local schools in addition to Birchwood Primary School. These are Dordon Primary and Wood End Primary school.

Birchwood Primary school works in partnership with The Polesworth School. Birchwood Primary became an academy school in November 2012 and is the lead primary school in the Community Academies Trust. When the predecessor school of the same name was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.