Pelsall Village School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders care passionately about the well-being of their pupils. They know their pupils and families well.

Pupils are happy and safe in school.

Each morning they come to school with a smile. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils behave well in lessons and at breaktimes.

They are polite and well mannered. Pupils value the opportunities to be physically active at playtimes. They enjoy using the wide range of playground equipment.

Older pupils enjoy reward time in the playground too.

Pupils understand how to behave. They know that their actions have consequences which they think are fair.

Although pupils say bullying happens occasional...ly, they know who to speak to and that adults will deal with it. Leaders want all pupils to have positive attitudes to learning. Systems such as the 'Fab 5' targets and awards motivate the pupils to aim high and learn well.

Parents and carers value the support and advice they receive. They say it helps them know how to support their child with reading at home, behaviour or medical conditions. Parents value the way leaders help pupils catch up on missed learning following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all their pupils. They have designed a curriculum that helps widen pupils' experiences and knowledge of the world. They have focused on reading, writing and mathematics.

Pupils are now doing well in these subjects and are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

The school is nurturing and caring. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) join in all aspects of school life.

Leaders quickly and accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND as soon as they join the school. Pupils receive the support they need from well-trained staff and dedicated leaders. They achieve well and thrive.

Children joining the early years enjoy a variety of positive learning experiences. Leaders plan number and language development into all opportunities. Conversations abound.

Leaders quickly establish routines. Children settle well and are eager to learn.

Leaders prioritise reading across the school.

Early phonics starts in Nursery with children enjoying stories and rhymes. Children in Reception learn about letters and the sounds they make. The teaching of reading is well planned.

Leaders regularly track how well pupils are doing. Focused interventions help those who find learning to read more difficult. This ensures that most pupils learn to read fluently and confidently.

Pupils enjoy reading and listening to stories.Learning in mathematics starts in the early years. Leaders have clear and ambitious plans.

They want all pupils to enjoy mathematics and become confident mathematicians. Pupils revisit past learning and staff deal with any misconceptions well. Pupils enjoy problem-solving and reasoning tasks.

Pupils work on a range of challenges based on what they know and can do at a suitable level. This ensures that all pupils, including the more able, develop and use skills in a progressive way. Pupils enjoy mathematics and achieve well.

The learning in subjects, including physical education and science, are carefully sequenced. Learning builds progressively in a logical way. Leaders build in assessments to identify how well pupils are doing.

However, this is not yet fully the case in all subjects. Leaders design topics that engage pupils and develop their knowledge, skills and vocabulary over time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders have not fully implemented or evaluated the curriculum in some subjects.

They do not fully know how successful the curriculum is in these areas. Some subject leaders are not confident in how to monitor or evaluate their subjects.

Leaders ensure that pupils have many opportunities to attend sporting activities, competitions and clubs at lunchtimes or after school.

A wide range of visits and visitors, including residential visits for Year 5 and 6 pupils, help pupils develop their abilities and knowledge. For example, they learn about other faiths and have opportunities to take part in horse riding or fishing. Pupils take on extra responsibilities in school, such as sports captains.

They are respectful of each other and help one another. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong and caring.

Leaders, including governors, make decisions based on their determination to meet the needs of each pupil.

These decisions have a positive impact on building pupils' confidence, resilience and deepening learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is a strength of the school.

Leaders support pupils quickly, their families and the wider community. Families receive the support they need. The school works hard to engage all parents and carers.

Leaders are very knowledgeable about the community, local area and issues that may arise. There is a strong culture of 'It could happen here; it does happen here'. Regular safeguarding training and updates help staff know the signs to look out for.

As a result, pupils are safe. Pupils know they can go to a trusted adult if they are worried or need to talk and they will be listened to.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is not yet planned in a fully coherent way.

As a result, pupils' skills, knowledge and understanding of what they have learned is not always as secure as it could be. Leaders should ensure that they build on recent curriculum developments to ensure that all subjects are coherently planned and sequenced. For this reason, the transition arrangements have been applied.

• Currently, not all subject leaders have a comprehensive understanding of the quality of education in their subject. Consequently, they are not confident that all pupils are learning as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that all subject leaders have opportunities to further develop their skills in order to lead their subjects effectively.

• Assessment information gathered in foundation subjects is not always useful to leaders. It does not inform them of what pupils know and remember over time. Leaders should review the assessment practice in the school to ensure that it gives them the information they need to identify next steps in pupils learning.