The Olive School, Birmingham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

The Olive School, Birmingham has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The principal of this school is Rifat Batool. This school is part of Star Academies, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Sir Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kamruddin Kothia OBE DL.

There is also a regional director, Shahina Ahmad OBE, who is responsible for this school and six others.

What is it like to attend this school?

The STAR values of service, teamwork, ambition and respect underpin and thread through ev...erything you hear, see and feel at this happy school. There is an impressive understanding of the school's vision and values among pupils, staff, parents and governors alike.

This shared understanding leads to a strong sense of community, belonging and inclusion. This is a school where there is always a warm welcome to all.

The school sets extremely high expectations, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

There is a tangible passion for every pupil to succeed and a relentless drive to help them do so. Pupils share this ambition, which shows in their exemplary attitudes and efforts. They are diligent learners who strive to improve and excel.

They produce work of high quality across the curriculum and achieve exceptionally well.

Pupils' behaviour is impeccable. They are polite, generous and thoughtful towards everyone.

Classrooms, corridors and the playground are harmonious, happy places where pupils feel safe and love to learn. Pupils are proud of their school. They are active partners in making it such an industrious, successful learning environment.

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

There is nothing at this school that is left to chance. The curriculum has been intelligently designed and refined so that teachers know how and when to teach it. Content in each subject is sequenced so that pupils' knowledge builds over time.

Pupils understand and benefit from this. For instance, when discussing art and design, pupils are able to explain exactly how their knowledge and skills improve year on year. A focus on key vocabulary gives them the language to talk confidently about their learning.

They describe the habitats of amphibians in science and the use of stanzas in poetry and demonstrate their language skills learned in French and Arabic lessons.

All staff share a passion for inclusion. They are quick to identify the needs of pupils with SEND and provide support.

This ensures that pupils with SEND are fully included in school activities. The school provides bespoke and carefully crafted help, which is never obtrusive.

Teachers are highly skilled at delivering the curriculum because the school provides effective training and regular support.

There is an impressive consistency across the school in how staff present information, share instructions and structure activities. For example, the same language and approach is used effectively in lessons and helps secure pupils' confidence and independence. Staff regularly check that pupils have a secure understanding before moving on.

These checks help to address any gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Learning to read begins with daily phonics lessons from the start of Reception. The school has ensured that all staff are experts at teaching phonics.

They make regular checks on what pupils know so that they can decide on the next steps. Lessons are engaging, and pupils quickly become skilled readers. Teachers read regularly to pupils, and they absolutely love this, particularly when a story is left on a cliffhanger.

Pupils become discerning, enthusiastic readers, which is reflected in how well they achieve in national tests.

Staff model high expectations of behaviour and actively teach pupils how to reach them. This starts on the first day of Reception, and children quickly settle into routines.

The conduct of pupils across the school is simply exemplary. It is calm yet busy and purposeful. Bullying is very rare but, if it happens, pupils have absolute faith that adults will sort it out.

Opportunities for pupils' personal development are extensive. The school is careful to select valuable enrichment activities, clubs and experiences that match the school's priorities of staying safe, achieving excellence and serving the community. These opportunities range from becoming councillors, debaters or junior chefs.

Pupils contribute to an extensive drive to help those who are less fortunate. In the last academic year, they helped raise an incredible £49,000 for charities, including by climbing Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).

This is a school that does not rest on its laurels.

It engages regularly with parents. They are highly appreciative of the work it does. The school, trust and leaders at all levels share a collaborative culture of continual reflection and improvement.

The school provides staff with effective, regular training and actively works to make their workload manageable. Staff feel well supported and are extremely proud to say they work at The Olive School, Birmingham.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

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