Parents in Solihull will be looking at the different schools across the city to see which ones are right for their children.
As parents weigh up the different options, we have put together a list of the primary schools in the city which were rated as ‘requiring improvement’ during their latest inspection, according to the Ofsted website.
Schools across the country are regularly inspected by the education watchdog and are graded on a four-point scale. Although they aren’t inspected every year.
‘Outstanding’ is the top rating a school can receive, ‘good’ is second, ‘requires improvement’ the third and ‘inadequate’ is the worst. Teachers at schools across the country are currently taking part in strike action for better pay and funding for schools.
In England, the National Education Union is looking for a pay rise of 12% rather than the 5% offered so far by the government for most teachers. The unions say teachers’ pay has fallen by about 24% relative to inflation since 2010.
With this in mind, we’ve looked at all the primary schools in Solihull which Ofsted said ‘requires improvement’ during their latest full inspections.
1. Coppice Junior School, Solihull
The school’s latest 2019 Ofsted inspection report, said: “A slow start to tackling the weaknesses identified at the last inspection means that too many of the same issues remain. Leaders have not yet established a consistently good quality of teaching.”
2. Bentley Heath Church of England Primary School, Bentley Heath
The school’s latest 2019 Ofsted report said: “In lessons, pupils do not always try hard with their work. Some pupils become distracted. Occasionally, they disrupt the learning of others. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play happily together. Most pupils are polite and friendly to others. Pupils know that they should tell an adult if they are being bullied. If bullying occurs, staff deal with this effectively.”
3. Valley Primary, Solihull
The latest 2019 Ofsted report said: “Behaviour is mostly positive around the school. However, pupils do not always listen well in lessons. This happens too often. This slows down pupils’ learning. Some pupils do not always focus well on their work. This is partly because the work they are asked to do is not well matched to their ability.”
4. St George and St Teresa Catholic Primary School, Bentley Heath
The school’s latest 2021 Ofsted report said: “Many pupils read well. However, leaders do not ensure that the weakest readers catch up quickly enough. Staff are not trained well to deliver the school’s phonics programme effectively. This means that some pupils do not learn new sounds and words quickly enough.”