Water Orton Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
323
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Community school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
unlock
UNLOCK

Can I Get My Child Into This School?

Enter a postcode to see where you live on the map
heatmap example
Sample Map Only
Very Likely
Likely
Less Likely

This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
01926 410410

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Requires Improvement
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(06/02/2024)
Full Report - All Reports
55%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



Unlock The Rest Of The Data Now
We've Helped 20 Million Parents
  • See All Official School Data
  • View Catchment Area Maps
  • Access 2024 League Tables
  • Read Real Parent Reviews
  • Unlock 2024 Star Ratings
  • Easily Choose Your #1 School
£19.95
Per month

Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Plank Lane
Water Orton
Birmingham
B46 1SG
01217472851

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You, your leadership team and governors provide effective leadership and have formed very positive relationships with families and the local community. The vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as those I spoke with, paid tribute to the work and commitment of your staff. Summing up the views of most parents, one stated, ‘Everyone really cares, and they never give up on any child.’ This is very true and is also reflected in the excellent care and attention the staff provide for pupils in Evergreen, the resourced provision for pupils who have autism and communication and interaction difficulties. This provision is a significant strength, reflecting the school’s commitment to providing an inclusive education for all pupils, whatever their needs and abilities. The previous inspection, in October 2014, highlighted some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and the need to improve pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. Much has been done since then. Children in the early years are achieving better and more pupils across the school are reaching age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. In key stage 1, standards have improved, and across the school, the quality of pupils’ writing is improving. Your evaluations and those of leaders and governors are accurate. Leaders recognise, rightly, that the quality of teaching remains effective but there are inconsistent expectations for pupils’ work and progress in some key stage 2 classes. I understand that staffing difficulties and instability have partly contributed to these inconsistencies. You and the governing body are managing the temporary disruption to staffing by deploying the most effective teachers to work with other staff. This must continue so that teachers and support staff see and share best practice. Evidence from our visits to lessons, work in pupils’ books and the discussions I had with pupils show that they make good progress in key stage 2, but that the most able pupils could still be doing better in reading and mathematics. Staff value pupils’ work and efforts. This is evident in the range of work in pupils’ books and in displays of their work around the school. The work in topic books and special projects reflect a range of educational visits to local places of interest that develop pupils’ interest and curiosity about history, science and geography. You and your staff have been successful in maintaining a stimulating curriculum that promotes British values of tolerance, respect and care. The school’s inclusive values and its close partnership with the local church are having a positive impact on pupils’ academic and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are very well behaved and attentive in lessons and at breaktimes. They show positive attitudes to their work and enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in their good attendance and punctuality. The Year 6 pupils I spoke with are clearly proud of their school and the opportunities they have to become house captains, school councillors and play buddies to support younger children. During discussions with pupils about their work, I could see very clearly that the quality of their writing is improving well. However, they do not read widely enough in school or at home. This limits their use of vocabulary when writing independently. Although you and school leaders have, rightly, included extended writing as a priority in the school’s actions plans, these do not focus enough on the most relevant actions that will help pupils improve their reading and writing. More work is still needed to encourage pupils to read widely and often to help them make sustained progress in their writing and use of vocabulary. The deputy headteacher has good oversight of assessment information as a result of the regular reviews of pupils’ progress that leaders and staff carry out. This assessments information shows that too few pupils in key stage 2 exceed agerelated standards by the end of Year 6 in reading and mathematics. We could see, for example when visiting lessons together, that the work provided for the most able pupils in mathematics is sometimes not challenging enough. Leaders are aware of this and it is reflected in the priorities set out in the school’s improvement plans. However, the plans themselves include too many tasks and actions. This makes it difficult for leaders and staff to focus on the actions that will bring about sustained improvement. Safeguarding is effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff vetting and checking systems are rigorous and fit for purpose. All the parents I spoke with agree that pupils are safe in school and are very well cared for by the staff. Senior leaders, staff and those with specific responsibility for managing safeguarding procedures keep robust records if any concerns are raised about pupils’ well-being and safety. You and the staff adopt both a caring and robust approach to following up absenteeism and making sure pupils are safe when not in school. The staff treat pupils and families with dignity and respect, including the most vulnerable pupils in Evergreen. There are well-defined and clear referral procedures so that teaching, support, administrative and ancillary staff are aware of whom to go to if they are concerned about a child’s welfare or safety. Inspection findings Leaders and staff have maintained the school’s positive ethos and make a significant contribution to pupils’ personal development and well-being. Pupils are happy and safe in school. They arrive at school in the morning, keen to meet their friends and ready for their lessons. One child told me, ‘I have lots of friends because this is a very caring and friendly school.’ Others in the group, as well as all the parents I spoke with, agreed. You and your deputy headteacher have adopted a range of strategies to improve teaching. Leaders and governors are managing staff changes and recent instability well. There is also good potential to continue utilising the most effective teachers so that staff can see and share best practice. For example, recognising that pupils in key stage 2 could be doing better, leaders deployed the strongest teachers to work with others to improve staff performance and pupils’ learning. Teachers’ expectations are not always high enough, particularly for the most able pupils in key stage 2. We noticed that in some lessons we observed together, teachers were not adapting tasks or asking questions to deepen pupils’ understanding. In contrast, examples of the best practice were observed in Years 2 and 5. Here teachers prompted pupils to focus on the core learning for the day and then probed further to get pupils to ‘think, solve and explain’ the methods they used when solving mathematics problems. This encouraged pupils to think hard and apply what they had learned. Most children join the school in the Reception classes with skills and abilities that are typical of their ages. They make good progress and the large majority reach a good level of development by the end of Reception. Early years provision has continued to improve since the previous inspection. This lays good foundations for pupils when they transfer into key stage 1. Pupils’ achievement in early reading, phonics, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 1 shows that teaching has also remained effective since the previous inspection. The work in pupils’ books, particularly their independent writing, shows improvement. This represents good progress since the previous inspection. You and your senior and middle leaders are, rightly, focusing on improving writing still further so that pupils write more at length independently for sustained periods in lessons. Handwriting, spelling and the structure of pupils’ writing improves well as they progress through the school.

Water Orton Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>54, "agree"=>31, "disagree"=>12, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>1} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>55, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>33, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>19, "strongly_disagree"=>9, "dont_know"=>7} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>59, "strongly_agree"=>7, "agree"=>13, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>8, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>65, "agree"=>27, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>1} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>18, "strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>29, "disagree"=>10, "strongly_disagree"=>8, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>42, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>37, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 19 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>39, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>18, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>8} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>41, "agree"=>38, "disagree"=>16, "strongly_disagree"=>1, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>39, "agree"=>31, "disagree"=>23, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>1} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>52, "agree"=>39, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>1, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>59, "agree"=>35, "disagree"=>1, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>40, "agree"=>28, "disagree"=>15, "strongly_disagree"=>7, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024
Yes No {"yes"=>73, "no"=>27} UNLOCK Figures based on 97 responses up to 11-03-2024

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

Your rating:
Review guidelines
  • Do explain who you are and your relationship to the school e.g. ‘I am a parent…’
  • Do back up your opinion with examples or clear reasons but, remember, it’s your opinion not fact.
  • Don’t use bad or aggressive language.
  • Don't go in to detail about specific staff or pupils. Individual complaints should be directed to the school.
  • Do go to the relevant authority is you have concerns about a serious issue such as bullying, drug abuse or bad management.
Read the full review guidelines and where to find help if you have serious concerns about a school.
We respect your privacy and never share your email address with the reviewed school or any third parties. Please see our T&Cs and Privacy Policy for details of how we treat registered emails with TLC.


News, Photos and Open Days from Water Orton Primary School

We are waiting for this school to upload information. Represent this school?
Register your details to add open days, photos and news.

Do you represent
Water Orton Primary School?

Register to add photos, news and download your Certificate of Excellence 2023/24

*Official school administrator email addresses

(eg [email protected]). Details will be verified.

Questions? Email [email protected]

We're here to help your school to add information for parents.

Thank you for registering your details

A member of the School Guide team will verify your details within 2 working days and provide further detailed instructions for setting up your School Noticeboard.

For any questions please email [email protected]