Mapledene Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching to ensure consistently rapid rates of progress for pupils across all subjects by:
  • making sure all teachers identify common errors in pupils’ spelling
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their developing skills in the use of grammar in longer pieces of writing
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to undertake investigations and make predictions in science.
• Continue to improve the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by providing more opportunities for pupils to deepen their understanding of different faiths and beliefs.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has worked resolutely since the last inspection to ensure that teaching and learning continue to improve within school. She has taken strong and decisive action to address any teaching that was not meeting the needs of the pupils. She has built an effective leadership team who share her belief that all pupils can, and should, succeed in all aspects of their school life. Other senior leaders manage strategic aspects of the school’s work effectively, including provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and provision for disadvantaged pupils.
• The headteacher has been proactive in providing opportunities for teachers to develop their leadership skills and to take on responsibility. Teachers have worked alongside staff in other schools to gain an understanding of how they can successfully fulfil their roles. Training has been provided to accurately meet the needs of individuals and to assist them in developing key leadership skills. This has resulted in strong leadership across the school, including in the core areas such as English, mathematics and early years provision. Leaders at all levels are encouraged to be innovative and outward facing in their approach to improving their subjects.
• Leaders have a realistic and well-informed view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Monitoring and evaluation are used well to determine the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and to identify the priorities for improvement. The school improvement plan provides a comprehensive view of the actions that need to be taken to address the priorities.
• There are robust and demanding systems in place to manage teachers’ performance and to hold them to account for pupils’ outcomes. Teachers’ individual targets are based on whole-school priorities and individual professional development requirements. These targets align tightly with the national teachers’ standards and are based on each teacher’s experience and role within the school.
• The pupil premium funding is used well to provide disadvantaged pupils with appropriate support that matches their specific needs. This has led to these pupils making better progress during the last two years, and differences between their outcomes and those of other pupils diminishing rapidly. Leaders monitor closely both the additional support that is provided and the impact that it has on pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders make effective use of the funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teaching assistants have been provided with training to ensure that they fully understand and can support the needs of individual pupils. Other professionals, including speech and language therapists, are involved at an early stage once a pupil’s specific needs are identified.
• The headteacher has fully involved pupils, staff, governors and parents in developing the 13 values that underpin the work of the school. These values, including ‘perseverance’, ‘empathy’ and ‘responsibility’ are understood and appreciated by pupils. Pupils recognise how these values help them to become positive citizens in modern British society. They demonstrate tolerance and respect through their actions and words.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and affords pupils good opportunities to make links between their learning. Topic themes, such as ‘Splendid Skies’, ‘Castles’ and ‘Mountains’ are enhanced well through trips and visits, including to the National Space Centre and the Lickey Hills. The school encourages pupils to share their learning with their parents and other classes through assemblies that showcase what they have learnt. Recently pupils proudly showed their technology skills and vivid imagination to the rest of the school through their designs for robot teachers. Key stage 2 pupils learn Spanish and are encouraged to use their developing language skills within other lessons.
• A good range of extra-curricular activities, including a coding club, and boys’ and girls’ football clubs support pupils’ learning well. During the inspection, inspectors saw pupils joining in with a lunchtime dance group. The vigour that pupils showed in their dance moves clearly demonstrated their enthusiasm.
• Leaders use sports funding well to encourage all pupils to become more active. All pupils from the Reception Year to Year 6 participate in multi-skills clubs at lunchtimes. This ensures that 45 minutes of extra curricular sport is provided by qualified coaches each week for the children, in addition to their physical education and games lessons. This demonstrates the school’s drive to ensure that pupils are supported in both their physical and emotional well-being throughout their time at Mapledene Primary School.
• The school promotes pupils’ moral, social and cultural development well. All assemblies are linked to the Mapledene values. Staff create opportunities for pupils to consider how they can support and benefit other people, both locally and in other countries. For example, pupils have raised money to provide a goat for a school in India, and also regularly support charities and organisations, such as Red Nose Day and UNICEF. All classes in school have a charter that helps them gain a better understanding of the world they live in and the differences between right and wrong. Pupils fully recognise that all religions are of equal value and of importance to their followers. However, opportunities for them to gain a depth of understanding of different faiths and beliefs are not as well established as leaders recognise they could be.

Governance of the school

• Governors provide effective support and challenge to leaders. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and also recognise where it can improve further.
• The chair of governors has recently taken up the post. She has been proactive in undertaking training in order to undertake all the requirements of the role fully and efficiently. There are only a small number of governors on the governing body. This has required governors to revise their committee structure so that they can accurately scrutinise and evaluate all aspects of the school’s work.
• Governors receive detailed information from the headteacher about pupils’ outcomes and compare this with a range of external information. This allows them to understand how pupils at the school progress, compared with other pupils both locally and nationally. They liaise closely with leaders and mangers to ensure that the resources that are available to the school, including the pupil premium funding, are used effectively and have the necessary impact.
• In making the appointment of the new headteacher, governors drew well on their understanding of the school and the local community. They worked closely with the local authority throughout appointment process.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have created a strong culture of shared responsibility for protecting pupils and this permeates all areas of the school’s work.
• Secure systems are in place to ensure that all staff are well trained and understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe and protected from harm. The school uses a well-thought-out electronic system for recording and tracking any concerns that staff identify relating to safeguarding. Leaders are tenacious in following up concerns and making sure that external agencies act swiftly and appropriately when a pupil is at risk. Leaders have a depth of understanding of the particular local issues that might affect pupils’ well-being and consequently are diligent in ensuring that staff training is relevant and up-to-date.
• The school site is secure and all visitors’ identities are checked when they enter the building. Regular checks are carried out to make sure that all members of the school community can safely leave the building in the event of a fire and leaders monitor the process to identify if any further improvements can be made.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers and other staff share leaders’ high expectations for all pupils and consequently set tasks that are usually well matched to the different abilities of pupils. Teachers use questions well to promote deep thinking. They pose questions in ways that require pupils to explain their thinking and to justify their answers.
• Relationships between adults and pupils are good and are underpinned by mutual respect. Pupils commented upon the fact that teachers make learning fun and set them tasks that are interesting and relevant. Pupils work well with their classmates, and discussion in lessons is purposeful and linked to the learning activities.
• Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge that is used effectively to plan activities that build on prior learning and widen pupils’ vocabulary. This is used particularly well in mathematics where reasoning within problem-solving is an established approach for all classes. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson on calculation of the volume of 3D shapes, pupils confidently and accurately used words such as ‘commutative’ and ‘mass’ and discussed with the teacher approaches to carrying out the calculation tasks. They then quickly moved onto a range of problem-solving tasks that were suitably challenging for all pupils, enabling them to use logic and make decisions about how to apply their computational knowledge.
• The teaching of reading is good. There is a whole-school, systematic approach to the teaching of phonics. This ensures that pupils make rapid progress in developing a secure knowledge of the sounds that letters make and how to blend them together to read words of increasing complexity. Teachers also ensure that pupils develop a good understanding of what they are reading and can use inference to predict what is likely to happen in a story. Pupils develop a deep love of reading and appreciate that there are books available in school that appeal to different interests and abilities.
• Teachers use assessment effectively and accurately to measure pupils’ progress. In addition to meeting regularly with colleagues to discuss the outcomes of their assessments, all teachers meet with staff from other local schools to determine that their judgements of pupils’ achievements and progress are accurate.
• Teaching assistants work well alongside teachers and have the same high expectations of pupils. They are skilled in leading interventions for different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps to ensure that any gaps in learning are rapidly addressed.
• Teachers ensure that pupils are taught key skills in the use of grammar and punctuation. This is evident in the confidence with which pupils discuss terminology, such as adjectives and prefixes, and use them in their written work. While teachers ensure that pupils are provided with frequent opportunities to write across a range of genres and subjects, there are not yet enough planned opportunities for pupils to write at length.
• There is a whole-school approach to the teaching of spelling, and pupils apply their phonic knowledge to spell words accurately. However, teachers do not consistently identify errors in spelling of words that pupils use frequently in their writing and this allows the mistakes to be repeated.
• Leaders have rightly identified science teaching as a priority for improvement and have started to address it. During the inspection all pupils were involved in science activities each day as part of a whole-school science week. However, as yet there are too few regular opportunities for pupils to make scientific predictions and to plan and carry out investigations. This slows progress in this area of the curriculum.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to take on responsibility, including acting as school councillors, reading partners, playground buddies and head boy and girl. Pupils who take on these responsibilities step up to the task with appreciation and maturity. They recognise that they need to demonstrate through their actions, speech and behaviour that they deserve the roles that they have been given. Pupils with positions of responsibility told inspectors that they knew they had to act as good role models for younger pupils.
• Several pupils who spoke to inspectors commented very positively on the actions of the school council in organising and running fundraising activities. The money was then used to buy new equipment for the playgrounds that all pupils use sensibly.
• Pupils show care and consideration for each other and are conscious of the need to be aware of their own and others’ safety. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe in a range of situations. They understand the risks that the internet can pose, including online grooming. They valued the recent visit of a local fire crew and had a good understanding of how this related to their own safety.
• Pupils are confident that bullying is not tolerated in the school, and that if it were to occur it would be dealt with swiftly and effectively. Inspectors saw evidence of this through the school’s thorough records of any forms of bullying, including the extremely rare homophobic or racist incidents.
• Pupils who spoke to inspectors were clear about the fact that all religions are of equal value. However, they were not able to fully identify the differences in beliefs and customs between faiths. Pupils rightly identified that opportunities to gain a first-hand understanding of the traditions and beliefs of different religions were not as well established as in other areas of their learning.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are well behaved throughout the school day. They listen with respect in lessons and do not disrupt other pupils’ learning. Pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime is equally positive. Pupils walk quietly and sensibly around school and wait patiently to go into classrooms or the dining hall.
• The well-run before-school club provides pupils with a positive and enjoyable start to the school day. Staff are well trained and provide pupils with a range of interesting activities.
• The systems that the school has in place to promote good attendance are rigorous and effective. The school buys in the services of a family support worker from a local secondary school and staff are diligent in addressing any issues of low attendance or frequent absence. They liaise closely with school leaders and have a clear and accurate view of attendance patterns and trends across the school. As a result, attendance is improving for all groups of pupils and is now close to the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes for pupils are good. Pupils are well prepared for secondary school when they leave the school in Year 6.
• In 2016 the proportion of pupils that achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was broadly in line with the national average. In reading, writing and mathematics, pupils had made progress from their different starting points that was also broadly average.
• Pupils who are currently in school are making good progress. Work in pupils’ books and the school’s own assessment information indicate that progress is strongest in reading and mathematics and is improving rapidly in writing. There are no significant differences in outcomes between groups of pupils, including between boys and girls.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress due to effective use of the pupil premium funding. In 2016 disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 achieved standards in mathematics that were above those of other pupils nationally. Interventions are carefully planned to match the specific needs of pupils and progress is closely monitored to ensure that the additional support is having the necessary impact. Differences between the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and those of other pupils nationally are diminishing rapidly.
• The most able pupils in school, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, achieve good outcomes. Teachers have high expectations for these pupils and set tasks that are suitably challenging. Additional support, including after-school tutoring sessions, help the most able pupils to undertake tasks and activities that are demanding and require them to think deeply.
• Outcomes in the national phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 have risen steadily over a three-year period and were above the national average in 2016. This reflects the high priority that the school places on ensuring that pupils develop secure phonic knowledge and can read with fluency and enjoyment.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Teachers and other staff have a clear understanding of the needs of these pupils. Individual plans accurately identify and address each pupil’s specific needs. Staff show compassion and tenacity in ensuring that any barriers to learning are addressed and gaps in learning are reduced.
• Pupils make good progress across others subjects, including geography, history and design technology. This is because the topic themes are well matched to pupils’ interests and provide them with opportunities to apply their reading, writing and mathematics skills. However, outcomes in science are not as strong. This was evident in the 2016 national assessments for both Year 2 and Year 6 pupils where outcomes were below the national average.

Early years provision Good

• Children start in the nursery class with skills and knowledge that are often below those that are typical for their age. In 2016, the proportion of children that had reached a good level of development by the end of their time in early years was in line with the national average. This indicated good progress for these children from their starting points in school. The majority of children are well prepared for their move to Year 1.
• Evidence gathered during the inspection showed that children who are currently in school are achieving good outcomes across all the areas of learning. This is the result of consistently good teaching. Teachers and other adults ensure that there is a strong focus on developing children’s communication skills. Children are encouraged to express their thoughts and opinions in increasingly well-developed sentences.
• Leadership of the early years provision is a strength of the school. Leaders have a deep knowledge of how young children learn and develop, and use this expertise to great effect. They ensure that all staff in the early years provision are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and are provided with relevant and up-to-date training.
• Assessment processes are well established and accurate. Information from initial assessments is used to plan activities that match their abilities and needs. Parents are encouraged to contribute to these initial assessments and their input is valued and respected by staff.
• Teachers draw on children’s interests to shape the curriculum. For example, children in the Reception classes recently discovered a hedgehog in the school grounds. Staff used this stimulus to plan a series of activities that excited and enthused the children. Children designed a home for the hedgehog and discussed the type of food that it might eat. Children listened with rapt attention as staff read stories featuring hedgehogs. As a result of the opportunities that staff created for children to initiate their own learning, children were able to develop their understanding of the world around them and to apply emerging writing skills to describe what they had learned.
• Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the work that staff do with their children. All the parents of early years children who met inspectors commented on the positive experiences that the children had and the good progress that they made.
• Teachers and other adults ensure that all the welfare and safeguarding requirements are fully met. Staff carry out regular risk assessments to ensure that the indoor and outdoor environments are safe places for the children to learn and play. As a result, children thrive both socially and academically.
• Children are well behaved and understand the need to take turns and to listen to what other people say.
• Good use is made of additional funding, including pupil premium funding. Interventions are planned well to diminish any gaps in children’s skills and knowledge. There are strong links in place with outside agencies, including those which provide specialist support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Adults model spoken language well and usually phrase questions that required children to give extended answers. Occasionally, during adult-led sessions some staff do not provide children with enough opportunities to apply their language skills fully and this limits the pace of learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 134094 Birmingham 10025341 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 370 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Zoe Bradley Chris Faulks Telephone number 0121 464 2881 Website Email address www.mapledene.bham.sch.uk/ enquiry@mapledene.bham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 26–27 June 2013

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the most recent key stage 2 results, the school’s accessibility plan for disabled pupils and an evaluation of the use of the sports premium funding.
• Mapledene Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.
• The large majority of pupils are White British.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils in Year 6.
• Both the headteacher and deputy headteacher have announced their retirement from the school at the end of the spring term. A new headteacher has been appointed for the school and takes up the post in April 2017.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 22 lessons or parts of lessons. A number of these observations were undertaken with the headteacher.
• The inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They met with a group of pupils, including members of the school council. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at lunch and break times, as well as in lessons.
• The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including assessments and records of pupils’ progress; the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding, child protection and attendance; records of how teaching is managed; and the school improvement plans.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and two middle leaders. The lead inspector met with two members of the governing body, including the chair.
• The inspectors took account of the 17 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and considered the nine freetext responses from parents. They also talked to parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the 17 responses to the staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Adam Hewett, lead inspector Chris Bandfield Mary Maybank Josie Leese Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector