Moor Green Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that it consistently enables pupils to make good progress from their starting points in each subject by ensuring that:
  • teaching consistently challenges the most able pupils, including those who are most able and disadvantaged
  • teachers accurately assess the quality of pupils’ work, in order to measure their progress and move their learning on, and are supported by leaders to do so
  • leaders check that teachers consistently implement the school’s marking and feedback policy
  • teachers ask questions of pupils that check their understanding and develop their thinking and learning.
• Improve the provision in the early years by:
  • making sure that adults carry out regular, accurate assessments which clearly identify what children can do and indicate what the next steps are for their learning
  • ensuring that adults intervene effectively during children’s activities to support and challenge their learning.
• Reduce the rates of absence for vulnerable groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, by working with and challenging parents whose children have high levels of absence.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• This is a rapidly improving school. In the last year there have been significant changes in leadership. A new headteacher started in September 2015 and a new interim governing body was appointed in February 2016. These new leaders have successfully worked well together and have tackled weaker teaching across the school with rigour. As a result, pupils’ behaviour, the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils are no longer inadequate.
• Many middle leaders are new to their posts. In a short space of time they have become a strength of the school and are leading improvements in their subject areas. They are developing their roles well and have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. For example, they have all identified the need to improve the accuracy with which the progress of pupils, and groups of pupils, is tracked across school.
• As a result of changes in leadership and the improvements made in the school, staff morale is high across the school. Many staff are positive about the changes being made by senior leaders and say that these are necessary to help improve pupils’ achievement.
• Leaders use an effective performance management process to hold staff to account and check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. They ensure that all staff receive appropriate induction, training, guidance and support. As a result, they know where teaching is strong and where improvements are required.
• Leaders know that they still have work to do to improve the quality of teaching further as this is not yet ensuring that pupils make good progress. This includes ensuring that teachers are consistently following the school’s marking and feedback policy and accurately assessing the development of pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding.
• The leadership team has implemented a clear, focused behaviour policy across the school and this has rapidly improved pupils’ behaviour since the last inspection.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective targeted support from adults in lessons and in small-group sessions. As a result, they are making improved rates of progress relative to their starting points.
• The curriculum includes an appropriately broad range of subjects. Pupils have many opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities and to go on trips and visits. These activities build their confidence and support their learning, as seen in one lesson where pupils were enthusiastically writing about a recent visit to the woods. They had photographs they had taken during the visit and these helped stimulate their ideas, which they used for their writing.
• Leaders are making more effective use of the pupil premium funding to improve pupils’ skills and as a result, disadvantaged pupils are making better progress.
• The school has used additional funding through the primary school physical education (PE) sports premium to buy in specialist PE teachers. This has led to more pupils receiving high-quality teaching in PE, which promotes their physical development well.
• Senior leaders’ successful efforts to improve the quality of teaching have led to benefits for disadvantaged pupils. Work in their books shows they are making better rates of progress and as a result, their attainment is rising.
• Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn about other cultures and fundamental British values. Through the work of the school council, pupils understand the rule of law and what it means to live in a democratic society.

Governance of the school

• The directors of the REAch2 Academy Trust have established a clear structure for governance at the school. The local governors and trust members are working effectively with school leaders to ensure that vital improvements are being made swiftly.
• This newly established governing body has the experience, skills and knowledge to support and challenge leaders effectively. Since the previous inspection its members have become much more focused on checking aspects of the school’s work. They have worked effectively with the headteacher and secured improvements in the overall effectiveness of the school’s provision since the last inspection.
• Governors check that the funding provided for pupils who are disadvantaged is used effectively and as a result, their attainment is rising.
• Governors understand the link between teachers’ performance and pay progression. They ensure that their statutory duties are fulfilled and that the headteacher’s performance is appraised annually.
• Safeguarding
• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The governors promote safeguarding effectively by ensuring that staff are fully up to date and receive regular training on all aspects of safeguarding. They are fully aware of their duty to protect pupils from the dangers of extremism and radicalisation. Checks on staff and record-keeping are thorough and ensure that the safety of pupils is not compromised. Communication within the school is highly effective. Leaders have created a culture and environment in which all staff know how to report any concerns or worries they may have about the safety of a child and are encouraged to do so.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, the quality of teaching has improved. Leaders have successfully ensured that weak teaching has been eradicated and that new staff appointments have added strength to teaching. As a result, more pupils are starting to make better progress across the school. Although teaching is improving and the pace of improvement is gathering momentum, it is not yet good.
• Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what the most able and most-able disadvantaged pupils are capable of achieving. Work given is sometimes too easy and does not sufficiently challenge pupils to develop their understanding and knowledge of key skills further. As a result, these pupils do not make the progress they are capable of.
• Teachers do not use questioning well enough during lessons to identify when pupils do not fully understand what they need to learn. As a result, pupils struggle with the work they are given and do not achieve what teachers expect of them by the end of the lesson.
• Teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work are not always accurate. The information they record in the school’s tracking system does not match the quality of work in pupils’ books. As a result, teachers overestimate pupils’ outcomes and therefore do not have an accurate view of the quality of pupils’ progress.
• Not all teachers use the school’s assessment policy effectively. The feedback they provide does not help pupils to respond to errors and misconceptions in their work. This is limiting the progress pupils make.
• Teaching assistants contribute well to pupils’ learning, particularly for those who find learning difficult. They work well to support less-able pupils and use teaching resources effectively to help them keep up with the pace of learning in lessons. As a result, these pupils extend their knowledge, skills and understanding and make better progress.
• The teaching of reading is improving throughout the school. In key stage 1, pupils enjoyed reading to an inspector and used their knowledge of phonics to read unknown words correctly. In key stage 2, pupils read fluently and were able to use their knowledge of what they had read to answer questions about the text.
• The whole-school focus on presentation and spelling has had a positive impact on the quality of pupils’ writing. Teachers provide pupils with regular opportunities to apply their writing skills in a range of curriculum topics and as a consequence standards in writing have improved.
• The quality of teaching in mathematics has improved because of effective subject leadership. Staff have received training on problem-solving and as a result, pupils are being given greater opportunities to apply their knowledge of arithmetic to solve problems across all areas of the mathematics curriculum.
• The teaching of phonics has improved. Teachers use a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics across the school. Pupils are placed into small groups so that teachers can easily support the individual needs of the different pupils. As a result, the proportion of pupils that achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics screening check in 2016 is close to the national picture.
• Relationships with staff are positive and all staff in the school respect diversity and promote equality.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Leaders have successfully reduced the number of pupils arriving late to school. However, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities remains low. Leaders have recently taken steps to implement systems to track attendance across the school. However, staff are not yet effectively challenging those parents who do not bring their children to school on a regular basis. As a result, rates of attendance for these vulnerable groups of pupils are not improving fast enough.
• Pupils feel safe and understand how to stay safe. They are aware of the dangers posed by the internet and know what to do should they need to report any concerns.
• Pupils understand that there are different types of bullying such as racist bullying and cyber bullying. They say that bullying only happens rarely in school. They are confident that teachers would support them with any concerns they might have.
• Pupils keenly take on responsibilities across the school and enthusiastically talk about their roles in the school council. They enjoy contributing to school life and these roles help the pupils develop self-confidence and become successful learners.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school’s records show that behaviour has improved significantly since the last inspection. This is because school leaders have introduced a new behaviour policy and have checked that it is being implemented. Pupils now have a clear understanding of how this policy works and respond well to school routines and teachers’ instructions.
• Pupils are friendly, happy and confident when speaking to visitors. Pupils spoken to during the inspection felt that behaviour in school had improved and is now good.
• Pupils support each other, are well motivated and play together happily at playtime. They enjoy playing with the wide range of equipment that is provided, such as hoops, balls and skipping ropes, which help them to stay healthy by keeping physically active.
• School staff nurture those pupils who have specific behaviour needs. They are quick to identify pupils’ emotional, health and well-being needs and take effective steps to support them. This helps these pupils to overcome barriers to their learning and engage in lessons.
• Pupils behave well in the breakfast club. This is because they are provided with many activities where they can socialise with their friends before the start of the school day.
• The majority of parents spoken to during the inspection agreed that behaviour in school had improved a lot and that the school makes sure that its pupils are well behaved.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ outcomes have improved since the previous inspection and are no longer inadequate. Despite this, however, they require improvement because not enough pupils, from their different starting points, are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders did not have a convincing and accurate understanding of the achievement of pupils, including groups of pupils, over the last academic year. However, trust members and school leaders have addressed this weakness and a new system is in place which allows the school to accurately and effectively track current pupils’ progress.
• Inspectors and middle leaders looked at a range of pupils’ books from the previous year, and current books in lessons during the inspection, across a range of subjects. These books demonstrated that not enough pupils, including all groups of pupils, are making good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils benefit from the improvements made by senior leaders to teaching across the school and as a result, their attainment is rising and differences between their attainment and that of pupils nationally are starting to diminish.
• The level of challenge for the most able pupils is often not high enough. As a result, the most able pupils are not given enough opportunities to extend their thinking and do not make the progress they are capable of.
• Pupils’ outcomes over time have not been good. In 2014 and 2015, attainment in mathematics, reading and writing was below the national average at the end of key stage 2. However, as a result of improved teaching, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics in 2016 for Year 6 is above the national figure. As a result, these pupils are prepared sufficiently for their next stage of education.
• Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 1, although improving, is still below the national picture, particularly in reading and writing.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive some effective support, especially those who have emotional and social needs. The learning mentors and support staff work with pupils both inside and outside the classroom, which helps the pupils to engage in their learning and make better progress.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• The early years leaders provide effective leadership. They have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the early years provision.
• Children behave well in the early years, listen to adults and calmly follow instructions. They are confident and happily share their ideas with adults. This was seen during the inspection when one child proudly showed the inspector a play dough monster she had made. She then confidently counted the 13 eyes she had given it and described its turquoise-coloured hair.
• Not enough children are making good progress during their time in early years. This includes disadvantaged children and the most able children. This is because teachers do not carry out regular assessments of what the children know and can do and as a result, do not have an accurate understanding of what the children need to do next to build on their learning and make better progress. Therefore, teaching requires improvement.
• Children have access to a wide range of opportunities to develop reading, writing and number skills both indoors and outdoors. However, at times adults across the setting do not engage and challenge children well enough during these activities. As a result, some children quickly lose concentration, and do not learn the skills they are meant to.
• Children enter the early years with skills that are usually below those typical for their age. The proportion of children attaining a good level of development, although improving, remains below the national average. This means that not enough children are ready to start Year 1.
• Parents are warmly welcomed into the setting. Home visits, prior to children entering the provision, ensure that staff gain a better understanding of each child’s starting point.
• Safeguarding and child protection procedures are well understood by the staff. There are no breaches of the statutory requirements. All staff ensure that the children’s welfare needs are met and ensure that they are kept safe.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139000 Birmingham 10019976 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Academy sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed 321 Academy trust Anthony Pierce Nicola Fisher 0121 464 5662 www.moorgreenprimary.co.uk enquiry@moorgreenprimary.bham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 24–25 September 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school is above average in size compared with other primary schools.
• Over half of the pupils speak English as an additional language. This figure is high.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by funding through the pupil premium is above average.
• The results of national tests and assessments for pupils in Year 6 in 2015 met the government’s floor standard.
• The school provides a breakfast club for pupils.
• Mobility across all year groups is well above average.
• The school joined the REAch2 Academy Trust in September 2015. The trust appointed a new headteacher in September 2015.
• Over the past year, there has been a high turnover in teaching staff and leaders within the school. Nearly 75% of staff are new to the school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in classes throughout the school, including joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• Discussions were held with school staff, members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body, and a representative of the academy trust.
• Inspectors examined a wide range of documents, including the school’s information on the quality of teaching, the school’s self-evaluation and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils informally during the school day and observed them during playtime and lunchtime. They also met formally with groups of pupils to talk about their learning, behaviour and safety.
• Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ books across a range of subjects jointly with school leaders.
• Inspectors took account of 19 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View questionnaires. They also spoke to parents at the start of the school day.

Inspection team

Kerry Rochester, lead inspector Martina Abbott Stuart Evans Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector