Stockland Green School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching by making sure that teachers consistently:
  • use the range of information available about what pupils already know and can do to plan lessons that challenge and support them
  • plan activities that focus on pupils’ learning to ensure that they remain focused throughout the lesson.
• Improve pupils’ outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, by ensuring that a greater number of them make accelerated progress.
• Reduce the number of fixed-term exclusions by supporting pupils to meet higher standards of behaviour.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The senior leadership team has a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. It has well-focused plans in place and considerable improvement is evident in many areas of previous weakness. For example, outcomes in mathematics have improved markedly in 2017 and are now broadly in line with those of other pupils nationally.
• The leadership of teaching, learning and assessment is a clear strength. The headteacher and her team of senior leaders accurately evaluate and analyse the school’s performance. They act quickly to address any underperformance they identify. Leaders take a range of evidence into consideration when they are evaluating the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress.
• Leaders look at teachers’ planning, observe lessons, drop into lessons and look at pupils’ assessment information and their work. As a result, leaders have detailed and accurate knowledge of which groups of pupils fall behind, and they take effective action to help them catch up.
• Senior leaders are aspirational and have high expectations of staff and pupils. They have successfully created an ethos of ‘aspire, believe and achieve’ within the school, which is widely shared and adopted. One senior leader commented that ‘mediocrity is not an option at our school’.
• Middle leaders are a group of dedicated and determined professionals. They have an accurate view of their subject areas, and continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the school. Middle leaders share best practice within the school and the wider partnership in regular meetings. This has resulted in stronger outcomes for pupils. For example, in 2017 in science, outcomes improved significantly and continue to improve further for current pupils.
• Leaders make sure that reports to parents are detailed and useful. The reports pinpoint what pupils need to do to improve, and state clearly which subjects they are succeeding in. The vast majority of parents who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, said that the information they receive about their child’s progress is valuable.
• Staff state that the training they receive has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. In particular, trainee teachers say that they appreciate the support given to them, both professionally and in terms of being made to feel part of the school team.
• Newly qualified teachers regard highly the support that leaders give them. They feel fully supported as they develop their skills in teaching and managing pupils’ behaviour. They value the quality of the training that they receive and the way in which leaders encourage them to be reflective practitioners. Through this support, newly qualified teachers are already able to speak with passion and knowledge about a range of educational topics. They understand their role, for example, in developing pupils’ confidence and improving pupils’ longer-term career prospects.
• The school’s work to provide pupils with careers information, advice and guidance is strong. This has a highly positive impact on pupils’ destinations. All pupils in Year 10 and Year 11 have careers interviews with an impartial adviser. Leaders provide a range of exciting opportunities for pupils to meet with employers and universities. Pupils go on to a variety of destinations that match their aspirations and abilities. This includes, in 2017, around one in 10 of the cohort who went on to apprenticeships in a variety of career areas. In 2017, when Year 11 pupils left, almost all went into employment, education or training. Leaders carefully target disadvantaged pupils who are at risk of not meeting their potential. These pupils benefit from, for example, specialist mentoring and university-based subject knowledge support.
• Senior leaders use and evaluate effectively the impact of the additional funding they receive. For example, one-to-one support and targeted, timely interventions are planned carefully and reviewed for their impact on outcomes. As a result, many pupils catch up.
• The school’s curriculum offers a balanced breadth of learning experiences which are tailored to pupils’ individual needs. Extra-curricular activities underpin the curriculum effectively and include, for example, many sporting clubs, debate club and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
• Leaders have created an inclusive ethos in the school, in which every pupil is valued. Pupils feel safe and parents and staff agree that children are safe and well cared for at the school. The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to Parent View would recommend the school to other parents. The school is now oversubscribed.

Governance of the school

• Governance at the school is strong. Governors know the school well and have a clear view of the strengths and areas the school needs to further improve. They are dedicated to the school and possess many strengths. They bring a range of relevant experiences and expertise to their roles.
• Members of the governing body have high expectations of the school’s performance and strive for a school in which pupils receive an excellent education, grow as human beings and become the best citizens they can possibly be.
• Governors provide an effective balance of support and challenge to the school leadership team. They use information gathered through visits to school, as well as from reports provided by leaders, to ask challenging questions in order to bring about further improvements.
• Governors discharge their statutory duties with diligence. They monitor the school’s budget carefully. They check that safeguarding arrangements are robust and ensure that systems to manage teachers’ performance focus on improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff work together to create a culture of safeguarding which is underpinned by regular training for every member of staff at the school. All staff agree that leaders make pupils’ welfare and safety a priority.
• The safeguarding team works constructively with relevant external agencies. Staff are persistent when they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare and follow up concerns with these agencies as necessary.
• All pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they feel safe in school. Pupils have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. They understand the risks surrounding online safety and social media, for example. Pupils can identify online risks and the preventative steps that they should take to keep themselves safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have high expectations of pupils and foster strong and respectful relationships. Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan lessons that use a range of innovative strategies to stimulate pupils’ interest and curiosity.
• Teachers use the ‘do it now’ and ‘review it now’ tasks at the start and end of lessons to ensure that no learning time is wasted. It allows pupils opportunities to review their learning independently. These tasks have a positive impact on pupils’ learning and they use them when completing homework tasks. Teachers set regular homework which aids pupils’ further understanding of topics covered in lessons.
• Teachers give ongoing verbal feedback to pupils. They check pupils’ understanding effectively and provide support and intervention when pupils fall behind and need to catch up. Pupils speak highly of the support they receive in lessons and feel well supported to do their best and take risks.
• Pupils use detailed feedback to understand their mistakes and address misconceptions quickly before they become errors. Pupils are encouraged, across the curriculum, to correct their spelling, punctuation and grammar. This focus is improving pupils’ literacy awareness and skills. For example, inspectors saw spelling tests in technology and art lessons which were helping pupils to use subject-specific terms accurately.
• Leaders monitor the quality of teaching rigorously across the curriculum. As a result, teaching in science and mathematics has improved and is now strong. Consequently, pupils’ outcomes have improved and are now broadly in line with those of pupils nationally with similar starting points.
• Pupils have the capability and maturity to tackle higher and deeper thinking during challenging topics within a range of subjects. This aids their personal development and strengthens their understanding of current and topical issues.
• Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities say that they appreciate the extra help they get in lessons as this enables them to make progress. They also appreciate the specialist one-to-one support they receive from staff. The progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is good.
• Leaders regularly assess pupils’ progress and use this information to identify priorities for staff training. Teachers work closely with colleagues across the partnership and they frequently moderate work. This helps everyone to reach a common understanding about the expected standards within the new and more challenging GCSE examinations.
• Teachers do not consistently use a range of information about their pupils when planning lessons. As a result, learning is not consistently designed to take into account what pupils already know or can do. Where this is the case, pupils are disengaged in their learning and can participate in off-task behaviour.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The pastoral support provided by the school is a strength. Pupils, parents and staff are unanimous in their praise for the help, support and guidance pupils receive when appropriate.
• The school is proud of its inclusive ethos, where every pupil is valued and cared for. Pupils say that bullying is rare. They have every confidence that, when it does occur, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively by staff.
• Pupils wear their uniform with pride and look smart. They are proud of their school and look after the school environment. As a result, the school’s buildings are free from litter and graffiti.
• Pupils have numerous opportunities to explore leadership positions through the school’s pupil leadership scheme. The school council, for example, had an input in designing the new uniform and older pupils adopt a mentoring role for their younger peers to offer support when they need it. These roles contribute to pupils’ readiness for the world of work.
• Leaders monitor carefully the well-being of pupils who attend alternative provision. They track pupils’ attendance and progress. Leaders chose the courses for these pupils based on their interests and individual needs. This ensures that these pupils access learning which prepares them well for their working life. Leaders keep in regular contact with, and visit the settings of, these providers to ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for.
• Leaders plan the curriculum to ensure that pupils have a good understanding of current and topical issues, such as sexting and social media dangers. While pupils have a basic understanding of the risks surrounding radicalisation and extremism, leaders acknowledge that their plans to raise awareness of these issues are not as effective as they could be. Plans are in place to strengthen pupils’ understanding in this area further.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and learning time is rarely wasted. Behaviour during social times and in corridors at lesson change-over is calm and orderly. The vast majority of pupils who spoke with inspectors confirm that the behaviour around school and in lessons is good. Parents who responded to Parent View and staff who completed the staff survey agreed that behaviour has improved drastically. Pupils are friendly, courteous and polite.
• Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Staff supervision is high while, at the same time, allowing pupils the opportunity to correct their own behaviour. Pupils observed during lunchtime, for example, behaved in a respectful and orderly manner at all times. Inspectors saw no instances of poor behaviour.
• School leaders engage well with parents. As a result of targeted support, attendance has improved, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Attendance across the school and for groups of pupils is in line with the national average.
• The behaviour of pupils who attend alternative provision settings is monitored closely. Leaders communicate effectively and regularly with the providers to ensure that high standards of discipline are maintained. Leaders closely liaise with parents of pupils at these settings and inform them how well their child is doing.
• Fixed-term exclusions are above the national average. Inspectors saw clear evidence that this sanction is having a positive impact on managing pupils’ behaviour, although learning time is lost as a result. When pupils return from exclusions, their behaviour improves. A small number of pupils have been supported into more appropriate alternative curriculum settings when required, where they receive individualised pastoral support. The number of pupils who have been permanently excluded from school has reduced sharply.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the last inspection, outcomes in many subject areas have improved. For example, pupils’ performance in mathematics and science is now broadly in line with that of other pupils nationally with similar starting points.
• In 2017, outcomes in most subjects were in line with or rapidly moving towards national averages. Leaders’ analysis of recent assessment information suggests that the progress of pupils currently in the school is good across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.
• Leaders have devised an effective system of providing each pupil with aspirational targets which are based on their individual starting points. These targets are regularly reviewed and adjusted to take account of pupils’ individual needs. Pupils are able to explain these targets and can articulate the steps they need to take to reach their next milestones.
• Outcomes for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are good. Pupils achieve broadly in line with their peers and are supported well to reach the next steps in their education. The school’s autistic spectrum disorder base provides effective support and consistently secures strong outcomes.
• Many pupils have weak basic literacy skills when they join the school. Leaders have recently introduced a school-wide programme to improve literacy levels. This programme is funded through the Year 7 catch-up funding. As a result of this targeted intervention, the majority of pupils catch up and reach the standards expected for their age.
• The achievement of pupils at alternative provision is carefully monitored and analysed. The pupils’ curriculum has appropriately been adapted to prepare them well for their next steps in education.
• A higher-than-average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language. These pupils have well-developed English literacy skills and secure strong outcomes. They achieve as well as other pupils in the school.
• Pupils follow an appropriate curriculum at key stage 4, which is designed to prepare them well for their next steps in education or training. The vast majority of pupils take courses leading to the English Baccalaureate. Leaders use the information they have about pupils to plan individually designed GCSE pathways. Consequently, the number of pupils who leave the school and go onto further education, employment or apprenticeships is high and rising.
• While disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes are improving, inconsistencies remain. In a small number of subjects, differences from national averages still exist. Leaders have put effective plans in place to tackle this underperformance and these differences are beginning to diminish for current disadvantaged pupils.

School details

Unique reference number 138137 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 10032613 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Comprehensive School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 11 to 16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 749 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Co-chairs Sharon Rostron/Ken Morris Headteacher Marie George Telephone number 0121 566 4300 Website www.stockgrn.bham.sch.uk/ Email address enquiry@stockgrn.bham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 March 2015

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 smaller than the average secondary school. It is oversubscribed.
• The school is a founding member of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations set for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average. The school has an on-site autistic spectrum disorder base, where 11 pupils are currently educated.
• The proportion of students who are from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average, the largest group being of Pakistani heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.
• Full-time off-site alternative provision is currently provided for five pupils in Year 11 at Lighthouse Group, Oscott Academy, James Brindley School and Premier Training.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation. This included the school’s self-evaluation and action plans, minutes of meetings of the governing body, school policies, information about pupils’ attainment, progress, behaviour and attendance and information about the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.
• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 49 lessons and parts of lessons across a wide range of subjects, and observed some lessons with a senior leader. They observed pupils’ behaviour between lessons and at breaktime and lunchtime.
• Inspectors evaluated the work in pupils’ books and folders in lessons across a range of year groups. They listened to pupils of different abilities read.
• Inspectors held meetings with governors, senior and middle leaders and teachers, including those who are newly qualified and those training to become a teacher. Inspectors also met with two senior representatives from the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.
• The views of parents were considered through the 102 responses to Parent View, as well as the 26 free-text comments parents provided.
• Inspectors considered 37 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.
• Inspectors met with pupils in four separate focus groups. Inspectors had numerous informal discussions with pupils.

Inspection team

Bianka Zemke, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Dan Owen Her Majesty’s Inspector Mark Bailie Ofsted Inspector Elaine Haskins Ofsted Inspector