Manor Way Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Maintain the current improvements to teaching in key stages 1 and 2 by:
  • making sure that teachers provide the right level of challenge for the most able pupils
  • building more effectively on what pupils already know by adapting tasks and asking questions that deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding
  • providing enough time for pupils to practise and consolidate new learning during lessons so that they all achieve as well as they can.
• Sustain the improvements to pupils’ achievement and standards in reading, writing and mathematics by:
  • ensuring that children who exceed the early learning goals in language, literacy and mathematics in the early years go on to reach the highest standards and learn in greater depth by the end of key stage 1
  • focusing on the progress made by the most able pupils throughout key stage 2 to ensure that they reach their expected learning targets and achieve the highest standards.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher and deputy headteacher are very skilful and ambitious leaders. Since joining the school and the conversion to academy status, senior leaders and staff have transformed the school and its curriculum. There is an ambitious and shared determination among all staff to continually strive for improvement. Leaders, staff, members of the trust board and governors continue to focus on improving teaching and learning.
• All the parents who spoke with inspectors, and the large majority who responded to the Ofsted survey, are very pleased with their children’s education, with one saying: ‘Over the time my children have been at the school we have seen many changes for the better. They [their children] are so happy in school.’ Many written and verbal comments from inspection surveys and discussions with inspectors reflect the similar views of most parents.
• The board of directors of the trust has succeeded in recruiting highly competent leaders and skilled teachers. This has established a secure platform for further sustained improvement.
• Staff morale is high. This is clear from the very positive responses of the vast majority of staff in the inspection questionnaire and during meetings with inspectors. The main reason for the high rate of staff approval is the coherent and effective programme of professional development, training and support for teaching and support staff. Right across the trust’s schools, expertise is shared to continually promote improved teaching and learning.
• Leaders provide highly effective support and challenge. They carry out accurate evaluations of the quality of teaching and systematic assessments of pupils’ learning. Senior leaders regularly monitor lessons and provide the right guidance for staff to improve performance.
• The deputy chief executive officer of the trust is also the education director and works closely with leaders to coordinate staff professional development and training. The trust works in close collaboration with all its schools and other organisations, for example the University of Birmingham. Subject experts and lead practitioners in different fields and subjects often model lessons to enable staff to see and share good practice. This helps to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements.
• The headteacher and governors determine the right priorities for improvement in their action plans. These well-targeted priorities and accurate evaluations come about because senior and middle leaders across the trust carry out regular peer-to-peer reviews, risk assessments and audits, as well as moderated assessments of pupils’ work and progress. By comparing each school’s performance and assessment information, school leaders are best placed to establish accurate assessments of how well, or otherwise, pupils and staff are doing.
• The pupil premium is used very well. The progress of disadvantaged pupils is accurately evaluated and appropriate interventions, teaching and support are provided. As a result, these pupils achieve as well as others and the majority reach or exceed age-related standards in every year group. Similarly, the deputy headteacher uses SEN funding very well to plan interventions and deploy resources to most effect for pupils who have additional learning needs, disabilities or learning difficulties.
• Sport and physical education (PE) are outstanding features of the school’s planned curriculum. Many pupils excel in a broad range of sports, team games and activities. The school makes very effective use of the primary PE and sport grant and has achieved the national platinum award for PE and sport. The creative aspects of gymnastics and dance are also taught exceptionally well, resulting in some former pupils representing Great Britain.
• The school appoints sports coaches and specialists who are very dedicated to providing an excellent range of activities for pupils to participate in during lessons and in after-school clubs. A large number of pupils take part in physical activity. Leaders and staff are determined that every child learns to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle. Swimming, athletics, dance and gymnastics are typical examples of the activities provided.
• The headteacher is passionate about providing a stimulating and effective curriculum, which is having a very positive impact on pupils’ personal and academic development. Leaders, staff and pupils have embraced the acronym ‘ASPIRE’ – Active learners; Sure, we can improve; Positive in our attitude; Imaginative in our thinking; Resilient when things go wrong; and 100% Effort.
• In addition, the trust introduced the ‘WAT (Windsor Academy Trust) Pledge’. This pledge includes 11 promises made to every child and family. For example, three of the pledges are that every child will at some point visit London, go camping or experience a residential visit, and meet a famous person. Speaking to pupils, inspectors found that they are enthused and eager to share some of these experiences and say that these, and many other activities, help them to behave and learn better and adopt mature, respectful and positive attitudes towards others.
• Leaders and staff have high ambitions for pupils. As one teacher put it: ‘We are never going to give up and know that our pupils are capable of achieving a lot more.’ This ambitious and determined approach to everything the school plans for pupils goes beyond learning to read, write and be mathematically competent. Leaders are aware that some of the most able pupils could be achieving higher standards and are acting to address this without being distracted from providing a rich, stimulating and broad curriculum.
• Pupils are enthused by the many and varied cross-curricular themes, topics and subjects they study. Science is a very strong feature of the school’s curriculum and pupils across the school achieve exceptionally well. At the time of the inspection, it was confirmed that the school had received a national gold achievement award in science. Music provision is extensive and includes whole-class drum lessons, peripatetic instrumental tuition and pupils taking part in musical performances and ensembles.
• Pupils’ previous work in books in geography, history, art and design and a modern foreign language (French) shows that pupils achieve well. Their work is valued highly by staff. High-quality fine art is displayed in many corridors and walls around the school. For example, the recent work of all pupils is expertly displayed, depicting Aboriginal art, carried out with a local enthusiast. This exhibition combines the techniques of Aboriginal art and design with depictions of every pupil’s learning experiences over the course of one year in their class. These are superb examples, demonstrating the high quality and standards pupils can achieve.
• Leaders and staff promote a core set of values for pupils to aspire towards. These values are integral to the British way of life, so that pupils learn to respect and understand all major faiths, beliefs and cultures. The staff plan activities, including educational visits and the use of visitors or special themes, to support pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Governance of the school

• The local advisory board (LAB) is highly effective. Members of the trust board and the LAB are skilled and diligent in exercising their duties to oversee and manage the school’s work.
• The scheme of delegation agreed with the Department for Education (DfE) sets out very clear roles and responsibilities for LAB members appointed by trust directors. The lines of accountability from the LAB to the directors of the trust are very clear and ensure that the trust and LAB hold leaders and staff to account.
• Although LAB members do not have executive powers, they form a committed and skilful team which makes a significant contribution to the work of the school and its community.
• The LAB members have an accurate understanding of the most important priorities related to teaching and pupils’ achievement. The LAB members and leaders recognise that the most immediate priority is to focus on the progress of the most able pupils.
• Members of the trust board and the LAB bring a range of expertise and skills. They are committed to both the school and the wider community of schools across the trust.
• The management of financial and human resources across the trust is very effective. This minimises any disruption to pupils’ learning when staff leave or join the school for a variety of reasons, including promotion, training and professional development.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong and vigilant culture of safeguarding to ensure that pupils are safe, protected, healthy and happy in school.
• Staff vetting and safeguarding procedures are robust and fully meet statutory requirements. The trust and governors ensure that all safeguarding policies and staff training are up to date. Systematic audits and reviews are carried out, which are tested across all the trust’s schools to ensure consistency of practice and effectiveness.
• All staff have been trained to keep children safe and are aware of the school’s arrangements for reporting any concerns. Staff have undertaken first-aid training, including paediatric first aid for early years children. Leaders, staff and governors are vigilant in protecting children from radicalisation, extremism and child exploitation.
• Leaders and staff continually endeavour to minimise any potential risks faced by pupils and young people, particularly those associated with online social media and the use of information technology.
• The headteacher is vigilant in ensuring that pupils across the school are safe from the risk of harm. She recently surveyed pupils in Year 6 to gather their views, experiences and information about their use of computers, tablets and other mobile devices when out of school. The results of the survey were shared with parents, warning them of any potential risks to their children. Parents responded positively to the survey and took appropriate steps to ensure that their children used such technology safely.
• Pupils and the parents spoken with by inspectors were unanimous in their belief that pupils are safe in school. Pupils say that the staff and other pupils make them feel very safe, valued and secure. Vulnerable pupils and families are supported and treated with dignity and care. Very good use is made of other agencies, such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the local health service. The school’s key worker works closely with the vulnerable families to ensure that pupils are happy, safe and secure in school and at home.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers make good use of assessment information about pupils’ attainment and progress to plan work that engages their interest and helps them to achieve well over time. It is common practice across classes for teachers to plan what are termed ‘anchor tasks’ at the start of each lesson in order that pupils build on what they already know and have learned before. The progress pupils make shows that teaching is effective overall and tasks are mostly used to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning. However, there are occasions during lessons when pupils do not fully grasp previous learning because they have not had sufficient opportunity to practise.
• Most teachers use excellent questioning that encourages pupils to think and share and discuss new learning with other pupils. In a mathematics lesson, for example, pupils in Year 2 were learning to use inequalities in number sentences. The questions posed by the teacher helped them to think about more complex comparisons to move their learning on further. Most pupils grasped this idea and shared it with their classmates. Others were supported by teaching assistants and teachers to help them solve simpler comparisons before moving on to more difficult tasks.
• The most effective teaching uses pupils’ starting points from assessments of their learning to plan appropriately challenging activities. However, national test results and the school’s current progress measures show that there is potential for even more of the most able pupils to reach the highest standards.
• Most of the teaching incorporates opportunities for pupils to tackle what the school calls ‘greater-depth tasks’. These are planned to be more challenging than the main ‘anchor task’ but this is not the case in some lessons. The most able pupils who are targeted to exceed age-related standards do not always have enough challenge in these greater-depth tasks. Assessments show that, in this respect, the teaching does not always offer the right level of challenge for most-able pupils. As a result, some fall short of the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teachers and support staff encourage pupils, in a range of effective ways, to improve their work so that pupils become confident learners. In a Year 5 science lesson, for example, pupils investigated how to develop a fair test. The instructions provided and the practical examples planned helped the pupils to explain their thinking about the impact of falling objects that formed craters on the moon. This and other examples from lesson observations and work in pupils’ books show that this balance of instruction, questioning and intervention by teachers and support staff enables most pupils to make good or excellent progress over time.
• The teaching of phonics in the early years and key stage 1 is very effective. As pupils develop and improve their reading skills, they have great opportunities to discuss and share ideas about books, genres and authors. Leaders encourage older pupils in key stage 2 to read a wide range of genres and books written by different authors. This develops a love of reading and improves pupils’ skills and confidence.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make very good progress. Teachers plan a range of work and interventions for these pupils within lessons with their classmates. In addition, support staff and teachers supplement this support by teaching pupils in small or individualised sessions. The SEN intervention programmes are very well managed by the coordinator and monitored closely to ensure that pupils make sustained progress.
• The small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language do very well in improving their literacy and spoken English. Teachers and teaching assistants are skilled at engaging these pupils in lessons to improve their spoken and written English.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• ‘I am really proud to be at this school, it is great’ and ‘Teachers are kind and always help you’ were just some of the numerous positive comments made by pupils to inspectors. Pupils have excellent opportunities to influence the work of the school. For example, the junior leadership team, prefects, school senators, playground pals, reading buddies, anti-bullying ambassadors, eco councillors and more contribute to their school community.
• School senators came up with ideas to improve playground equipment and presented their proposals to governors. The ‘chicken crew’ care for the school’s chickens and collect eggs to be sold to raise money for charities. Inspectors found that everywhere they looked outside of lessons times, a large number of pupils were engaged in responsible positions or jobs, including older pupils who look after the youngest children from the early years at breaktimes.
• There is a strong sense of communal responsibility and collective endeavour in the school, so that all pupils have opportunities to participate and contribute to their school community. This is having a huge impact on pupils’ personal, social and moral development. Three of the 11 pledges set out by the trust for all its schools are for every pupil to learn to become a first aider, to learn survival skills and to learn to swim. These not only reinforce and promote the safety of pupils, but also have a very positive impact on their self-confidence to cope with life beyond school as they grow and develop into worthwhile citizens of the future.
• Many parents commented to inspectors that their children settled into school very well because the headteacher, staff and other pupils are so caring and respectful of everyone. Another parent, reflecting most of the views expressed by parents, stated, ‘This is a lovely school. Everyone really cares for each other.’ Inspectors agree and found that leaders and staff are very committed to pupils’ personal development and well-being. The school makes very good use of the school nurse. She is a regular visitor and provides advice and guidance for pupils, parents and staff.
• Pupils respond very well in lessons and to the excellent opportunities they have to study special topics or engage in creative and preforming arts. For example, pupils thoroughly enjoyed taking part in a dance performance at a hotel to open one of the trust’s conferences. Pupils of all ages perform in musical ensembles at Dudley Town Hall. The school senate organised a formal presentation to all trust schools at the ‘student senate summit’. These experiences make pupils feel proud and develop their confidence and skills, which prepares them exceptionally well for the next stages of their education and working lives.
• The school is successful in tackling any form of discrimination in a cohesive and supportive school community. The wide range of educational visits and visitors, such as specialist advisers, tutors and artists, improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the different cultural, religious and ethnic traditions that exist in the United Kingdom and beyond. These activities make a strong contribution to pupils’ cultural development.
• Staff make sure that pupils are taught how to stay safe. Leaders and staff also ensure that pupils’ mental health is considered. The use of the ‘worry monster’ enables pupils to raise issues and approach staff with concerns. Alternatively, they can write about what concerns them and post these worries into the ‘worry box’. The pupils who spoke with inspectors confirmed that they feel safe in school and confident that there is always someone who they can turn to if they have concerns.
• Pupils take really good care of resources and their school community. The school is well maintained, clean and stimulating, which is appreciated and respected by pupils. There is no litter or unkempt area of the school, reflecting how well pupils care for their school community.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are proud of their school. They dress smartly. Pupils with specific responsibilities wear the school badge with honour. Pupils are keen to show visitors their work displayed around the school and they appreciate the way staff value their efforts.
• Pupils cooperate very well in lessons and at other times. They are kind and helpful to each other and willingly offer praise to other pupils, including those who have SEN and/or disabilities. These positive characteristics make a very good contribution to pupils’ moral and social development.
• Pupils explained to inspectors that it is easy to make and keep friends. They say that they trust the adults who care for them, including those who supervise them at lunchtimes. The supervisors and cooks who spoke with an inspector confirmed that pupils are usually very well behaved and that there are warm and positive relationships among pupils and with adults.
• Pupils listen carefully and respond enthusiastically during class discussions. For example, during a science lesson, pupils in Year 6 were very keen to share and generate ideas about fossils and how these were formed. Pupils willingly encouraged those in their group to offer ideas and they listened to each other with respect and courtesy, so that even the most reluctant pupils were encouraged to contribute. This is excellent behaviour.
• Pupils thoroughly enjoy special visits to places of interest that broaden their interests and learning experiences. For example, older pupils took part in a workshop at a professional dance studio, led by a dancer who performed in the West End. The school teams were finalists in the Dudley mathematics and reading championships. These and many more examples of enrichment activities and events help pupils to develop and behave exceptionally well. In addition, pupils learn to experience a broad range of social and cultural activities that have a very positive impact on their behaviour and attitudes to learning.
• Staff work well with families to encourage pupils to attend school regularly and arrive on time. Pupils enjoy school, and this is clearly reflected in their keen and smiling faces as they come through the school gates each morning with their parents and families. Attendance rates are high and pupils are usually punctual and ready for school and learning. Any pupils who arrive slightly late are checked in by administrative or support staff with sensitivity and encouragement. Parents fully support the school by bringing or sending their children to school regularly and on time.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Most children join the pre-school or Reception class with skills and abilities that are typical for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy. The standards pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stages 1 and 2 represent good rates of progress in relation to these starting points.
• The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year represents strong progress. The most recent unvalidated assessment information shows sustained improvement in both the early years and key stage 1. The national phonics screening check results in Years 1 and 2 show excellent progress, resulting in pupils reaching above-average standards in reading and writing by the end of key stage 1.
• Last year’s national assessments at key stage 1 show that standards were above the national average and pupils made good progress. The results represented a sustained improvement on previous years’ assessments. Most pupils reach age-related standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the proportion of pupils exceeding age-related standards varies from year to year, but is typically below average. There is potential for more pupils who exceeded the early learning goals in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of the Reception Year to attain higher standards by the end of key stage 1.
• For key stage 2, 2017 national assessments show improvement on the previous results in 2016, particularly in reading and writing. The most recent national results in 2018, although unvalidated, point to sustained improvement in reading and writing. Like key stage 1, previous national test results show that the proportion of the most able pupils exceeding age-related standards by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics varies and is usually below average. Current unvalidated results for Year 6 in 2018 show improvement in reading but less so in mathematics.
• Pupils make good progress at key stage 2. They are well prepared for secondary education, as they acquire secure core literacy and mathematics skills to be able to cope with the key stage 3 curriculum. However, there is still scope to improve the achievement of the most able pupils so that more learn in greater depth and reach the highest standards.
• Pupils across the school make excellent progress in science, resulting in standards that compare exceptionally well with national outcomes. Pupils also thrive and develop exceptionally well in PE, swimming and sport. These achievements make a significant contribution to pupils’ preparation for secondary education.
• The small number of disadvantaged pupils make similar rates of progress to other pupils nationally. It is difficult to compare the standards reached by disadvantaged pupils with others, as the small numbers in each year group make it difficult to come to a reliable assessment. The small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language make very good progress. They settle into school quickly and are helped to converse in English and improve their confidence and fluency in spoken and written English.
• Accurate assessments of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching help leaders identify any dips in the achievement of disadvantaged pupils early to plan appropriate interventions and support so that they can catch up quickly. In addition, leaders and staff are quick to respond to any changes to year groups, such as those caused by pupils joining and leaving the school at different times. Assessments show that pupils who have been in key stage 2 for two or more years have made good progress.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make very good progress because they receive carefully tailored and timely support. The very effective management of this provision enables teachers and support staff to plan the right interventions for these pupils. These include effective support and one-to-one tuition for pupils who have specific additional language or emotional needs that affect their learning and behaviour.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Early years children make great progress in relation to their starting points. Most children in the Reception class typically reach a good level of development in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion exceeding the early learning goals in literacy and mathematics compares very well with national figures.
• Although the inspection took place in the second week of the school year, children in both the pre-school and Reception classes have settled into school very well. This is an indication of strong early years practice and highly skilled oversight of the provision across both settings.
• Highly effective teaching and support for children and families prepare the children very well for the next stage of their education. There are very effective transition arrangements in place when children move from Reception into Year 1. This lays strong foundations for learning and development in key stage 1.
• In the pre-school class, three-year-olds are already very settled. The teacher and teaching assistant make sure that the children have plenty of stimulating and purposeful indoor and outdoor activities to engage them. Adults provide sensitive care and attention to children’s needs. The children are making very good progress in all areas of learning appropriate to their age and capabilities.
• In the Reception class, indoor and outdoor resources are easily accessible to the children and provide a stimulating environment for play and learning. The staff provide very good care and plan exciting activities that improve children’s physical and emotional development in safe and secure surroundings.
• Children throughout the early years are very well behaved and attentive. They listen to instructions and are polite to each other and to adults. The adults are very good at allowing the children to resolve rare differences or arguments themselves and only step in to help and support if needed. This practice enables the children to improve their emotional capacity when resolving conflict, as well as their social development when playing and learning with other children.
• Early literacy and phonics skills are taught very well. The children in both the pre-school setting and Reception class learn to recognise and form letters and to recite stories, nursery rhymes and songs.
• The children throughout the early years are encouraged to form letter shapes as they sound them out during phonics sessions. Stimulating and creative activities, such as tracing shapes with their fingers in glitter, pointing and drawing ‘curvy’ snakes that look like the letter ‘s’ and recognising simple spelling patterns in words, help the children improve their early reading and writing skills.
• Children make very good progress in their mathematical development. For example, Reception children improved their knowledge of numbers by ‘looking for treasure’. This was an excellent example of one of the many outdoor activities planned for children. They hunted for hidden numbers and negotiated with their classmates as to where to put the numbers, so they were in the right numerical order. The children were building very well on what they had learned about numbers in pre-school.
• Role play is well planned and improves pupils’ language and communication skills. Both pre-school and Reception children improve their language and self-confidence when cooperating with other children and sharing equipment. Reception children like to read stories and share books together, helping them to form good reading habits when handling books together. There are excellent opportunities for children in both settings to recite familiar stories and recall their favourite characters.
• There is strong leadership and oversight of the early years provision. This is the first year that pre-school children have transferred into the Reception class. Assessments are accurate and moderated across the trust’s schools. Evidence that the children who joined Reception this year have benefited from the excellent start they made in pre-school is reliable and convincing.
• All statutory welfare requirements, including assessments and the provision made for three-year-olds, are met. Staff are very well qualified and have the necessary experience and expertise to deliver effective teaching and sustain improved outcomes for children.

School details

Unique reference number 142355 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 10053452 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 201 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair (Local Advisory Board) Anthony Potter Headteacher Lisa Buffery Telephone number 0121 272 7310 Website www.manorway.net Email address data@manor.windsoracademytrust.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Manor Way Primary School converted to academy status in October 2015 and this is its first inspection since conversion. The predecessor school was inspected in January 2014 and was judged to require improvement. There have been significant changes to governance, leadership and staffing since conversion.
• The school is one of five primary and three secondary schools in the Windsor Academy Trust (WAT). The chief and deputy chief executive officers of WAT, together with the board of directors, appointed LAB members to the school’s local advisory board. The headteacher joined the school in September 2016. Other senior and middle leaders have also been appointed since the school became an academy.
• Each school in the trust has its own local advisory board of governors. The board of directors, through its scheme of delegation and funding agreement with the DfE and the Education Funding Agency, has direct oversight of all the schools across the trust. The board has direct responsibility for the management and devolvement of governance, finances and human resources for all its schools.
• Manor Way is smaller than most primary schools. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and others have a range of heritages. Very few pupils join the school speaking English as an additional language.
• The school’s early years provision comprises a pre-school class for up to 26 three-year-old children and one Reception class for four- and five-year-olds. The children in the pre-school (Manor Way Minis) attend either part-time or full-time, with flexible arrangements to accommodate parents’ needs. The trust and governors have direct oversight and responsibility for this pre-school provision.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is in line with that of most schools and includes mainly pupils who have moderate learning difficulties and/or emotional or behavioural needs, including autism spectrum disorder.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is well below average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited parts of lessons, some jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work in books, assessment information and records of previous work, including work displayed on walls, in corridors and in the school hall. An inspector observed a school assembly.
• The inspectors considered a range of documentation including: leaders’ evaluations of the school’s effectiveness; the school’s improvement and action plans; assessment information and tracking data about pupils’ achievement, progress and performance; and documents or data relating to governance, teaching, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils during lessons. They met with two groups of pupils to hear them read and with other pupils to discuss their work, behaviour and safety. Inspectors spoke to pupils during breaks and lunchtimes to ask them for their views about the school. An inspector also met with representatives of the school’s pupil senate and junior leaders’ team. Inspectors spoke with pupils who have specific responsibilities, such as the head boy, head girl, play leaders and the ‘chicken crew’.
• Inspectors spoke to several parents to seek their views about the school and analysed 101 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, as well as the 98 free-text responses and comments from parents sent to Ofsted’s West Midlands regional office. The lead inspector analysed the 15 responses from staff to online inspection surveys. Inspectors also talked to the staff team during the inspection to gauge their views about the support they receive.
• Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and teachers responsible for managing a subject or area, such as SEN provision. The lead inspector held a meeting with two LAB members, including the chair of the local advisory board and a director of the trust, to discuss governance and oversight of the work of the school. The lead inspector also met with the chief and deputy chief executive officers of WAT. An inspector spoke with the school’s key worker, who is responsible for working with vulnerable families and pupils. A meeting was also held with the school nurse to discuss pupils’ welfare needs and safety.

Inspection team

Charalambos Loizou, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Michael Appleby Ofsted Inspector