Brewood CofE (C) Middle School 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 leadership at all levels by developing a strategic overview of how well different groups of pupils are achieving in all subjects.
• Broaden CIAG to support career choices beyond key stage 4.
• Ensure that teachers consistently plan work to meet the needs of lower-attaining pupils in all subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher’s determination to ensure that all pupils receive a high-quality and well-rounded education is to be admired. He acts as a role model to his staff, who value his support, guidance and challenge. Following the last inspection, he has led and driven significant improvements across the school. Safeguarding and attendance procedures are exceptionally strong and the school provides pupils with a good standard of education in all areas.
• The headteacher holds teachers to account for their performance through detailed appraisal processes. He provides all staff with support to help them achieve their targets, but does not shy away from tackling weak teaching if it occurs. Teachers receive a range of training opportunities to meet their individual needs, including visits to other schools to observe best practice. This professional development and support improve the quality of teaching and learning, which continues to go from strength to strength.
• The leadership of special educational needs is very effective, and additional funding received is spent wisely. Policies and special educational needs information are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that the systems in place provide pupils who have SEN and/disabilities with the right support to help them make good progress. Leaders also work with external agencies where additional support is needed, especially for pupils who have education, health and care plans. Teachers and teaching assistants know and understand the additional needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and plan well to meet these needs in lessons. The support provided by teaching assistants is highly effective. As a result, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make particularly good progress across the curriculum.
• The school’s curriculum policy states that: ‘The curriculum is the totality of a pupil’s experience in school.’ Leaders have redesigned the curriculum carefully to ensure that it lives up to this statement. Leaders place a high emphasis on the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, but this is not to the detriment of other subjects. They ensure that pupils’ love of learning is developed across a range of subjects. The primary curriculum includes the full range of national curriculum subjects and the key stage 3 curriculum is equally broad and balanced. The ‘LIFE’ programme enhances pupils’ PSHE together with their spiritual, moral and cultural learning exceptionally well.
• Leaders supplement the curriculum with a range of enrichment activities such as local trips and residential visits to Poland, Germany and Italy. Pupils can also attend a range of sporting and musical clubs. The rich and stimulating curriculum ensures that pupils are well prepared for the wide range of varied and challenging experiences they may encounter in modern Britain.
• After the last inspection, a pupil premium review was carried out. Leaders responded quickly to this review and developed an action plan to address the recommendations. These actions were followed up successfully. Additional funding is used well to support disadvantaged pupils. It funds additional support such as the homework club, mentoring and the ‘Ready to Learn’ club.
• Leaders also place a high emphasis on increasing disadvantaged pupils’ aspirations and raising their self-esteem by ensuring that they have full access to the enrichment activities such as the careers fair and the residential trips. Leaders have also addressed the attendance issues of some disadvantaged pupils, and their attendance shows an improving trend. Teachers know the needs of disadvantaged pupils and plan accordingly to meet these needs. The school’s assessment information demonstrates the positive impact of the spending, with the majority of disadvantaged pupils making progress in line with their peers, and in a number of cases they make better progress than their peers.
• Leaders also use the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium funding effectively. Leaders plan the spending carefully to develop both immediate and long term projects. For example, the size of the sports area has increased, staff have received PE training and development and ‘active minutes’ have been introduced in key stage 2. Leaders also encourage pupils who are reluctant to engage in physical activities to be more active. All pupils take part in at least six sporting events each year, representing their houses in these events. Leaders’ reviews of the spending show that it is having a positive impact on improving the physical activity of all pupils.
• Leaders make sure that the teaching of reading is a high priority across the school. Pupils say that they read widely and have opportunities to read in school every day. The redesigned library means that they are able to choose from a wide range of reading materials, covering different types of literature, including non-fiction. Leaders and teachers match the reading materials precisely to pupils’ abilities using a detailed assessment system and this helps pupils to make good progress in their reading. Year 7 literacy catch-up premium is used well to help pupils make improved progress in reading and writing.
• Leaders at all levels are ambitious and highly aspirational for all pupils. They work as a team and their aims are to provide pupils with the best quality education. The headteacher encourages leaders to contribute their own ideas to the school improvement journey. For example, a teaching and learning newsletter was developed. Staff contribute best practice ideas to the newsletter, which are then shared with the whole teaching team. This is helping to further improve the quality of teaching across the school.
• Leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning and pupils’ outcomes in their particular area of responsibility. Leaders have a detailed understanding of where the strengths and areas for development are in their areas. They receive effective support from the headteacher to improve their leadership skills. However, while the school’s leaders are effective in their roles and contribute well to school improvement, they do not yet analyse the outcomes of different groups of pupils in sufficient detail. This means that they do not have a strategic overview of which groups of pupils are performing well, or not achieving as highly as they should.
• When pupils join the school, staff help them to settle quickly. Staff also prepare pupils well for their move to the high schools. For example, ambassadors from the high schools visit Year 8 pupils to talk about, and alleviate, any worries or concerns they may have about moving on to their next school. Pupils receive CIAG and attend the careers fair at the National Exhibition Centre. They also have the opportunity to visit Keele University. However, the school does not currently offer Year 8 pupils any information about opportunities after key stage 4, such as apprenticeships.
• The headteacher is proactive in seeking advice and support to help the school improve even further. Since the last inspection, he has worked with the local authority and advisers from St Chad’s Academies Trust. The headteacher, leaders and governors act upon all advice given in their drive to provide pupils with the best possible education. As the school improvement adviser said: ‘This school is a learning school and leaders never stop listening to, or wanting, advice.’ The openness of the whole school community to advice and support has led to some significant improvements since the last inspection.

Governance of the school

• Governors are well informed about all aspects of the school’s performance, including how additional funding received is spent. However, they do not take the information that leaders provide at face value. Governors check that the leaders’ reports accurately reflect what is happening in the school by visiting the school regularly, conducting learning walks, scrutinising attendance and safeguarding information and speaking to staff. Governors ensure that they hold leaders to account robustly.
• After the last inspection, governors responded swiftly to all the areas for improvement in the report. Governors have a deep understanding of their responsibility to keep pupils safe and ensure that all staff follow the school’s policies and procedures. They review the safeguarding procedures regularly and continually look for ways to strengthen them even further.
• Governors proactively seek support and guidance from a range of external advisers. An external review of governance was completed last year and governors have responded to all the recommendations made within the report. They wrote a detailed governors’ action plan and tackled the areas for development successfully. Consequently, governors now provide leaders with support and challenge in equal measure and are highly effective in their roles.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have created an exceptionally strong culture of safeguarding which permeates throughout the whole school. Every member of staff at Brewood is committed to ensuring that pupils are kept as safe as possible. All staff say that safeguarding is ‘everyone’s responsibility’, and their knowledge and understanding about all aspects of safeguarding are very impressive. They receive weekly bulletins which focus on key safeguarding areas, including how to spot signs that a pupil may be suffering harm, who to report their concerns to and what to do if they feel their concerns are not being addressed.
• Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training through a comprehensive safeguarding professional development programme. Staff also complete an audit of their safeguarding knowledge and leaders identify and provide further bespoke training and support where needed. In addition to this, appraisal processes also hold staff to account for their duty to protect pupils.
• Following the last inspection, leaders commissioned a safeguarding review of the school and acted swiftly upon all the recommendations. For example, they improved the site security, made the bus drop-off and collection procedures safer, increased the number of staff supervising pupils at the beginning and end of the days and introduced a ‘walkie-talkie’ system so additional help can be called for and provided quickly when needed. In addition to this, the attendance procedures were completely reviewed. These procedures are now extremely robust. However, leaders do not rest on their laurels. They continually check that their actions to further improve safeguarding are effective. They regularly seek external reviews of their safeguarding procedures to make sure that pupils are kept as safe as possible.
• Staff record any concerns they may have about a pupil and alert leaders to these concerns through the ‘red box’. Leaders then quickly follow up the concerns, including passing referrals on to outside agencies, such as social care or mental health services, if necessary. The child protection records are well maintained. Leaders record how they follow up concerns raised and what the outcomes of their actions are, including the response of outside agencies. All records are securely held. Careful checks are made on all people who work and volunteer in the school to ensure that they pose no risk to pupils. Leaders also follow all safer recruitment procedures when employing new staff, including checking references.
• Pupils say they feel safe in school. On inspection, pupils gave many examples of how staff keep them safe in school. For example, they practise ‘lock down’ procedures and fire drills, take part in e-safety lessons and learn about road safety. Pupils say it is easy to spot a member of staff if they need help when outside because staff wear ‘hi-vis’ jackets. Leaders have developed a bespoke learning programme to teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, not only in school, but also in the wider world. The ‘Living in Freedom and Equality’ (LIFE) programme provides pupils with an exceptionally strong education in keeping safe. For example, Year 8 pupils watched a theatre production which taught them how to protect themselves from sexual exploitation.
• Safeguarding procedures at Brewood are of the highest quality and are the first priority of every member of staff. As a result, pupils feel safe and staff keep them as safe as possible.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use what they know about what pupils can do to plan highly engaging and stimulating lessons, well matched to pupils’ learning needs. Teachers’ planning identifies what pupils’ next steps are and provides them with challenge, but also support where needed. As a result, pupils are eager to learn, contribute enthusiastically in their lessons and make good progress.
• Very positive relationships exist between teachers and pupils. An atmosphere of mutual trust and respect permeates throughout the whole school. This means that pupils are not afraid to have a go at any challenge that is presented to them. For example, in mathematics teachers give pupils the option to challenge themselves through bronze, silver, gold and platinum tasks. Pupils respond to these options enthusiastically, with the vast majority eagerly taking on the challenges of the next level. Pupils show a high level of resilience in their learning and do not give up when things do not go well.
• Teachers encourage pupils to explain their learning in a range of subjects and pupils show confidence when doing so. Teachers help pupils to use the correct technical vocabulary in their explanations which further supports their learning.
• Teaching assistants and teachers provide pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities with excellent support. This helps to develop their confidence and these pupils make very strong progress in all aspects of the curriculum.
• Teachers give pupils high-quality verbal and written feedback which supports and develops learning, in line with the school’s policy. As a result, pupils know where they are in their learning and what they need to do to improve. This further supports the good progress pupils make in all subjects.
• Teachers plan carefully to ensure that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are developed in a range of different subjects. Work in pupils’ books shows that literacy and numeracy in other subjects is of a similar quality to that in English and mathematics. This helps pupils to make particularly strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teachers use questions extremely well to check pupils’ understanding. They then promote further learning swiftly through more challenging questions. This encourages pupils to think more deeply and further accelerates their learning.
• Teaching assistants provide highly effective support. They work closely with teachers to make sure that their modelling and questioning are consistent with that of the teachers. Teaching assistants also know the needs of the pupils they support very well. Their positive relationships and the effective support they provide contribute to the good progress pupils make.
• The quality of teaching is consistently good across the school in all subjects. However, on some occasions, teachers fail to match the work that they provide for lower-attaining pupils to their understanding or previous learning. As a result, this group sometimes find tasks are too difficult for them and they leave work unfinished. This limits the progress they could make.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils exude a love of learning in all aspects of the curriculum and are eager to talk about their learning. Pupils say they are proud to be part of the school and understand how important their education is. Attitudes to learning are outstanding across the school. Almost all pupils take a high level of responsibility for their own learning and strive to achieve their very best.
• Pupils support one another and show a genuine pleasure in others’ achievements. For example, in mathematics lessons ‘maths sheriffs’ readily offer guidance and support when their peers need help and congratulate their friends when they achieve the task. The support and guidance pupils receive from all staff and their peers mean that they have high levels of resilience and are not afraid to tackle any challenge which may come their way.
• The school has introduced the ‘LIFE’ programme which covers all aspects of the PSHE curriculum, including life skills. It also develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and their understanding of fundamental British values exceptionally well. This comprehensive programme also helps pupils to understand how to protect themselves from radicalisation and extremism.
• The leader of ‘LIFE’ is a Stonewall champion and pupils learn about the importance of respecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. Pupils’ respect for all people is to be admired. For example, pupils asked the leader of ‘LIFE’ if they could develop a charter for LGBT rights, which is now in place. Pupils say that the ‘LIFE’ programme ‘helps us think about what is right and wrong and how doing things can make people feel’. This part of the pupils’ education prepares them exceptionally well to be responsible and considerate citizens in Britain and the wider world.
• Pupils understand what bullying is, but say that it rarely happens. Pupils all say that if they were worried or had a concern about bullying or anything else, there would always be someone they could turn to in school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are courteous, friendly and welcoming. They are very mature and have high expectations of their own and others’ behaviour. They do not appreciate or tolerate ‘silly’ behaviour in lessons. Pupils follow rules and routines without hesitation such as handing in mobile phones at the start of the day. Consequently, standards of behaviour are exceptionally high across the school and no learning is disrupted by poor behaviour.
• Leadership of behaviour is highly effective. All behaviours are recorded, both positive and negative. Leaders’ analysis of behaviour patterns shows that 98% of behaviours recorded this year are positive. This is exceptionally high and reflects the exemplary behaviour in classes and around the school. Pupils value the rewards they receive and strive to achieve the accolade of being the monthly winner of the most praise points.
• Where inappropriate behaviour occurs, leaders deal with it immediately, including meeting and working closely with parents. Staff give pupils effective support to help them improve their behaviour where needed, including providing mentoring and a space for pupils to reflect when needed, especially before school and at lunchtimes. As a result of this positive support, exclusions have reduced dramatically this year.
• Procedures to check and monitor pupils’ attendance are of the highest quality. Teachers record pupils’ attendance accurately on the attendance registers, which are checked twice a day to ensure that all staff know where pupils are. If a pupil does not attend school and no reason is received, calls, emails and texts are sent to the parents. If no further response is received, this is followed up with a home visit. No stone is left unturned to check where pupils are when they are not in school. No pupils attend school on a part-time basis.
• Leaders monitor the attendance of pupils very closely. They discuss any concerns about a pupil’s attendance at weekly leadership meetings. Leaders also share concerns with class and form teachers. Leaders seek additional support where needed to help pupils attend school more regularly. The ‘Ready to Learn’ club provides a positive start to the day for many pupils and also encourages some pupils to attend school more regularly. As a result of leaders’ highly effective actions to address previous issues with attendance, overall attendance is in line with the national average. Persistent absence has reduced this year, significantly so for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Disadvantaged pupils’ persistent absence has also improved, and is now in line with national averages.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils enter this school midway through key stage 2 in Year 5. Published data in 2017 shows that pupils at the end of Year 6 achieved standards broadly in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. This data also shows that these pupils made progress in line with the national average in reading. Progress in writing and mathematics was below national averages.
• Leaders track individual pupils’ progress from entry to the school in Year 5 to the end of Year 8. Assessment systems are used consistently by all staff. Teachers assess pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics on entry to Year 5, and then set challenging targets for pupils to meet by the end of each year. Teachers assess pupils’ learning regularly throughout the year to check that they are on track to meet their targets. Pupils understand the assessment system well and know where they are in their learning, and what they need to do in order to achieve their targets.
• In reading, writing and mathematics, leaders’ analysis of current assessment information shows that high proportions (over 95%) of pupils are making the progress they should. Work in current pupils’ books supports this analysis. There are many examples where pupils show that they are making accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics in all year groups.
• Current assessment information also shows that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make particularly strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Almost all of these pupils are on track to meet their targets. Many of them are making accelerated progress and are set to exceed their targets. This is evident in their books, where teachers’ careful planning matches their learning needs very well and enables them to make strong progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils currently are making strong progress. Their progress is in line with their peers, and in some year groups these pupils are making more progress than their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. This strong progress is helping disadvantaged pupils to catch up with the standards they should achieve for their age.
• The most able pupils receive a high level of challenge in all subjects, and enjoy rising to this challenge. These pupils make strong progress in all areas of the curriculum. Lower-attaining pupils generally make good progress. However, just occasionally when work is too challenging, their progress slows.
• Leaders and teachers track pupils’ attainment and progress in all subjects. A review of books from across a range of subject areas shows that pupils are making strong progress across the curriculum because of the consistently good teaching.
• Leaders’ analysis of pupils’ progress is highly detailed. Pupil progress meetings identify any pupils who are not on track to meet their end of year target, and additional support is put in place quickly to help them catch up with where they should be. However, leaders’ strategic analysis of the progress different groups of pupils make is less well developed.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 124452 Staffordshire 10038851 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 Middle deemed secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 9 to 13 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 420 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr Peter Haywood Mr David Swift 01902 850266 www.brewood.staffs.sch.uk/ headteacher@brewood.staffs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 December 2016

Information about this school

• Brewood CofE Middle School is a smaller-than-average middle deemed secondary school.
• Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and most speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average.
• The proportion of pupils identified as having SEN and/or disabilities is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or education, health and care plan is also in line with the national average.
• No pupils in the school are currently being educated by any other provider.
• No pupils are on part-time timetables.
• 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 by the end of Year 6.
• The school runs a breakfast club: the ‘Ready to Learn’ club.
• There is a hard federation between St Mary’s CE First School at Wheaton Aston and Brewood C of E Middle School. There is one governing body and one executive headteacher for the two schools.
• Brewood C of E Middle School has an executive headteacher, a deputy headteacher and one assistant headteacher.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups.
• Inspectors met with pupils, heard a selection of pupils read and observed pupils before school and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, the primary leader, the leader of provision for special educational needs, and middle leaders who have additional responsibilities. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and representatives of St Chad’s Academies Trust. Inspectors spoke to a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also spoke to teachers and non-teaching staff.
• Work in pupils’ books from all year groups and a range of subjects was looked at.
• A number of documents were considered including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans. Inspectors also considered information about pupils’ progress, behaviour, attendance and safety.
• There are no responses in the last 365 days to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. No pupil or staff surveys were undertaken.

Inspection team

Ann Pritchard, lead inspector Nicola Walters Rob Steed Bianka Zemke Mark Henshaw

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector