Wythall, Meadow Green Primary Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make even better progress by:
  • ensuring that pupils are given more opportunities to use their mathematical skills to solve practical problems
  • giving pupils more experience of writing at length and in different subjects so that they become more confident writers.
• Improve communications with parents so that they are more regularly informed about the progress their children make.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and leaders have taken effective action to address the previous underperformance in pupils’ outcomes. There is a shared vision that enables good teaching to flourish and pupils to behave and achieve well. This is now a good and improving school.
• The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and identifies what needs to be done to improve the school further. There are suitable procedures for checking the progress and attainment of individuals and groups of pupils to help them perform as well as they can. Any pupils at risk of falling behind are quickly identified and given extra support to help them keep up with other pupils.
• Teachers are held to account for the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make in their classes. The leadership team regularly monitor teaching and cross-reference these observations with checks on pupils’ work. They mentor and coach staff effectively to develop their skills and improve their teaching practice.
• The school provides a broad and interesting range of subjects that promotes pupils’ good achievement and contributes to their personal development. Termly topics such as ‘The Battle of Britain’ and ‘Houses and Homes’ bring together aspects of many different subjects including history and art. Pupils enjoy the many additional activities like the debating club, ukulele and the singing club. Visits to the Black Country Museum and visitors such as the ‘Anglo-Saxon warrior’ provide variety and excitement and motivate pupils in their learning. However, pupils do not have enough chances to practise their skills in long pieces of written work across other subjects.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well and this is reflected in the good conduct of pupils. They are encouraged to take responsibility in the school and to support others in the community, for example through fundraising events like dressing up as characters from Roald Dahl stories to raise money for seriously ill children and their families.
• The school celebrates national events that promote British values well such as Remembrance Day and the Queen’s birthday. Pupils know about and demonstrate through their actions the key values for respect and tolerance. Pupils have a clear knowledge of democracy and put this into practice through elections to the school council. Pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The responses to the online survey (Parent View) indicate that the vast majority of parents believe the care for their children is good or better, and their children are happy at school. However, a number of parents indicated that not enough information is given to them about the progress their children make.
• The special educational needs coordinator ensures that funding received to support the achievement of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively. As a result, these pupils make good progress from their starting points.
• The pupil premium grant for disadvantaged pupils is used well. Each pupil is identified, their needs assessed and funds used to give additional support, as required, or assistance for educational visits and events, which is helping them to progress well in their learning.
• The effective use of the primary school sport and physical education (PE) funding ensures that all pupils become more physically active. It funds a specialist coach who takes sports lessons in conjunction with the teachers and also runs after-school clubs like multi-skills, athletics and football. Pupils participate well in local competitions and tournaments such as the Redditch Schools indoor athletics. As a result, pupils are becoming more physically active and healthy.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has taken effective steps to improve its oversight of the school’s work since the last inspection. Governors have received up-to-date training and streamlined the way they hold school leaders to account for the school’s performance.
• Governors know school’s strengths and weaknesses, including how it compares with other schools, how well different groups of pupils achieve and the quality of teaching. In addition to their own regular visits to the school, governors gather evidence about the school from reports and presentations from the school leaders and from talking to pupils and parents.
• Governors ensure that action is taken if teaching falls below the required standard. They have a good understanding of school finances, including how the pupil premium, special educational needs and primary sports PE funding is spent.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The headteacher has ensured that all staff and governors have read and acted on the latest guidance on keeping children safe, including that on the dangers of extremism and radicalisation.
• The school works very well in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure that pupils are safe and cared for well. Staff have a very good awareness of safeguarding issues and procedures to follow should they be concerned about a pupil’s welfare. The school helps parents understand the importance of adopting safe practices, such as using the internet safely.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is now good. Weaknesses in teaching have been effectively addressed. As a result, most pupils are making good progress in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects across the curriculum.
• Learning is typically well planned to help pupils make good progress from their starting points. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and use this to check pupils’ understanding and develop their thinking skills through targeted questions. For example, in a history lesson, effective questioning encouraged pupils to analyse how a 1940 Ministry of Information propaganda film persuaded people to think in a certain way.
• Teachers develop pupils’ writing skills well. Pupils develop the basic skills of spelling, punctuation and grammar. They are able to write for a range of purposes and audiences effectively. For instance, in a key stage 2 lesson, pupils wrote a diary entry that reflected the feelings, experience and opinions of a character effectively.
• The good teaching of phonics has ensured that pupils can build words effectively and develop their early reading skills confidently. Pupils read well and enjoy reading both in and out of school. They are able to talk about their favourite poems, such as, ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe.
• The teaching of mathematics has improved and ensures that pupils are confident in using the essential skills of calculation. In a key stage 1 numeracy lesson, pupils were engrossed, dividing numbers by making good use of objects such as cubes to count out the shared amounts correctly. On occasion, however, pupils do not have enough chances to solve everyday mathematical problems.
• Teaching assistants make a positive contribution to lessons, particularly for those who find learning difficult. They work well to support those pupils who need to catch up, using appropriate teaching resources and asking questions effectively to develop pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding.
• Teachers follow the school’s homework policy and pupils are given tasks to consolidate their learning in mathematics and English, or extend their skills through project work. Pupils told inspectors that their homework helps them with their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are confident learners, well equipped for their lessons and settle quickly to their work. Pupils enjoy helping each other when working together on tasks and activities.
• Pupils are proud of their school and know how to care for the environment, for example by turning the lights out when they are not in use and recycling a range of materials. The school buildings and grounds are free of litter, bright and filled with stimulating resources.
• Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities, such as school councillors, buddies and monitors. They learn to consider their role in society and how to help those less fortunate than themselves. For example, they gave food to the homeless and donated 50 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child.
• Pupils have a good understanding of the different forms bullying can take, including those relating to race and gender. Bullying is extremely rare and pupils are confident that staff would deal quickly and effectively with any, if it should happen. They have a good understanding of a range of safe practices, including those relating to road, rail and fire safety. Pupils are taught to stay safe when they are online and appropriate controls are in place on school computers.
• Parents and pupils greatly appreciate the well-run breakfast and after-school clubs, which provide a calm and sociable start and end to the school day.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite, kind and friendly. Pupils behave well around the school and are usually attentive and enthusiastic in lessons. However, very occasionally, their levels of concentration subside in class.
• Playtimes and lunchtimes are happy and sociable occasions. Pupils sit and chat together and welcome the opportunity to socialise with their friends. Pupils act responsibly when playing ball games in the playground, where they are well supervised.
• Leaders have worked hard to improve the behaviour of the very small number of pupils whose behaviour has been challenging. A few parents raised concerns about the impact of these pupils’ behaviour on others in school. Scrutiny of the school’s records shows that any instances of challenging behaviour have been dealt with appropriately.
• Pupils’ attendance is similar to the national average and persistent absence below average. The efforts made by the school to promote regular attendance continue to be successful.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes are good. Effective action has been taken to speed up the slow progress made by some groups of pupils at the end of key stage 2 for the last two years. Provisional outcomes for this year show most Year 6 pupils have made secure progress in reading and writing from their starting points compared to other pupils nationally. Progress in mathematics has improved although it is not quite as strong.
• Standards have risen to above average in Year 2 with pupils making rapid progress. The proportion of pupils working at greater depth has increased to above average at the end of key stage 1 and 2 this year. Most current pupils, throughout the school, are making good progress. Increasing numbers of pupils are working at the expected and higher standards. Pupils throughout the school are prepared well for the next stage of their education.
• Pupils read well. The most able pupils read fluently and less-confident readers can use the sounds that letters represent to decipher words. Outcomes in phonics remain above the national figures.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, currently in the school are being challenged to make good progress. This is because they are presented with work that that requires them to demonstrate mathematical reasoning and sophisticated writing skills.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils is carefully tracked, and additional targeted help is provided if they fall behind in their learning. Almost all are making good progress across the school because they are attempting harder work and succeeding. Consequently, differences in attainment and progress have diminished or are closing swiftly between these pupils and others nationally.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. This is because the adults who work with them provide highly effective support to ensure that they are secure in their learning.
• Work in books shows pupils make good progress across the curriculum. In science, pupils master investigative and practical skills to test their ideas. In design and technology, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems in different contexts. The study of famous musicians and artists inspires pupils to appreciate different types of art and music, develop skills in these subjects and produce their own compositions.

Early years provision Good

• The majority of children join Nursery or Reception settings with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make rapid progress, including disadvantaged children, and by the end of the Reception Year the proportion reaching a good level of development is above average. This means children are well prepared to start Year 1.
• Leadership and management of early years provision are good. Working well together, the leader and teachers develop children’s sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them, and ensure that they grow in a caring and stimulating environment.
• Children experience a rich curriculum and are provided with many opportunities to develop their imagination. For example, children mixed, rolled, and cut dough to make biscuits for Mother’s Day. In another activity, a boy showed great resilience and concentration using tweezers to pick out coins in the sand and name and sort them in the correct order.
• The assessment of children’s development is regular, rigorous and accurate. The information collected identifies the skills that individual children need to acquire. As a result, early reading, writing and number skills develop quickly.
• Every opportunity is taken to encourage children to explore and find things out for themselves. During the inspection, children enjoyed participating in a dinosaur hunt outdoors. They delighted in finding the different dinosaurs hidden in the outdoor play areas and ticking them off their checklist.
• Partnerships with parents are good and parents feel their children settle quickly. The school also has a good relationship with other nursery providers. This means children make a smooth transition when they start school.
• Adults have high expectations of the children, including that of behaviour. Consequently, children behave well, learn how to share and take turns because adults consistently show how it is done. The warm and supportive relationships staff create ensure that the children feel safe and cared for. Children are kept safe because all staff closely adhere to procedures and risk assessments.

School details

Unique reference number 116763 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10032591 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 330 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jarrod Marsland Headteacher Nathan Jones Telephone number 01564 823495 Website www.meadowgreen.worcs.sch.uk/ Email address head@meadowgreen.worcs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 March 2015

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Early years provision is part time in Nursery and full time in Reception.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average. An average proportion of pupils are in receipt of an education, health and care plan.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well below average. The school’s deprivation indicator is below average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• There is little mobility within the school. Very few pupils join ‘in year’. Most pupils stay at the school throughout their primary years.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum standards expected nationally for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school runs breakfast and after-school clubs.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment over time. They observed learning in lessons. These included joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked to pupils about their learning.
• Inspectors talked to parents as they brought their children to school and examined their responses to the online free-text survey for parents.
• Inspectors considered the views of staff that completed the online questionnaires.
• Inspectors took account of the 98 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire.
• Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the chair of governors, and a representative from the local authority and school leaders.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including: the school’s own information on pupils’ current and recent progress; planning of work in different subjects; leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning; and records relating to behaviour, attendance and the safeguarding of pupils.

Inspection team

Steve Nelson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Susan Hughes Ofsted Inspector Lisa Buffery Ofsted Inspector