Setting

Miss Rosemary Horton Broadmeadow Infant School Monyhull Hall Road Kings Norton Birmingham B30 3QJ

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Broadmeadow Infant School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 19 May 2011, for the time you gave to our phone discussions, and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection.

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Broadmeadow Infant School

There were a number of changes of teaching staff just before the last inspection, but the situation has remained stable since that time. As a result of the inspection on 4 November 2009 the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement, which are set out in the annex to this letter. Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made good progress in making improvements, and good progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Broadmeadow Infant School

Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics had, at the time of the last inspection, dipped significantly below the national average. Through the implementation of a range of well-focused activities to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, attainment improved in 2010. The school has maintained its focus on increasing the pupils’ phonic knowledge and skills, developing their writing, and sharpening their ability to calculate quickly and accurately. As a result, attainment has risen further this year and is now in line with the national average. However, although improvements in writing are evident in the pupils’ work throughout the school, attainment in writing is not quite as high as it is in reading and mathematics.

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Broadmeadow Infant School

The children continue to make a strong start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where there is a good balance of activities led by adults and those the children choose themselves. The teachers in Years 1 and 2 are now exploiting this good start through lessons that now take greater account of what pupils of differing abilities already know. Lesson plans have a much clearer focus on new learning. Many Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH Ofsted T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Serco Direct T 0121 683 3888 September 2010 Page 2 lessons are conducted at a healthy pace and are well structured to maintain the pupils’ interest and concentration. For example, opportunities for pupils to write are often set in contexts that take full account of their interests. In a good lesson in Year 2, the teacher had particular success in developing the pupils’ ability to describe a

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Broadmeadow Infant School

character by placing emphasis on improving and extending the range of words they used. In another effective lesson in Year 2, the plenary was used well to establish the extent of the pupils’ use of similes and also to ascertain the need to improve the use of adverbs in the next lesson.

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Broadmeadow Infant School

A range of assessments are scrutinised at meetings convened to evaluate the progress made by each pupil. This provides both the class teacher and the headteacher with a clear insight into those who are doing well and those who are not making as much progress as expected. The information they glean in this way ensures that steps are taken to help those pupils who need more practice. The headteacher also keeps a close eye on the quality of teaching. Lesson observations are now well focused on the impact that the teaching has on the progress made by pupils. The headteacher also gives the teachers a clear indication of how they can improve their lessons. This guidance, together with the professional development they receive, is appreciated by the teachers, who are keen to improve. The school improvement plan is comprehensive, but the evaluation of its impact focuses too heavily on the tasks completed rather than the improvements in provision and

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Broadmeadow Infant School

outcomes for the pupils. The school has been effectively supported by consultants and has benefited from productive links with other schools in the area.

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Broadmeadow Infant School

A more diverse curriculum with an international dimension has raised the profile of community cohesion. The headteacher, governors and teachers have generated a positive ethos that places a high value on attendance at school. As a result, persistent absence has fallen sharply and attendance levels have risen to close to the national average. This has been achieved by encouragement and reward for pupils, and constantly reminding parents and carers about the importance and benefits of regular attendance. Communication with parents is much improved. Parents and carers are kept well informed by newsletters giving information about activities and events, documents and meetings explaining developments in the curriculum, and the school website.

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Broadmeadow Infant School

I hope that you have found the inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Broadmeadow Infant School

Christopher Parker Additional Inspector September 2010 Page 3

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place in November 2009

 Achieve the school’s improvement priority of raising attainment in English and mathematics to above the national average by: - ensuring that teachers make full use of their assessment information to build on pupils’ current knowledge, skills and understanding, and to enable them to make good progress in each lesson - raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils are capable of, and building in greater challenge to the planned activities so that they stretch learners’ development - increasing the pace of lessons to ensure that pupils do not lose interest - reducing levels of absenteeism.

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place in November 2009

 Increase the effectiveness of the school’s leadership and management by: - monitoring the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ work more rigorously - strengthening communication links with parents and carers - evaluating the impact of recent initiatives on pupils’ outcomes - planning and evaluating the impact of actions taken to promote community cohesion.

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