Crown Meadow First School & Nursery

Age group 3–9 Inspection date(s) 13–14 June 2012 Inspection number 379279 Crown Meadow First School & Nursery Inspection report

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Unique reference number 116646 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 379279 Inspection dates 13–14 June 2012 Lead inspector Marian Harker HMI

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school First School category Community Age range of pupils 3–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 330 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gill Lungley Headteacher Janette Morris Date of previous school inspection 22 March 2007 School address Birmingham Road Alvechurch Birmingham B48 7TA Telephone number 0121 4454540 Fax number 0121 4477792 Email address office@crownmeadow.worcs.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 12 teachers and 14 lessons, of which two were joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body, school staff, including senior managers, and a group of parents and carers. The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school development plan, minutes of governing body meetings, documents relating to safeguarding and teaching records. Inspectors analysed 110 parents’ and carers’ questionnaires in addition to those completed by pupils and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection.

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Information about the school

Crown Meadow is larger than the average-sized primary school. The proportions of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language are lower than average. The large majority of pupils are from White British families. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is lower than average. Those identified have moderate or specific learning difficulties. Provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is made in a morning Nursery class and two Reception classes. The school has achieved the Eco Green Flag award.

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Information about the school

QEST nursery, before-school and after-school provision operate on the school site and are inspected separately by Ofsted. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a good school. Pupils benefit from a nurturing environment and good teaching. The school is not yet outstanding because senior leaders have yet to ensure that all teaching is consistently good or better, in order to accelerate boys’ progress and those who are more able, in English. In addition, school improvement documents are not presented in a format that is easily accessible for staff, subject leaders or members of the governing body.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ achievement is good. From starting points in line with expectations for their age in the Early Years Foundation Stage pupils achieve well and attain above expected levels by the time that they leave the school in Year 4. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because they receive well-targeted teaching and support.

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Key findings

 The quality of teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. Positive relationships between staff and pupils promote a purposeful, calm and friendly climate for learning. Teachers routinely use assessment information to plan lessons but do not always plan activities that are sufficiently challenging for higher-ability pupils, particularly boys, in English. Pupils have regular opportunities to develop their writing skills, but opportunities to write extended pieces of work are limited.

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Key findings

 Pupils behave very well, help each other and are proud of their school. They are polite and courteous to visitors and enjoy their learning. Pupils and the vast majority of their parents and carers feel that the school is a safe place in which to learn.

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Key findings

 The headteacher and her senior team provide good, dedicated leadership and communicate high aspirations for pupils’ achievement. Teaching and performance management are led and managed appropriately. There is a strong emphasis on promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development that prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils, particularly boys and those who are more able, make consistently good or better progress in English by:  improving the quality of teaching so that all lessons are good or better  ensuring that all teachers use assessment information astutely to plan challenging activities for more-able boys, in English  planning more regular opportunities for pupils to write extended pieces of work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all school improvement documents are clearly presented so that they are fully understood by all staff, subject leaders and members of the governing body.

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Achievement of pupils

Inspection evidence supports the views of the vast majority of parents and carers that their children make good progress. One parent or carer expressed the typical views of others saying, ‘My child loves this school and has flourished’. In lessons, pupils work hard and are enthusiastic. Their attitudes to learning are positive and they behave very well.

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Achievement of pupils

Children settle quickly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and make good progress. They join the school with skills that are broadly in line with those expected for their age, except for writing, where skills are not as well developed. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has improved steadily over the last three years and is now above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Nearly all groups of pupils make good progress, so that, by the end of Year 4, their attainment is above national expectations and sometimes well above. However, boys generally do not achieve as well as girls, particularly in English. Higher-ability girls outperform boys noticeably in reading and writing. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs learn well in lessons because work is tailored to meet their needs and they receive good quality and caring support in order to help them achieve their individual

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Achievement of pupils

In the best lessons observed, there were many opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas, share what they had learned and make improvements to their work. In one literacy lesson, for example, pupils were given regular feedback on how well they were progressing. As a result, pupils were confident visualising and then discussing how they could improve their work. Pupils in Years 2 and 4 who read to inspectors said that they enjoyed reading. They demonstrated well-developed skills to tackle unfamiliar words and read with good intonation, thus bringing the story to Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

Lessons are thoroughly planned using a common format and up-to-date assessment information. On occasion, teachers miss opportunities to use assessment information to meet the specific needs of more-able boys in reading and writing lessons. In part, this contributes to the wide difference in attainment between more-able boys and girls across the school. In the best lessons observed during the inspection, pupils enjoyed learning new sounds in phonics, the sounds that letters make. The learning was clearly structured and the teachers’ good subject knowledge ensured that pupils learned the letter names as well as the sounds.

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Quality of teaching

Recent curriculum developments, such as carefully structured phonics lessons in the Early Years Foundation Stage and the introduction of support materials for pupils to refer to in literacy lessons, are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. The school has introduced a number of initiatives to engage and promote boys’ learning, but these are at an early stage of development. Teachers use modern technology with confidence to make learning more interesting. Learning intentions are routinely shared with pupils so that they are clear about what they are going to learn. Good relationships between pupils and adults make a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Support staff work confidently with small groups of pupils, often those who are disabled or those who have special educational needs, in order to engage and motivate them in their learning. Pupils

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Quality of teaching

have regular opportunities to develop their writing skills, often through short focused tasks where they learn about different writing styles, grammar and punctuation. However, lessons which focus on bringing together all the elements of writing where pupils can write at length are less frequent.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and provide positive comments to encourage further improvement. The school has been particularly successful in improving the quality of feedback which pupils’ receive through marking. This was an area for improvement at the previous inspection and the school has made good progress in tackling this issue. Pupils discuss their work confidently and are clear about what they have to do in order to improve their work further.

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Quality of teaching

Almost all parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agreed that their child was well taught and made good progress in their learning. However, a few parents and carers expressed their concerns about the consistency of homework. The school has plans to review the homework policy.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils behave very well in lessons, around the school, in the dining room, in assemblies and outside on the playground. Staff have a consistent approach to managing pupils’ behaviour, and pupils behave well because they enjoy coming to school and have many friends. The school has been successful in improving rates of Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

attendance since the previous inspection; the latest attendance figures are now well above the national average. All parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire or met with inspectors agree that there is a good standard of behaviour at the school. A few parents or carers felt that bullying, often name calling, was not dealt with promptly. School records indicate that bullying and exclusions are rare and are dealt with appropriately. Pupils report that they are confident that staff will sort out any problems. The school has a clear system of rewards and sanctions, and these are well known by the pupils.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Almost all pupils, and their parents and carers, who responded to the questionnaire agree that pupils feel safe when they are in school. Pupils, including those in the Early Years Foundation Stage, have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, such as when climbing on the outdoor play equipment and moving around the building, which is shared with middle-school pupils. Parents and carers, as well as pupils, report that they found the e-safety training sessions offered by the school to be very helpful.

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Leadership and management

The governing body, headteacher and senior leaders are ambitious for the school and share a vision for its continuing improvement. Since the previous inspection pupils’ attainment and progress have accelerated, rates of attendance have increased and the school has made good progress in tackling the previous areas for improvement. These successes demonstrate that the school has a strong capacity for further improvement. School improvement documents, including the school development plan, pupil progress tracking information, and feedback received by teachers after lesson observations, are all thoroughly completed. However, these documents are often over-complicated and not easily understood by staff, members of the governing body or subject leaders. Thorough tracking systems ensure that pupils’ progress is regularly checked, and anyone at risk of falling behind is identified and appropriate support provided to get them back on track. The development needs

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Leadership and management

of teachers are identified accurately and addressed with training and support. All staff have appropriate performance management targets that promote school improvement.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn about different topics in depth, and learning links are made between different subjects. At the time of the inspection, pupils were very much looking forward to welcoming visitors from their partner school in Peru. Good use is made of the school’s extensive grounds to develop pupils’ understanding of the environment. For example, children in the Nursery class were engrossed in finding mini beasts, checking their construction with a hand lens and then making their own mini beasts from natural resources such as stones and straw.

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Leadership and management

Assemblies, extra-curricular clubs and nurturing care make a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Adults are good role models and promote pupils’ personal development effectively. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

The latest requirements for safeguarding are fully met. Members of the governing body are knowledgeable about safeguarding and keep a close eye on this aspect of the school’s work to ensure that all pupils and staff are kept safe. The school is successful in ensuring equal opportunities for all pupils and in preventing discrimination.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Crown Meadow First School & Nursery, Birmingham, B48 7TA

Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave us when we inspected your school. We enjoyed talking with you about your school and visiting your lessons. The school council and eco-committee representatives do a good job on your behalf. Thank you to all of you in Key Stage 2 who completed our questionnaire. You told us that you are happy at school, you feel safe, behaviour is good and the teachers help you to improve your work. We could see that you all get on really well together, your behaviour is very good and you look after each other. We were particularly impressed by how much your attendance has improved since the school was last inspected.

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Inspection of Crown Meadow First School & Nursery, Birmingham, B48 7TA

We found that Crown Meadow is a good school. We have asked your headteacher, staff and governors to do a number of things to improve your school. We have asked your teachers to make sure that you all make at least good progress in your English lessons, particularly the boys and those of you who are more able. We have also asked that important school documents are written in a way that is helpful to all the staff and the governing body to understand easily.

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Inspection of Crown Meadow First School & Nursery, Birmingham, B48 7TA

You can help your school to improve further by keeping up your very good rates of attendance and continuing to work hard and looking after each other. Thank you for being so kind and courteous during our visit. We wish you every success in the future.

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Inspection of Crown Meadow First School & Nursery, Birmingham, B48 7TA

Marian Harker Her Majesty's Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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