Temple Meadow Primary School

Temple Meadow Primary School Wrights Lane, Cradley Heath, B64 6RH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has risen strongly since the previous inspection. Pupils enjoy their learning and are excited about learning something new. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are now making good progress.  Children make a good start to their school lives in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where the lively surroundings and good teaching ensure they enjoy their learning and make rapid progress.  Most teaching is good or outstanding. Teachers ensure that tasks enthuse and interest pupils to learn successfully. There is a high level of consistent practice across the school.  Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school and often exemplary. Pupils are extremely polite and take pride in being well- mannered.  Pupils say that the school keeps them very safe and all groups of pupils get on well together. Adults, throughout the school, are focused on

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

ensuring that all pupils, and particularly those facing challenging circumstances, receive the care they need to ensure their wellbeing.  The headteacher and her deputy have relentlessly and rigorously addressed the areas for development identified by the previous inspection. They are well supported by the wider leadership team and by the governing body in driving improvement in all areas of the school’s work. They show a strong capacity to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. In a small minority of lessons the pace of learning is too slow because pupils are sometimes given too long to complete a task.  Not all teachers use questioning effectively to make pupils think about their learning.  Sometimes teachers do not make it clear enough, in lessons or through marking, how pupils can improve their work and reach their targets.  There are limited opportunities for pupils to use computers in classrooms.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, four of which were jointly observed with one of the school’s senior leaders. They also made a number of short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, parents, members of the governing body, the local authority improvement partner and staff, including subject leaders.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at policies, self-evaluation and development planning, monitoring records, information about pupils’ progress, safeguarding documents, and samples of pupils’ work.  The views of 17 parents and carers who responded to the school’s questionnaire were taken into account. (Parent View). In addition, a letter from a parent was taken into account together with 25 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Mary Davis, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Daley Additional Inspector Timothy McGuire Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average, with the largest group having speech, language and communication needs.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is average with the largest groups being of Pakistani heritage. A high proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language with some, newly arrived, at an early stage of learning English.  Over 40% of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for looked after pupils and those known to be eligible for free school meals).  The school serves a community where a high proportion of pupils and their families face challenging circumstances.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school is part of the Rowley Learning Trust, with four other local primary schools supporting collaboration and school improvement.  The school has experienced some staffing disruption over recent years and this has been especially the case for pupils currently in the upper years which has affected their education.  The privately run ‘Kids Club’ uses the school buildings to provide before- and after-school and holiday childcare and is subject to separate inspection arrangements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Consolidate the good teaching and increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring that pupils’ learning in lessons proceeds at a fast pace and that time is not wasted  developing teachers’ skills in questioning so that pupils are fully challenged to think about and explain their answers  ensuring that all teachers explain clearly, both in lessons and through marking, how pupils can improve their work and meet their targets.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide more opportunities for pupils to use computers in their classrooms to enrich their learning and further develop their information, communication and technology skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Nursery and Reception classes with skills, knowledge and understanding that are typically well below the levels expected for their age. Children currently in classes are now making rapid progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage, developing good learning and listening skills, preparing them well for Key Stage 1. This is because the new leadership of this key stage has established improved teaching. Children’s achievement is now good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Over recent years, pupils have entered Key Stage 1 with levels of attainment below those expected. By the end of Year 2, levels of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics have consistently been significantly below average. Over the last two years, however, they have risen to close to average in reading, writing and mathematics and with an above average proportion of more-able pupils reaching the higher-level 3.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results of Key Stage 2 national tests have also shown a rising trend and, despite Year 6 pupils entering this key stage with attainment significantly below average, recent results show that attainment is broadly average in reading and writing. Attainment in mathematics remained below average in 2013, although an increased proportion of pupils attained the higher-levels. This cohort of pupils, together with those in the current Years 5 and 6, experienced poor teaching lower down the school and were unable to establish basic literacy and numeracy skills. They have therefore had a lot of ground to catch up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 High quality teaching, particularly in mathematics, has ensured that these two year groups have made rapid progress. Reliable assessment, indicates that they will reach or exceed national expectations for their age by the end of the current year in all subjects, with an increased proportion reaching higher-levels. There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys or girls, from different ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The 2013 national test information shows that the proportion of pupils making more than expected progress in reading and writing was well above national figures while that in mathematics was equal to that seen nationally. However the proportion making expected progress remained below average. Leaders have taken robust action to address this by tackling weaknesses and driving up teaching standards in numeracy and literacy throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The gap between the attainment of those receiving the pupil premium and their classmates narrowed in 2013. These pupils were two terms behind their classmates in mathematics and three terms behind in English. The attainment gap has narrowed further during the current year in all year groups. The gap in progress rates is also closing, particularly in mathematics. This is as a result of the close attention given to promoting the achievement of this group and the effective use of the rigorously directed additional funding on a wide variety of personalised support strategies.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Robust tracking of progress across the school indicates that the proportion of pupils making or exceeding expected rates now compares favourably to national expectations. By the end of 2014, nearly all Year 6 pupils are expected to have made expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics with a high proportion achieving more than expected rates of progress. The achievement of all groups as seen in lessons and from sampling pupils’ work is now good and reflects the school’s data.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All pupils enjoy reading. Right from the start children learn how to sound out words and are confident to ‘have a go’ at reading unfamiliar text. Systematic support to develop pupils’ reading skills continues throughout the school. Pupils told inspectors how much they enjoy going to the local library and choosing a new book. They show similar enthusiasm for writing and mathematics, and are able to build securely on what they know with new learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress as a result of the specialist support they receive. Robust action has been taken since the previous inspection to ensure that this group of pupils are well known and supported in lessons by both their class teacher and by high quality teaching assistants, so that they are well included and able to achieve their potential. The pupils who speak English as an additional language, some at an early stage, are similarly well supported and achieve well. The school’s strong focus through the individual support provided, is helping pupils build confident communication and language skills is effective in helping them become successful learners.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection because the headteacher has set the teachers very clear targets, organised training and encouraged them to use best practice. As a result, teaching is now usually good, and some is outstanding and leads to pupils’ accelerating progress. Because mathematics has historically been a relative weakness in the school’s provision, the inspection focused closely on the teaching of mathematics across the school. Inspectors observed high quality teaching in this subject as a result of the school’s relentless focus on ensuing all pupils have equality to succeed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in most lessons observed during the inspection was good and some was outstanding. The impact of leaders’ relentless drive for improvement was seen in the level of consistent practice in many aspects of teaching. This included detailed marking of work, and the use of ‘snap 2’ to indicate to pupils that they should discuss things with their learning partners. This is used effectively across the school and has resulted particularly in engaging girls in mathematics, and boosting their confidence by being able to discuss their work with a friend.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils in all year groups enjoy their lessons. Inspectors observed Year 2 pupils showing great excitement at being able to add up three figures in their heads using number bonds. Lower attaining pupils were expertly supported, undertaking the same activity with the help of counting pegs on a coat-hanger to help them visualise the number bonds. They also showed great excitement when they understood.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ lesson planning in all year groups now focuses closely on the needs of different ability groups within each class. This, together with ‘setting by ability’ across two classes for numeracy and literacy lessons in the upper years, ensures that work is closely matched to pupils’ needs and aspirations, so that they are appropriately challenged or supported. All adults have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are a real strength of the school and ably lead groups in activities that balance what the rest of the group are doing, but with an extra level of support or challenge so that all groups are fully included in the same topic and learn successfully.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of the wide range of shared resources in mathematics and are now applying a revised calculation policy consistently. This ensures that all pupils can progress smoothly from one class to another, building on their numeracy skills and mathematical understanding from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6. Examples of this was seen in many lessons where teachers skilfully built on what pupils already knew, making each task more complex and enabling pupils’ to maximise their achievement.  Teachers engage pupils’ interest through making activities fun and relevant to their experience. For example in a numeracy lesson where the teaching was outstanding, pupils enthusiastically constructed Carroll diagrams to record facts about their topic on China, being divided up into groups with names using Chinese food such as ‘egg fried rice’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although most teachers use questioning skilfully to challenge pupils to think deeply and to explain their answers in detail, there is some inconsistency. In a minority of lessons, teachers allow the pace of learning to slow, because too much time is allocated for the ‘snap 2’ activity or a task takes too long, resulting in time being wasted or pupils loosing focus.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although most marking is of high quality, a minority of teachers do not explain clearly enough how pupils can improve their work or how to reach their targets. This is particularly true for the lowest attaining pupils who are sometimes vague about what their target levels are. This also applies in a small number of lessons when teachers do not show clearly enough the best way of undertaking a task for pupils to understand what to do to produce a high level answer.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Behaviour in lessons during the inspection was consistently good and often outstanding. In most lessons pupils show great enthusiasm and excitement about their learning. One Year 6 pupil told inspectors how much he loves coming to school because ’you learn something new every day’. Pupils say that learning is never disrupted by poor behaviour. Most parents who expressed a view and all staff, agree that behaviour is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils get on with each other well and are polite and respectful to adults. One parent commented that the school focuses on good manners and behaviour, kindness and consideration. Inspectors were welcomed by pupils in all lessons and were keen to explain what they were learning. The school council are proud of the role they have undertaken in promoting ‘politeness weeks’ which have had such an impact in encouraging pupils to adopt good manners as a matter of course.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils have a good understanding of the different forms that bullying can take, including cyber-bullying. They told inspectors that they feel safe and well cared for and that older ones look after younger ones. The Year 6 ‘buddies’ take their supportive role seriously and have been trained so that they know when to pass on a concern to an adult. One pupil, new to the school said that she was made to feel welcome and part of a group of friends as soon as she arrived.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school works exceptionally well to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils and their families facing challenging circumstances. This involves a close team, including learning mentors who liaise between home and school. They provide support for hard to reach families, promoting good attendance and going the extra mile to ensure pupils’ safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 This team have worked tirelessly over recent years to raise attendance rates and reduce persistent absence and this is now showing results. Attendance rates for the Autumn term were the highest ever and are continuing to rise. Pupils want to come to school, telling inspectors that the school is ‘amazing’ and ‘phenomenal’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, closely supported by her deputy, work as an exceptionally effective team and have ensured that all adults share their high expectations. The use of ‘visioning days’ have been instrumental in enabling the extended leadership team, teachers, governors and teaching assistants to contribute their ideas and share in taking the school forward.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have been relentless in their focus on addressing the issues raised by the previous inspection and this is now showing an impact on raising pupils’ achievement. Self-evaluation is thorough and leads to well-focused action planning in which all levels of leadership are involved. Rigorous tracking of pupil progress and careful and detailed analysis of the progress of different groups ensures that anyone falling behind is helped to catch up and so there is equality of opportunity.

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The leadership and management are good

 Key to this has been the strategies that have been put in place to promote the achievement of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those for whom the pupil premium provides support. All these pupils have their individually planned provision mapped so that teachers and leaders can check on the effectiveness of any support that is provided. In addition, leaders have ensured that teachers and support staff are well trained to provide effectively for these groups of pupils and are closely held to account for the progress made by all their pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have very high expectations and consistently promote high quality teaching. They provide wide ranging support, particularly for those new to the profession, including coaching, mentoring and training that is closely matched to the needs of individual teachers. The close partnership with other schools in the trust enables good practice to be effectively shared. Subject leaders are equally effective in promoting high quality teaching and checking on the progress of pupils in their subjects. Leaders of literacy and numeracy have established common resources and teaching methods that ensure pupils’ smooth transition between classes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has established an ’Irresistible Curriculum’ with the purpose of enabling every pupil to shine. This has been a main driver of improvement since the last inspection. Each topic begins with an exciting activity to engage pupils’ interest and enthusiasm. In addition to promoting literacy and numeracy, topics on India, China, and the Titanic, are used well to promote pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural education through the increased use of music and drama. A range of trips and visits enrich learning. Pupils told inspectors that they would like more opportunity to use computers in their classrooms to help research as well as in the computer suite, and inspectors agree.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary school sports funding is used well to provide expert sports coaches who are enabling pupils and their teachers to improve their skills. Pupils enjoy two sports lessons each week and the many sports clubs, provided free, from boys’ dance to tennis and football are over -subscribed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new leader of the Early Years Foundation Stage has been quick to establish her high expectations for children’s early learning and development. The environment is vibrant and exciting and activities are well-planned. Assessment is thorough and the recently introduced ‘blogging’, aids communication with parents, enabling them to see what their child has been learning and how they can support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided support for the schools’ leaders in building the capacity of leadership, raising achievement in mathematics and raising the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works hard to engage the support of parents and involve them closely in their child’s learning through workshops, especially in mathematics.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is very well organised and led. Governors have been rigorous in ensuring that all aspects of the school are supported by detailed action planning. They know the school well and the issues it faces and have a good understanding of how well it is performing compared to other schools. They have received appropriate training and continually question and challenge the schools’ leaders and make frequent visits to see at first-hand how the school is doing. Governors know where the strengths and areas for development lie in teaching and ensure that good performance leads appropriately to salary progression. They check thoroughly that additional funding is used appropriately and is leading to the gap in

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The leadership and management are good

achievement closing between all groups of pupils. They place the safety and well being of pupils, staff and leaders as an extremely high priority and ensure that safeguarding and health and safety practices are exemplary.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103957 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 431687

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School details

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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 340 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Pettifer Headteacher Cathy Walsh Date of previous school inspection 11 October 2012 Telephone number 01384 569021 Fax number 01384 569122 Email address admin@meadow.sandwell.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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