Meriden Church of England Primary School

School report Meriden Church of England Primary School Fillongley Road, Meriden, Coventry, CV7 7LW

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ behaviour is not consistently good. A number of pupils feel that they are bullied, either physically or verbally. As a result they do not feel safe in school.  Pupils are not sufficiently informed through the curriculum what constitutes bullying and the impact it has on individuals and the community.  Pupils’ moral and social development is not promoted effectively.  A number of parents and carers express concerns about the leadership and management of the school, especially in how effectively bullying is dealt with and how effectively leaders deal with parental concerns.  Leaders, managers and governors have not established rigorous systems and procedures to enable the school to deal with parental concerns promptly and effectively.

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The school has the following strengths

 The Early Years is good. Children make good progress from starting points which are below those expected for their age. They are given things to do which interest and excite them.  Throughout the school pupils of all abilities make good progress and reach standards which are above the national average by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is typically good. Teachers and learning support assistants have high expectations. Teachers check pupils’ progress regularly and ensure that lessons challenge all ability levels.  Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is good. The exciting range of subjects that the school teaches deepens pupils’ knowledge.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons, two of which were seen jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books during lessons and scrutinised their work in their exercise books.  Meetings were held with staff, two groups of pupils and three members of the governing body. A conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to them informally at break and lunchtime.  Inspectors took account of the 75 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and letters from parents. They had conversations with parents and carers as they dropped off their children at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the 23 responses to the staff questionnaire, and letters from staff.  School documentation was examined, including data on pupils’ current progress and records of governing body meetings, teachers’ performance, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. Documentation relating

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Information about this inspection

to the care of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs was also reviewed.

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Meriden Primary school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. There is one class in each age group, including Nursery and Reception.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is low, at just 2.5%. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is around 6%, which is below the national average. Only a very small number of pupils has an Education, Health and Care plan.  At 16%, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority) is lower than average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this school

 In September 2010, the governors appointed a new headteacher and a new deputy headteacher. In September 2011, they appointed a teacher to lead the Early Years and another new teacher. In September 2013, they appointed a teacher to lead Key Stage 2 and another new teacher. In September 2014, the governors appointed a new teacher, who also took the role of special educational needs coordinator.  Recently completed refurbishment work took place in the school last year to repair flood damage.  There is a before-school breakfast club and an after-school club. These are managed by the governing body and formed part of the inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ behaviour to enable all pupils to feel safe from physical and verbal bullying.  Make sure that the curriculum gives all pupils clear guidance on what constitutes bullying and the impact it has on individuals and the community.  Improve leadership and management by December 2014 by:  sharpening the systems and procedures to enable leaders to rapidly respond to pupils’ and parents’ complaints about bullying  opening communication systems with parents and carers to tell them how effectively it is dealing with bullying and how it is improving the way it deals with parental concerns.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The systems and procedures to enable leaders to rapidly respond to pupils’ and parents’ complaints about bullying are not all carried out consistently well. There are a few examples where recorded incidents of inappropriate behaviour and complaints have not been routinely passed on to senior leaders or those with responsibility for working with families. This has led to some instances of bullying not always being dealt with effectively enough. Leadership is not inadequate because, when bullying is dealt with by senior leaders, their actions are effective.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Roughly half of the parents who responded to Parent View report that they are not satisfied with the school’s actions to deal with bullying. Furthermore, the survey reveals that more than half report that they are not satisfied with the way it deals with parental concerns. The school acknowledges that fostering good relations with all parents is necessary.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has developed a new school curriculum. However, there are not yet enough opportunities planned to teach pupils what constitutes bullying. For example, what may start out as silly teasing may be hurtful if it gets out of hand. Also, some pupils, mainly girls, do not fully appreciate that excluding others from some activities is hurtful and can have a profound effect on classmates and their families.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders make sure that pupils make good progress and maintain a trend of high standards. Much of this is due to the determination of the headteacher and her team. She has ensured that each pupil, whatever their level of ability, is usually fully stretched in lessons. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and encourage them to have a thirst for learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders make regular checks on pupils’ progress and amend the support given to any pupil who is not making the progress they should. Staff are set challenging targets and are held accountable for the progress of all pupils in their class. Leaders and governors have established a close link between teachers’ pay and the progress of pupils they teach.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject and other leaders are effective and are given many opportunities to develop their roles. For example, the leaders for English and mathematics have already introduced the new curriculum in their subjects and are now embedding new arrangements for the assessment of pupils’ work in anticipation of the national plans to replace National Curriculum attainment levels.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority provides good support to the school, particularly in the induction of new staff. It supports the training of teachers and governors.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The pupil premium funding is used well to ensure that gaps are narrowing between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school is accurate in knowing its own strengths and areas for development. It has identified, for example, that standards in spelling, punctuation and grammar in Key Stage 2 are not as good as those in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff provide an exciting range of subjects. These offer stimulating learning experiences and give pupils the chance to deepen their learning and develop a fascination for topics. Pupils were asked their views about what motivates them to learn, and their ideas have been incorporated into the subjects offered. Pupils in Year 6 reflected on the Christmas Day Truce in the First World War. This enabled pupils to develop an understanding of other peoples’ lives and circumstances, as well as developing their cultural awareness. British values and democracy are integral to the curriculum. For example, one assembly observed during the inspection was on the subject of money-lending and asked pupils to reflect on what the Bible’s teaching is on the subject.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Statutory safeguarding arrangements are effective and meet current requirements. For instance, all checks to ensure staff are suitable to work with children are completed before appointment. Risk assessments are carried out regularly. Child protection procedures are all in place.  Senior leaders have taken effective action to maintain high attendance. The school promptly follows up any absence.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governors have not made sure that all parents have confidence in the school to deal effectively with bullying. The governors are supportive of the school and are rigorous in holding it to account to ensure that standards remain high. They have a good understanding of how the school checks on pupils’ progress. They know how well the school is doing when compared to other schools. Governors are regularly in the school and have a good understanding of the quality of teaching. They work with the headteacher to ensure that the pay and performance of teachers are closely linked. Governors ensure that finances are carefully managed and that any additional funding, such as the primary schools’ sports funding and funding for disadvantaged pupils, is used well. The governors ensure that the school promotes tolerance and respect for all faiths. They work with staff to ensure that pupils are

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The leadership and management requires improvement

well prepared for life in modern Britain. Governors fulfil their statutory duties effectively and they see to it that all statutory safeguarding requirements are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement because there are a few incidents of bullying at the school and indicates that the promotion of pupils’ moral and social development is not consistently good.

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Behaviour

 Pupils report that sometimes, when bullying happens, it is not always dealt with effectively. However, the majority of pupils who spoke with inspectors, stated that after one-off incidents, and reported to a member of staff, bullying had not recurred.

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Behaviour

 Staff agree that pupils’ general conduct around the school is good. For example, they were calm and sensible when going into an assembly. In class, pupils listen attentively and respond well to teachers’ comments and this helps them make good progress.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is above average. Pupils enjoy coming to school and appreciate everything the school has to offer. When asked about Meriden Primary a pupil said, ‘The school challenges you to get the best out of you’. Another pupil said, ‘I am a Leader in Learning and really enjoy helping the younger children’.

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Behaviour

 Examples of pupils showing respect for their classmates, including those from different backgrounds and circumstances, were evident during the inspection.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement. Although safeguarding requirements are met, discussions with pupils, and parental views, show that not all pupils feel safe in school because a number have been bullied.

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Safety

 The school focuses on developing both academic and personal development. For example, the older pupils consider ethics and philosophy in the curriculum, giving them the opportunity to explore both their own and others’ feelings. This is not yet extended to addressing bullying in the school.

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Safety

 The school takes e-safety very seriously and has ensured that pupils have received advice from the police about how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. Pupils are confident that there have been no incidents of cyber-bullying. Pupils are aware of potentially unsafe situations and have had guidance on road safety and the hazards of drug and alcohol abuse.

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Safety

 Pupils make a positive contribution to the life of the school and the school council is active in ensuring pupils’ views are always taken into consideration. One aspect that all pupils enjoy is when younger children have the opportunity to work with older children. This has a positive impact on pupils’ social, moral, and spiritual development. Cultural development is enhanced for all pupils, including the very youngest, learning to speak Spanish.

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Safety

 The school provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their social skills in a safe and stimulating environment, both at the beginning and end of the school day in the breakfast and after-school clubs.

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Safety

 Although a number of parents and carers expressed concerns, the large majority of parents and carers who responded to the Parent View survey considered that their children felt safe, were well cared for and happy at the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Typically, teaching is good throughout the school. Pupils’ learning in lessons, work in their books and the school’s own checks show that pupils make good progress during their time in school. This is regardless of ability level or background. Good progress is due to teaching that challenges every pupil to do their best.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers ensure that literacy and numeracy skills are developed in every subject. For example, in science, pupils write about their observations of electricity and circuits as they record information about conductors and insulators. Teaching is not outstanding because spelling, punctuation and grammar skills are not always developed consistently in Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is now consistently good for the younger children. The outcomes of the phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 in 2013 were above average. This was maintained in 2014, and has led to nearly nine out of ten achieving the nationally expected standard. Pupils develop a love of reading and older pupils acquire and apply more advanced reading skills, such as deduction and inference.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know their pupils well in this small school and learning support assistants work closely with teachers to ensure that all pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, are able to learn well in each lesson. Additional recent training has ensured that support assistants are more effectively deployed by teachers to assist pupils of all abilities, including the more able.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers regularly check pupils’ progress during lessons. Pupils say that they particularly like the opportunity they have to respond to the teacher’s marking and consider how they can improve their work next time. Pupils in every lesson are encouraged to challenge themselves and not just do things that they know they can already do.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers enthuse pupils with interesting activities which stimulate their imagination, and tasks are chosen to inspire exciting writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of mathematics is good. Teachers systematically develop pupils’ ability to use and apply mathematical concepts. This gives pupils the confidence to use their mathematical skills creatively and accurately in their appropriate ability sets.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 2 is above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils enjoy reading and show a good level of understanding about the books they have read.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Year 6 pupils consistently make good progress and achieve standards that are above average for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. The results for the test on grammar, punctuation and spelling in 2013 showed that most pupils attained above-average standards. The school’s records show that standards in 2014 were again above average in reading, writing and mathematics but dipped slightly to match the national average in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, the results at the end of Key Stage 1 were above the national average. School evidence shows that pupils in Key Stage 1 in 2014 reached broadly similar standards. This represents good progress from their starting points at the end of the Early Years. Pupils currently in Key Stage 1 are making good progress and a high proportion are now reaching standards that exceed age-related expectations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils do well. A higher proportion than nationally achieve the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics in both key stages. For the most-able pupils in Year 6 in 2014 (those that attained the highest levels at the end of Key Stage 1), three quarters made better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s records show that the vast majority of most-able pupils in other year groups in the school are also on track to make better than expected progress. This is because teachers always make sure that pupils are fully challenged in every lesson.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, disadvantaged pupils were approximately half a term behind other pupils nationally in mathematics, nearly one term in advance of other pupils nationally in reading and about six weeks behind other pupils nationally in writing. Similarly, disadvantaged pupils were about two and a half terms behind their classmates in mathematics, one term behind in writing and about six weeks behind in reading. However, gaps are closing rapidly due to the fact that staff know and cater very well for the individual learning needs of these pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The parents and carers of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are positive about the support provided by the school. They praise the close liaison between the school and health and care agencies. Teachers and learning support assistants always have the highest expectations and, as a result, progress for these pupils is consistently good.

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The early years provision is good

 Most children’s attainment on entry to Reception is typical of the skills and abilities displayed by children of that age. However, year on year, the proportion of children with weaker social and emotional development skills has risen.

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The early years provision is good

 Attainment for the children at the end of the Early Years in summer 2014, expressed as the percentage with a good level of development, was above the national average. This represented good progress from their starting points and enabled children to enter Year 1 in September well equipped to tackle National Curriculum work.

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The early years provision is good

 The Early Years are well led and managed. The new leader has recently brought about improvements to the provision in the setting. Children are offered a wider range of learning activities and leaders check children’s attainment regularly and accurately. These improvements are having a positive impact on children’s achievement and enjoyment.

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The early years provision is good

 Adults have established good relationships with the children, and create a positive and stimulating environment for them to learn and flourish. The children feel safe, grow in confidence and relate extremely well to adults and to other children. Their behaviour is positive. Children were observed showing respect and tolerance, recognising that the differences that exist between themselves and others are not a barrier to cooperation and getting on well together.

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The early years provision is good

 All groups of children are making good progress in the different areas of learning. This is because of good teaching and the interesting range of indoor and outdoor activities. Children make good progress in speaking and listening because teachers and helpers are successful in encouraging them to talk about their learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Children spend much of their time in choosing their own activities, in experimenting, and exploring the resources and their surroundings. The very well-resourced outside areas are available to extend their physical activities and the opportunities for investigation and creative development are promoted well outside the classroom.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s attainment and progress are carefully checked and recorded. There are detailed learning journals for each child, with photographs and annotations of their learning and experiences. Early Years staff welcome parents and carers into the classrooms and make effective use of information that they are given about childrens’ development at home to plan learning activities at school.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 104087 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 448245

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lis Willis Headteacher Lucy Winkler Date of previous school inspection 9 June 2010 Telephone number 01676 522488 Fax number 01676 522488 Email address office@meriden.solihull.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 and 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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