Meadow View JMI School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Ann Adair Headteacher Meadow View JMI School Frampton Way Great Barr Birmingham West Midlands B43 7UJ

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

Following my visit to the school on 17 May 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2012.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

Along with other school leaders, you have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. There have been many changes at the school over the last 12 months. The senior leadership team, including yourself, is almost completely new to the school and you have introduced many new systems in order to further improve outcomes for pupils. You have high expectations of staff and these, in turn, are passed on to the pupils. Despite the relatively short time you have been in school, you have secured the confidence of governors, staff, parents and pupils alike. All staff who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire are proud to be part of Meadow View JMI School. They agree that the school has a culture that is aspirational for all pupils. Staff report feeling ‘re-invigorated’, with one member of staff saying, ‘The school was good before and now it is even better.’ Parents also comment positively about the school’s work and a great majority say

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

that they would recommend the school to others.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

The school’s vision: ‘Aim; Aspire; Achieve’ remains central to the school. In order to support this, you are looking to review and develop the school’s values, involving the wider school community in the process. This should help to engage parents even more fully in the life of the school.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Older pupils say the school’s approach to managing behaviour, which was introduced before you joined the school, is understood by everyone and used consistently by teachers. They feel that behaviour has improved and that the rewards for good behaviour motivate them to behave well. Your pupils are good ambassadors for the school, speaking positively about how the teachers help them to improve their work. They also value the range of trips and extra-curricular activities that they can access, and the opportunities they have to take on additional responsibilities.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

At the previous inspection, the school was asked to improve the teaching of mathematics. In 2016, outcomes in mathematics at the end of key stage 2 were disappointing and, as a result, you have taken swift and effective action to address this underperformance. You have introduced a new mathematics scheme of work which, along with training for staff, has raised expectations and improved the quality of teaching. You and your staff have focused on developing pupils’ understanding of mathematics as well as giving them opportunities to apply their knowledge in a range of contexts. As a result, rates of progress have improved.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

Your classrooms are bright and welcoming, and displays around the school support learning and celebrate pupils’ achievements. Evidence seen during the inspection indicates that more pupils across the school are now achieving the standards expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. You have recently introduced a new assessment and tracking system into school in order to help teachers and leaders identify and support pupils’ progress even more effectively. This now needs time to embed in order to ensure that it is used consistently across the school.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

Since arriving at the school, you have identified that not all pupils who have a special educational need and/or disability have been accurately identified. You and your leadership team are looking to further improve provision for these pupils in order to secure even more rapid progress.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

Your school website contains a wide range of helpful information for parents and the school community. However, some information is currently out of date and a small number of aspects do not fully meet statutory requirements. Understandably, this has not been a priority for you to date but you and your governors agree that the website does need to be improved.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

On arrival at the school, reviewing safeguarding was your first priority and you have created an effective safeguarding team that includes senior leaders and the behaviour and learning mentor. Together, you have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of a high quality. As a result, pupils are well cared for at all times. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that they are taught to stay safe, for example, when using the internet.

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Short inspection of Meadow View JMI School

Staff are clear on their responsibilities regarding safeguarding and they have regular training and briefing sessions. You are persistent when there are concerns about a pupil’s welfare, and work with external agencies as necessary. You and your leadership team have a good understanding of the specific safeguarding concerns that relate to the context of the school. You have ensured that appropriate measures are in place to safeguard pupils during the current building work taking place on the school site. Governors understand their role in overseeing the effectiveness of safeguarding and you work closely with the safeguarding link governor.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils’ attendance improved in 2016 and attendance rates were close to the national average. However, the attendance for pupils who have free school meals and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities was in the lowest 10% nationally. Attendance information for the current school year shows that attendance for both these groups of pupils is improving, as is the overall level of school attendance. The actions you take, such as working with target families and recognising improved attendance through rewards for pupils and classes, are making a positive difference. The procedures you and your staff follow, including contacting parents on the first day of absence and working with the local authority, help to ensure that pupils are safe and not at risk of going missing from education. You are aware of the need to maintain this focus on improving attendance.  In order to improve outcomes for pupils across the school, you have provided

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Inspection findings

training for staff to raise their awareness of the increased level of expectation within the national curriculum. This has improved the quality of teaching across the school. You and your leaders ensure that regular pupil progress meetings focus on identifying the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and what support is needed to help them move on. Pupils are now clearer about how they can improve their work and staff help them to make these next steps. You and your teachers are working more regularly with other schools in the area to share outcomes and learn from best practice. The great majority of pupils are now making at least expected progress across all year groups in reading, writing and mathematics. Evidence seen during the inspection, supports your view that this year more pupils are on track to attain both the expected and higher standard in their end of key stage 2 tests.  In recent years, outcomes for boys at the end of the early years have not been

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Inspection findings

as strong as those for girls. To address this, the early years team has adapted the curriculum to introduce more ‘boy friendly’ topics such as dinosaurs and space. The team has also ensured that there are more opportunities for writing, for example linked to construction activities. Work to improve hand-eye coordination is also linked to considerable improvements in quality of writing produced by boys. In-school data suggests that both boys and girls are now making at least expected progress.  There is a consistent approach to teaching phonics across the early years and key stage 1. In Year 1, the great majority of pupils are on track to reach the expected standard in the phonics screening check. Pupils use their phonics skills to decode unknown words and are developing understanding and fluency appropriate for their age and ability.  Approximately a third of your governors are new to the governing body. Over the

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Inspection findings

last year, all governors have received training to support them in their role and they are well informed about developments in school and the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The governors feel able to challenge and ask questions about the likely impact on pupils of any decisions made. Together, you, your leaders and governing body are clear about what needs to be done to bring about continued improvement.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the new assessment system is embedded so that pupils’ progress is tracked even more accurately and any support required is precisely targeted  work to further enhance the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities accurately identifies pupils’ needs and accelerates their progress  the school website is up to date and contains all the statutory information required.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Walsall. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you and your senior leadership team. I visited classes in all year groups where I observed teaching and learning and I spoke to pupils about their work. I talked with parents at the start of the day and with pupils both formally and informally. I listened to some pupils read. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. I scrutinised several documents including your school self-evaluation, school development plan and documents relating to safeguarding. I met with three governors, including the vice-chair of governors. I took account of the 32 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 22 comments received electronically. I also took account of the 34 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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