Pye Green Academy

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

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Miss Tonkinson Headteacher Pye Green Academy Rosehill Hednesford Cannock Staffordshire WS12 4RT

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Short inspection of Pye Green Academy

Following my visit to the school on 12 September 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 your predecessor school was judged to be good in July 2012.

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Short inspection of Pye Green Academy

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since you were appointed in 2015, you have strengthened this team at all levels and brought in measures to improve teaching and raise outcomes for pupils.

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Short inspection of Pye Green Academy

Parents, pupils and staff who responded to surveys were overwhelmingly positive about all aspects of the school. For example, almost all of the parents who responded to Parent View said that they would recommend the school to another parent. The culture and ethos of the school are strongly centred on the welfare and safety of pupils. The school fully lives up to its values, which include ‘to create a calm, secure and stimulating environment based on high expectations’.

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Short inspection of Pye Green Academy

When the predecessor school was inspected in 2012, inspectors said that leaders should build on current self-evaluation procedures to monitor lessons more thoroughly by ensuring a greater focus on pupils’ learning, and that work was planned to provide the appropriate level of challenge.

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Short inspection of Pye Green Academy

Through systematic monitoring of teaching and learning, including pupil progress meetings, you have accurately identified the strongest teaching and made changes where previous teaching and the progress of pupils were not good enough. Evidence from current pupils’ work from last year shows that pupils of all abilities are suitably challenged in their learning. You, your leaders and governors all have a clear understanding of why the school is not outstanding and what still needs to be done to develop the school further. Not enough pupils have gone on to work in greater depth in all subjects by the end of key stage 1 or in writing by the end of key stage 2. Progress for pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2017 did not improve as quickly in reading and mathematics as it did in writing. Outcomes and attendance for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not yet improving rapidly enough by the end of Year 6.

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Short inspection of Pye Green Academy

Governors are not sufficiently informed on attendance by pupil group. The school does not meet requirements for information that all schools, including academies, must publish on their website about 2016 tests and assessments at the end of key stage 2, and the curriculum offered in each year group by subject.

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Short inspection of Pye Green Academy

Leaders put safeguarding at the heart of all they do. Senior leaders place a high priority on their roles as designated leaders for safeguarding. They are well trained and keep themselves fully up to date and well informed so that they are able to deliver regular and suitable training for all staff. They know individual pupils very well and ensure their well-being. Referrals and links to external agencies are timely. Leaders ensure that all statutory requirements are met. Governors bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to safeguarding. They check regularly that the school is carrying out its duties effectively. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about keeping themselves safe, for example when using social media.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils’ progress in writing by the end of key stage 2 improved considerably in the most recent assessments in 2017. Leaders identified those groups which had not done as well as expected in the previous year, including boys and middle- attaining pupils. As a result of senior leaders’ close tracking and holding teachers to account through regular pupil progress meetings, outcomes for these groups have improved greatly.  A project on engaging boys in making choices about their writing has been particularly successful. As a result, boys are writing for a range of real purposes, including diaries, letters and newsletter articles, and are less reliant on teachers for structuring their work.  The proportion of pupils going on to reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined at the end of Year 6 in 2017 improved, including for boys and middle-attaining pupils. The percentage of pupils achieving

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Inspection findings

high standards in reading and mathematics in key stage 2 compares very favourably with the school’s previous results.  Outcomes are strong and improving for children by the end of Reception. Similarly, a higher proportion of pupils than previously have reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Good standards in phonics at the end of Years 1 and 2 have been maintained and improved. Differences in outcomes with all pupils nationally for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities currently in school are diminishing in most year groups.  Leadership at all levels is strong. Those with specific responsibilities for subjects or pupil groups know the strengths and weaknesses well. They achieve this through monitoring of teaching, support and challenge for teachers and close tracking of pupils’ progress. This includes disadvantaged pupils and pupils who

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Inspection findings

have special educational needs and/or disabilities, whose previous progress was not improving rapidly enough.  Work seen in pupils’ books shows that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, have made rapid progress in reading and mathematics and writing up to the end of key stage 1 and in most year groups in key stage 2. Leaders identified where progress was not as fast and have put in place changes to teaching accordingly.  Progress for pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2017 did not improve as quickly in reading and mathematics as it did in writing. Additionally, not enough pupils work at greater depth in writing by the end of Year 6. Too few pupils are working to the higher standards at the end of key stage 1.  In the most recent tests and assessments at the end of Year 6, not enough pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities made sufficient progress

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Inspection findings

from their starting points.  A high level of attendance and low persistent absence have been maintained across the school and these are improving rapidly for disadvantaged pupils. Attendance is not improving quickly enough for those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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

 progress in reading and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 improves as quickly as in writing  more pupils work at greater depth in writing in key stage 2 and achieve higher standards by the end of key stage 1  outcomes by the end of Year 6 and rates of attendance improve more rapidly for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities  governors are well informed about the attendance of different groups of pupils  the school meets all the requirements for what all schools, including academies, must publish on their website. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Staffordshire. 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 other members of staff. I also spoke to the chair of the governing body and the primary education director for the multi- academy trust. I conducted a learning walk of lessons and a scrutiny of pupils’ work from the last academic year with you and the deputy headteacher. I also observed pupils as they moved around the school. I met with a group of pupils. I scrutinised the school’s self-evaluation, development plan, pupil performance information, and safeguarding and child protection records. I analysed the 56 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 20 responses to the Parent View free-text facility. There were 63 responses to the pupil survey and 14 to the staff survey.

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Information about the inspection

The inspection visit focused on progress in reading and writing for pupils from the end of key stage 1 to the end of key stage 2, especially for boys and middle- attaining pupils. I also looked carefully at outcomes, attendance and provision for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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