Marston Green Infant Academy

Inspection of Marston Green Infant Academy Elm Farm Avenue, Marston Green, Birmingham, West Midlands B37 7AA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 15–16 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision of being ‘a stepping stone investing in our future minds’ is alive throughout the school. Pupils feel cared for. They concentrate well on their work in a calm environment. Staff keep every pupil’s learning and happiness at the centre of all they do. Parents and carers say that they are very happy with what the school offers their children and would recommend it to other parents. ’It’s a wonderful school with passionate staff’ is one comment that sums up the views of many.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Warm relationships between staff and pupils support the good behaviour of pupils. Breakfast club gives a healthy and active start to the day with a range of activities on offer. Pupils are encouraged to keep healthy. They enjoy participating in yoga and a daily walk.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school and know how to keep stay safe. Pupils look after each other in school. The older pupils understand what bullying is. Younger pupils know that hitting and kicking is unkind. Pupils know that they can rely on an adult to sort out any bullying issues quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well because teachers have high expectations and ensure that teaching is matched to pupils’ needs.

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better?

The headteacher has developed staff to take on responsibilities. This has created a strong team, proud to be members of the school. They work hard to improve their teaching and the pupils’ learning. Leaders, including governors, know the strengths of their school. They are clear about what needs to get better.

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better?

Leadership of the early years is strong. Children in pre-school and nursery are happy coming into school. Children, staff and parents have good relationships. This helps the needs of each child to be known and met. Children develop good skills across all areas of what they learn. They are ready to move into Reception. Examples of cooperation, collaboration and respect are commonplace when children are working together. For example, they carried a long pipe to a new place, but understood and followed instructions to return it to its original place.

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better?

Leaders support teachers to know what to teach and when to teach it across all subjects. This helps pupils to make sense of their learning as they build on what they already know. Teachers are better at sequencing the learning in some subjects. These include reading, writing, science, physical education and religious education.

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better?

Some teachers do not structure the way pupils need to learn mathematics well enough. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. This stops them from achieving as well as they could. When learning is well structured, pupils are able to know more and remember more. 15–16 October 2019

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Leaders and teachers know and understand the differing needs of pupils. All staff are ambitious in wanting the best for every pupil. Skilled adults support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to take part in all lessons. Occasionally teachers do not pitch what needs to be learned at the right level. This means that some pupils, including those with SEND, find learning too hard.

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Teachers identify when pupils make mistakes but they do not help pupils enough to make sure that they do not keep making the same mistakes.

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Books and stories are a strong part of school life. Teachers develop pupils who become confident readers who love reading. Teachers read to pupils every day. Pupils felt as though they were transported to another world during story time. Pupils in pre-school and nursery explore and experiment with sounds, songs and rhymes. This allows them to be ready to learn letters and sounds on entry to Reception. Pupils who are not keeping up receive the right help to catch up. Year 2 pupils talk about a range of authors with knowledge and insight.

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Pupils show strong respect for the adults and each other in school. They behave well in lessons, even when they are finding the work hard or do not understand it. Pupils understand why there are rules. They enjoy responsibilities, such as being a member of the school council and growing vegetables in the allotment. Teachers help pupils to understand fairness as they take turns to choose a story for the class to share. Pupils enjoy a range of visits, including to the local church. They do not yet know or remember enough about a range of faiths and cultures, other than Christianity.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school’s approach to keeping pupils safe starts with the caring ethos. The inclusion team develop strong partnerships with families. This allows them to understand family circumstances. Leaders use this information to put in the right help from the right people at the right time.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, ensure that safeguarding is a top priority. Staff receive regular training and updates. This means that they know how to raise concerns. Safeguarding leaders take their roles seriously and challenge decisions if required.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe through learning in lessons and assemblies.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers identify pupils’ mistakes but do not always insist on them being corrected. This means that some pupils keep making the same mistakes. 15–16 October 2019

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Teachers need to ensure that identified errors are addressed.  Some teachers do not structure the sequence of learning in mathematics well enough. Pupils do not acquire the small steps to help them build their understanding. Leaders should share effective practice to support teachers to structure teaching in mathematics so that it is sequenced in a way that helps pupils to know more and remember more.  Occasionally teachers’ subject knowledge is not secure enough to enable them to plan learning to best meet the needs of pupils. They do not break down the subject content into small steps. This slows some pupils, including those with SEND, from learning well. Leaders need to develop teachers’ subject knowledge, especially in mathematics, so that they can match learning tasks more accurately to what pupils can already know and can do.  Pupils do not know or remember enough about a range of faiths or cultures. They

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are not as well prepared to understand diversity in society. Leaders should consider how to make best use of opportunities across all subjects to fully prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 15–16 October 2019

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School details

Appropriate authority The board of trustees

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School details

Website www.marstongreeninfantschool.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29–30 June 2017

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Information about this school

 Governors took on the responsibility for running Leapfrogs Pre-School in September 2018.  The special educational needs coordinator was new to the school in September 2019.  A new chair and vice-chair of the local governing body were appointed in September 2019.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, school business manager, early years leader, three governors and a member. An inspector also met with the school improvement partner.  We visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke to them about their 15–16 October 2019

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experience of school.  Inspectors visited pre-school, Nursery and Reception classes, as well as key stage 1.  The school’s records of safeguarding checks and referrals to the local authority were reviewed. We spoke with staff about how they keep pupils safe. We also asked the pupils about how they keep themselves safe and what to do if they have concerns.  We observed pupils playing at breaktime and lunchtime.  An inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised a number of documents, including those relating to the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans and the school’s information on pupils’ recent attainment and progress.  Inspectors considered behaviour and attendance information and policies and procedures relating to pupils with SEND, pupil premium funding, safeguarding and child protection. The school’s website was also checked.

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 Reading, writing, mathematics, geography and RE were considered in detail as part of this inspection.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Michael Appleby Ofsted Inspector 15–16 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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