Green Meadow Primary School

Inspection of Green Meadow Primary School Green Meadow Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, West Midlands B29 4EE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 22–23 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend Green Meadow Primary School. They are welcoming to visitors and kind towards each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have worked hard to ensure that the school has permanent staff in place. This is helping pupils make better progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders are working to improve teaching and learning in some other subjects. However, the curriculum is not planned as well as it should be. As a result, pupils do not acquire the knowledge they need in subjects such as art, design and technology and modern foreign languages.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally behave well. All age groups understand and follow the school’s ‘Ready, respectful, safe’ policy. Staff praise pupils and focus on positive behaviour. Pupils enjoy ‘hot chocolate Fridays’ with senior leaders as a reward for going over and above behaviour expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They know who to go to if they are worried about something. Pupils say that bullying does happen occasionally but are confident that staff sort it out quickly. Playtimes and lunchtimes are well organised and run smoothly.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders now know their school well and have clear plans in place to improve it. This is an improvement from the last inspection.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Members of staff are very positive about the support they get from leaders and from the trust. They told inspectors that the workload was hard, but manageable. They know work is needed to improve the school. Staff are involved in the improvements taking place. There is a real sense of teamwork.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are ambitious. They want to create a curriculum that enables every pupil to succeed in a range of subjects. Detailed plans are now in place to improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding in each subject. However, subject leaders have not yet been able to help teachers to deliver the plans effectively. This means that new learning does not connect well to earlier learning and pupils do not learn all that they need to know.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have a focus on pupils’ personal development this year. Pupils have an understanding of different people’s views on issues through well-thought-out debates in history lessons. However, the leader with responsibility for personal development is new in post and yet to have an impact on pupil’s achievement in personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE).

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children in Reception are safe and happy. Despite coming from different nursery schools they settle quickly to their routines. The indoor and outdoor areas are colourful, 22–23 October 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. All staff receive regular training and updates in how to keep children safe. They know their responsibilities and how to respond to incidents. Records show that leaders respond to concerns quickly. They work closely with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils and their families. As part of the curriculum, pupils learn about a range of risks including when using social media. Staff help pupils understand how to minimise danger and keep safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some foundation subjects are not well organised or taught frequently enough. This means pupils do not learn all that they should. Leaders have put new, more detailed subject planning in place but, currently, this planning remains untested. In order to improve learning in art, design and technology, PSHE and modern foreign languages, leaders should make sure that the new curriculum planning is used to plan well-sequenced lessons across key stages 1 and 2.  Subject leadership in art, design and technology, PSHE and modern foreign languages is underdeveloped. Many subject leaders are new to their posts and do not have a clear picture of the curriculum offer and impact in their subject. In order to improve this, leaders should provide training and support for new subject leaders so that they can do their jobs well, and lift standards. stimulating and well resourced. Staff know the individual needs of each child. They support

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

children’s development well through skilled questioning. Speaking and listening skills are developed effectively at every opportunity.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Staff are well trained in teaching early reading, including phonics. Pupils quickly develop the skills to become fluent readers. Pupils who are not confident readers receive effective help. No pupil is left behind. More pupils are now reading as well as they should be by the end of Year 2. In addition, older pupils benefit from a new reading programme. They read more challenging texts and their love of reading is improving.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The teaching of mathematics is also improving. Teachers are aware of what pupils need to know by the end of each unit of work. As a result, pupils learn and understand more in this subject. Teachers’ plans consider what pupils already know. Well-structured lessons enable pupils to learn the basic mathematical knowledge they need. However, some most- able pupils find their mathematics work is not challenging enough for them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included well. Staff encourage them to do their best. Pupils are supported to catch up outside of lessons. However, some pupils with SEND struggle to learn what they should because teaching is not adapted well enough for their needs. 22–23 October 2019

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 All pupils have an equal opportunity to take part in all that the school does. However, all pupils, whether disadvantaged or not, do not achieve as well as they could. In order to give all pupils the confidence, resilience and knowledge they need to achieve highly, school leaders should make sure that the curriculum offer in all subjects is ambitious for all.  Over time, the school has not offered a well-planned programme to help pupils build character and develop a sense of social responsibility. New, coherent plans are now in place. Leaders should make sure that these plans are implemented consistently across the school so that pupils can make the most of the improved provision.

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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. 22–23 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111683 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.greenmeadowprimaryschool.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12–13 July 2017

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Information about this school

 The school joined Excelsior, which is a multi-academy trust, in July 2018.  There have been significant changes in staff, especially over the last 12 months. The staffing profile until September 2019 contained a number of supply staff. Staffing is now stable, with all classes taught by a full-time class teacher.  The governing body is undergoing significant change at the moment. The trust is changing governance from a local to a more regional governing body.

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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

 We met with trust and school leaders, including the chief executive officer and the executive headteacher. We held discussions with the headteacher, those responsible for leading provision for pupils with SEND, staff and pupils. We also met three governors and spoke on the telephone with another governor.  As part of our work to understand the quality of education the school is providing, we focused on phonics and early reading, mathematics, history, geography, art, PE, PSHE and modern foreign languages. We visited lessons, looked at pupils’ 22–23 October 2019

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workbooks and talked to teachers, as well as scrutinising curriculum plans.  We made careful checks on the school’s arrangements for safeguarding.  We considered carefully the 35 responses to Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Max Vlahakis, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tina Willmott Ofsted Inspector 22–23 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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