Meadow View JMI School

Inspection of a good school: Meadow View JMI School Frampton Way, Great Barr, Birmingham, West Midlands B43 7UJ

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 September 2022

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Outcome

Meadow View JMI School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Music, manners and ‘My Marvellous Memory’ are seen and heard throughout the classrooms and corridors. Leaders set high expectations for behaviour and learning. Pupils meet and exceed these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They are proud of their school. Class ambassadors welcome you to their learning space. They confidently engage in conversation at a mature level. The inspector saw this maturity wherever they were in the school from nursery to Year 6. A parent, echoing the view of many, said, ‘The pupil journey is the priority and leaders have created a safe space for children to learn, grow and express themselves’. They are right.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is uncommon, but when it does happen, leaders deal with it thoroughly and effectively. Despite pupils being unsure about some of the key specific vocabulary related to fundamental British values, their actions show respect and tolerance. They understand that it is important for people to be equal.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sonny, the school dog, is a firm favourite with both staff and pupils. Pupils told the inspector of the many ways that Sonny helps them with their feelings and how to cope with different emotions. They value this. Pupils also take advantage of the clubs and visits that happen.

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

Pupils live the school motto of ‘dream big, believe in themselves and achieve their goals’.

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

Leaders have carefully set out what pupils should learn and when. This starts from the early years. There is a clear pathway of how the learning builds up over time. Leaders do not rest on their laurels. They continually think about how the curriculum is right for their school context and how it could be even better. Strategies such as ‘My Marvellous Memory’ and ‘Fact Fluency’ are working well in mathematics to help build pupils’ ability to recall key facts. 14 and 15 September 2022

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Leaders are in the process of rolling out these strategies across other subjects. These approaches are helping pupils to develop ways to remember their learning from recent and more distant lessons.

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Teachers use a range of different and helpful ways of checking how well pupils are doing. Currently, pupils talk about their learning with greater depth and recall in some subjects than others. For example, pupils discuss what they know and understand in history in a lively manner. They make links and comparisons across topics and time periods. This was not as strong in other subjects.

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Pupils learn to read with increasing independence and fluency. Leaders have made sure staff know how to help pupils in a way that supports them with any struggles they may have. Older pupils read well and can share their views on, and understanding of, texts they have read. The ‘reading suitcase’ helps pupils and families to share the love of reading.

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Leaders have provided a range of training for staff. This helps staff to identify any additional needs that pupils may have. The training makes sure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have consistent experiences across classes and achieve well, and that everyone adds to the vision of ‘dream, believe, achieve’.

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Governors check the school’s work and hold leaders to account. Despite checks being in place, some responsibilities, such as the correct statutory information being published on the website, are overlooked. They see the recent joining of the school to the Lighthouse Federation as a way of further strengthening governance. Staff morale is high. Staff stated, ‘We are a team who laugh and cry together and can lean on each other for help, support and advice.’ They said that leaders’ actions, such as reviewing policies and sharing breakfasts together, all make a positive difference.

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The youngest children get off to a great start. The environment, resources and adult support are all tuned into ensuring children play and learn together. Even this early in the term, the inspector frequently heard phrases such as, ‘You can share mine’ and ‘There are only two, but you can share with me’. Children who have been in nursery just a few days line up to a rhyme and follow instructions well. Leaders’ focus on vocabulary and children’s conversations pays off. A special moment in the lunch hall is seeing adults sitting, eating and conversing with children from Nursery and Reception.

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Leaders’ attention to detail extends beyond the academic. They ensure a range of trips and experiences help pupils to appreciate life beyond school. Pupils particularly look forward to the residential visit in Year 6 and spoke of how entering an international art competition helped them to understand different faiths and religions. 14 and 15 September 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed a dedicated and knowledgeable team that ensures safeguarding permeates the life of the school. They check that staff are safe to work with pupils and follow up any concerns raised. Leaders provide training that helps all staff to take the right actions when needed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about keeping safe in different circumstances, including healthy relationships. Pupils know to talk to someone if they are worried about anything, and spoke of having trusted adults there for them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The checks that the governing body make as part of its working practices are not systematic enough. This has resulted in occasional gaps in information being updated in a timely manner and some inconsistencies in the systems for holding leaders to account. Governors should continue to review, enhance and strengthen their working practices through collaborative working with the recently established Lighthouse Federation.  In a few subjects, leaders are in the process of providing pupils with strategies to help them remember important curriculum content. As a result, pupils talk about their learning with greater depth and recall in some subjects than in others. Leaders should continue to embed successful recall strategies and provide oracy opportunities for all pupils, enabling then to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their knowledge throughout the curriculum, including key vocabulary associated with British values.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2017. 14 and 15 September 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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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. 14 and 15 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240304 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school formally joined the Lighthouse Federation on 1 September 2022.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school provides before- and after-school care.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers, early years leader and special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, she discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 14 and 15 September 2022

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 The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects, including personal, social and health education and relationships and sex education.  The inspector met with two governors, including the chair of the governing body and the incoming chief operating officer of the Lighthouse Federation.  The inspector listened to a sample of pupils read.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at breaktimes. She spoke formally with groups of pupils as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around school.  The inspector reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online parent and carer, pupil and staff surveys.  The inspector met with leaders about the school’s safeguarding procedures. She reviewed policies and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. The inspector spoke to pupils, parents and carers, and staff about pupils’ safety.

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 The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and information on the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 14 and 15 September 2022

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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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