Bournville School

Inspection of Bournville School Hay Green Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands B30 1SH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The principal of this school is Marie Rooney. This school is part of Fairfax Multi- Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Simon Jones, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andy Best. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the positive environment of this all-through school. They say that teachers know them well and that this helps to make them feel safe. The school has high expectations of pupils and they receive help to learn how to live up to these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across the school, pupils generally behave well in lessons and during social times. However, some pupils do not display a positive attitude to their learning. Children in early years learn well and grow to understand the world around them. Pupils in the primary phase play well together. They know the established routines and get on well with their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school, although a significant number of pupils are often late. Pupils’ attendance is improving. Older pupils appreciate how their experience of school has improved recently. However, some pupils are not doing as well as they should do due to the gaps in their knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school makes sure that pupils benefit from a range of trips and visits to support their learning. For primary pupils these are often related to the books they are reading. They also visit different places of worship. Pupils take part in a range of clubs that are available to them. Older pupils have access to high-quality support for their future career, including information about apprenticeships and learning from different local and national employers.

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better?

Leaders are working with determination to improve all aspects of the school. They have received strong support and investment from the trust, including for staff’s professional development. All staff have pupils’ needs at heart. Staff are positive about working at the school and the support they get from leaders at all levels. The school is strengthening its engagement with parents and carers.

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better?

Children make a strong start to learning in early years. Their learning is carefully planned and implemented, especially in core aspects such as communication, language and number. This ensures that children are developing basic skills on which to build more-complex learning in other areas of the curriculum. This prepares them well for the learning they do in Year 1.

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better?

A lot of changes are being made at the school to help it improve quickly. The school has strengthened the curriculum in recent years. It is now more ambitious and well understood by teachers. In all subjects, the learning is carefully sequenced. The early impact of these changes show that pupils are sustaining their success in the primary phase. Secondary-age pupils are beginning to become more successful in line with the school’s ambition. However, there are still significant gaps for some groups of pupils due to the inconsistent delivery of the curriculum. Essential knowledge that pupils need to make progress is not secure. For example, in 12 and 13 March 2024

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mathematics pupils can struggle to access more difficult tasks that involve problem- solving.

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All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), experience the same curriculum. There are clear processes to help identify those who may need additional support. Adaptations are made for pupils who have education, health and care (EHC) plans. However, there is too much variation in support given to pupils with SEND who do not have an EHC plan. Leaders are working to develop the SEND provision further, including through staff training.

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The school highly values reading. Staff understand that pupils need to be able to read to successfully access the rest of the curriculum. The reading curriculum is well planned. Children start learning phonics as soon as they begin school. As a result, pupils become increasingly enthusiastic readers. Leaders have chosen a broad and relevant range of texts that pupils find interesting. The school has put in support for the weakest readers in the secondary phase. Pupils’ needs are identified accurately. Staff support them to read well and this work is showing a positive impact.

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Pupils’ behaviour has improved rapidly during the last year. Leaders have taken robust actions which mean the school is calm and pupils’ conduct is compliant. Suspensions have been high but are falling. Pupils understand the expectations that the school has for them. However, in lessons some pupils do not display positive attitudes to their learning and work that they do.

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The school recognises that attendance and punctuality are currently not good enough. Staff are doing all they can to help pupils attend well, and this work is having a positive impact over time. However, too many pupils arrive late to school. Leaders recognise that there is work to do and have begun to address this.

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The school has devised a personal, social health and economic education curriculum that is tailored to each year group. Consequently, pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when online. They develop an understanding of how to keep mentally healthy. Pupils receive effective careers education, information, advice and guidance. The school ensures that pupils with SEND are a top priority in this work. They receive high- quality, bespoke support. All pupils have useful encounters with the world of work.

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Leaders at all levels are supportive of staff’s workload and well-being. Trustees are experienced, reflective, and highly committed to the school. They ensure resources are well managed and that statutory requirements are fulfilled.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 12 and 13 March 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teaching strategies do not always ensure that pupils acquire the knowledge and skills required to learn more. This uneven delivery hampers pupils’ progress, and early knowledge is missing for some groups of pupils, especially in mathematics. The school should ensure that the pupils have the knowledge they need through a consistently delivered curriculum so that they can make strong progress and achieve well.  Some pupils with SEND are not receiving effective support to enable them to progress through the curriculum. As a result, some pupils with SEND, particularly those who do not have an EHC plan, are not able to engage fully with the ambitious curriculum. The school needs to ensure that teachers appropriately adapt the curriculum in all subjects and that it monitors the progress of all pupils with SEND through the whole curriculum.  Some pupils’ attitudes to learning are negative and at times go unchallenged by

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

staff. As a result, they do not work to the best of their ability within some lessons. The school needs to ensure that pupils engage with their learning well, regardless of the subjects they are studying.  A significant proportion of pupils do not come to school on time each day. This poor punctuality results in missed opportunities to learn and experience the strong offer during assemblies and form time. The school should ensure that it is doing all it can to secure the punctual arrival of these pupils.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at 12 and 13 March 2024

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any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 September 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of Fairfax Multi-Academy Trust.  The school uses five alternative providers for pupils. All of them are registered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the principal, trust leaders, governors, senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and pupils. They also talked informally to pupils and staff to gather general information about school life.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, geography, art and early reading. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors also visited lessons in some other subjects and discussed with leaders the provision for those children in early years.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum plan and spoke with leaders. An inspector also reviewed the support provided for pupils in regard to reading in the secondary phase.  Inspectors looked at records and spoke to staff in relation to behaviour, bullying and attendance.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school and their self-evaluation of the school’s work.  Inspectors took account of responses to the pupil and staff surveys, as well as Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Richard Wakefield, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gary Richards Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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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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