Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT Academy Trescott Road, Northfield, Birmingham B31 5QD

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Joanne Hall. This school is part of E-Act 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, Tom Campbell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lord James Knight.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT academy is a great place to be. The school is highly ambitious for all its pupils. Each day pupils aspire to be the best version of themselves by living the school motto ‘believe achieve succeed.’ Pupils achieve highly in school, particularly in writing. There is a strong culture of safety and care across the school. Pupils are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils say the school’s ‘STYLE’ rules are ‘not too strict but keep everyone in order’. The school ‘traffic lights’ behaviour management system is consistently applied by staff. Pupils take responsibility for their behaviour. They know that there are consequences for not doing the right thing. Pupils learn how resolve occasional friendship issues. Pupil prefects, play leaders and staff are on hand to support if needed. Pupils are exceptionally well behaved.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ‘enrichment rivers’ are highly valued by pupils. Be it a rainforest immersion experience, Second World War workshop, a trip to a museum or place of worship, learning a new talent, enterprise event, or keeping safe on and off-line experience. All pupils consistently benefit from this rich exceptional offer. 21 and 22 January 2025

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

The school’s curriculum is meticulously scoped. The important knowledge and skills pupils need to know is carefully sequenced so learning builds up over time. Teachers are highly skilled in delivering the curriculum. Pupils say that teachers make learning fun. Regular opportunities to recall prior learning help pupils to know and remember more. The school checks rigorously on how effectively the curriculum is delivered. Any gaps or inconsistencies are addressed immediately. All this means that the school’s curriculum is consistently well taught.

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

Pupils are proud of their confident, fluent handwriting style. They say, ‘it is alright to get things wrong’. Teachers help them to learn from their mistakes and improve their work. Any pupils in need of additional help are swiftly identified. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils get highly effective support to ‘be their best.’ They make strong progress from their starting points. Pupils learn the curriculum exceptionally well and achieve highly.

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

Early reading is prioritised. Staff are well equipped to teach early reading, particularly phonics. They carefully guide and support pupils when reading books that match sounds pupils learn. Pupils who fall behind in their reading are swiftly caught. They receive exceptional support to catch up from highly-skilled teaching ambassadors. Pupils read with at least the confidence, fluency and accuracy expected for their age.

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

Staff in the early years work closely with parents and carers to identify what children know and can do. They carefully consider next steps in learning and development. Language and communication are an absolute priority. Well-skilled adults strongly promote and encourage conversation at every opportunity. Children enjoy making new friends. They explore and create patterns, count and learn to write. Children get off to a great start.

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

The school makes sure pupils attend school regularly and on time. Any decline in pupil attendance is quickly addressed. Highly-effective strategies are used to overcome any barriers to school attendance. Parents appreciate reading and mathematics workshops and reading breakfasts. These help parents to understand the school’s high expectations, the importance of regular school attendance, and how to support learning in the home. All this means pupils’ attendance rates are high.

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

The school’s values are at the heart of its enrichment offer. Pupils proudly undertake responsibilities in school such as safety inspectors, school councillors, prefects, head boy and head girl. As ‘mini headteachers’ pupils learn about leadership and teamwork. They represent the voice of pupils. The school encourages pupils to think about how they can realise their dreams and wishes for the future. Be it a palaeontologist, architect, footballer or interior designer. Anything is possible. By learning about different faiths and the importance of festivals and ceremonies to these faiths, pupils learn to respect difference. For example, Bar or Bat Mitzvah to Jews and Christingle to Christians. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain. 21 and 22 January 2025

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Leaders, including trust leaders, are aspirational and highly ambitious for pupils. They know the school community well. Meticulous checks at every level ensure that leaders at all levels are held to account for the performance of the school.

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Staff value the commitment of leaders to supporting their well-being and workload reduction. They are proud of the highly effective professional development they receive. This helps them to continuously improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in March 2015.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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 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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Website https://merrittsbrookacademy.e-act.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast club for pupils.  Since the last inspection, the school has moved into a new build on the original school site.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed informal times of the day as part of their evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector met with trustees. The inspector also talked to pupils, staff and parents to gather information about school life.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

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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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