Pens Meadow School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Pens Meadow School Ridge Hill Site, Buckpool Way, Brierley Hill Road, Wordsley, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 5ST

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Outcome

Pens Meadow School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pens Meadow is a happy school. Pupils appreciate the help that they get with their learning and if they have any worries. They know that staff care for them. These successful relationships extend to parents and carers. They particularly appreciate that the school does what it can to give their children a good start to school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like school and attend well despite the challenges that their higher levels of need present. They behave well and try their best in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils. Its curriculum helps them to practise what they have been learning in school out in their community. For example, some pupils visited the local park to look at wildlife and practise working in teams. Over time, pupils make good progress from their individual starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils have ample opportunities to visit local businesses and colleges for taster days. Many appreciate the time that they spend with local charities, helping to sell the goods that they make in lessons. Others talk positively about their gardening work and how they enjoy planting vegetables and seeing them grow. As a result, pupils are prepared well for their next steps in education and/or training.

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

Pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified and understood before they transition into school. This means that they get the right provision immediately put in place for them. Staff work effectively with professional partners in and out of school so that children in the early years through to students in the sixth form have 13 and 14 May 2025

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their needs met well. Transfer for pupils moving from the main site to the post-14 site is particularly well managed.

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The school has thought carefully about its curriculum and what it wants pupils to learn. The content is clearly defined for all subjects. The school’s careful checks of a child’s skills and knowledge on arrival mean that staff know the exact starting point for each child and can personalise learning for them.

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Staff quickly make sure that pupils of all ages have the right tools and methods to be able to communicate their wants and needs effectively. They know that unless this is right pupils cannot access or benefit from the school’s rich curriculum. As a result of this careful and accurate work, pupils engage successfully with their learning and are able to improve their social interactions and communication skills over time.

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The school has created a culture where reading is important. Pupils who are at the very earliest stage of the reading curriculum have stories read to them so that they can start to learn about sequences of activities and how characters can look and act differently. When they are ready, pupils benefit from regular phonics lessons and quickly start to learn the foundations of reading needed to become fluent. Many older pupils know that learning to read is very useful for when they leave school.

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In the majority of lessons across the curriculum, teachers select activities that are well matched to learning intentions. They carefully check that pupils understand what has been taught. As a result, pupils effectively build their subject knowledge and skills over time. However, in some subjects, some teachers do not follow the curriculum as closely as they should. When this happens, they choose activities that are less well matched to what pupils need to learn next. This creates gaps in pupils’ knowledge, and these are not always quickly picked up and addressed. Similarly, in some subjects, some teachers do not check well enough that pupils have understood the content of the lesson before moving on. This means that misconceptions are not picked up and addressed as they occur. As a result, pupils have a less deep understanding of those subjects.

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The well-considered personal development programme teaches pupils about the similarities and difference between cultures and religions. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online effectively. Pupils are encouraged to become as active as possible in their community so that they can appreciate what life is like in modern Britain.

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From the very start of each pupil’s time in school, staff place high importance on preparing them for their next steps and for adulthood. This work is a strength of the school. The sixth-form provision gives students many opportunities to practise important life skills such as cooking a meal for themselves and understanding where to access vital health services in their community.

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Governors know their school well. Working with leaders, they ensure that the school has been able to maintain the standards indicated at the last inspection. Staff are positive about working at this school. They recognise that leaders do listen and consider their workload when change is needed. 13 and 14 May 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, some teachers do not follow the agreed sequence of learning or ensure that activities are well matched to the learning intentions. This means that pupils form gaps in their knowledge and skills in those subjects. The school should ensure that all teachers follow the intended curriculum and select activities related to the important content being taught so that pupils can build their knowledge and skills successfully in all subjects.  In some subjects, some teachers do not use assessment well enough to check that pupils have understood what has been taught. This means that misconceptions are not identified or addressed as quickly as they could be. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment consistently well to check pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching so that pupils can learn and retain new knowledge.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019. 13 and 14 May 2025

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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’ 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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils with complex learning and medical needs.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school has a second site for post-14 pupils: Tiled House Lane, Pensnett, Dudley, DY5 4LN.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  There were no nursery-age children in the school at the time of the inspection.  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. 13 and 14 May 2025

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, two assistant headteachers and the school business manager. Inspectors also met with other members of staff.  The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. She also met with the chair and the vice chair of governors.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school sites.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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Information about this inspection

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.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jane Edgerton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Pete Hines OBE Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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