Castle Bromwich Junior School

Castle Bromwich Junior School Inspection report - amended

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104066 Unique Reference Number Solihull Local Authority 308498 Inspection number 11 °12 December 2007 Inspection dates Jim Henry Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Junior Type of school Community School category 7 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 466 School The governing body Appropriate authority Peter Heywood Chair Ian Backhouse Headteacher 1 January 0001 Date of previous school inspection Hurst Lane North School address Castle Bromwich Birmingham B36 0HD 01217 472247 Telephone number 01217 492438 Fax number

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7-11 Age group 11 °12 December 2007 Inspection dates 308498 Inspection number

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to factual inaccuracy

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Amended Report Addendum

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Amended Report Addendum

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Castle Bromwich Junior School is much larger than an average primary school. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage with English as their first language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is in line with the national average. The school serves a mixed socio-economic area and pupils start school with attainment either in line or above the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007

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Grade: 3

The school's overall effectiveness is satisfactory. Castle Bromwich Junior is an improving school. The progress pupils are making is markedly better than it was two years ago. Action has been taken to improve the quality of provision and this is making a positive difference to the education pupils are experiencing. The effective pastoral guidance and care given to pupils result in their good personal development and well-being. The majority of parents regard the school well and appreciate the care and concern given to their children. One parent wrote, 'I find the teachers very approachable and they always have the children's best interest at heart.' The behaviour of pupils is good, both in lessons and generally around the school. Relationships are good and pupils enjoy coming to school. They readily take on any responsibilities given to them and are keen to learn. Standards are broadly average and achievement is satisfactory. Pupils' attainment is in line or

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Grade: 3

above the national average on entry to the school. The school has put in place an effective system to monitor whether pupils are making enough progress and suitable intervention strategies to identify and address any underperformance. Teaching is satisfactory with some significant strengths. In the best lessons, teachers enable pupils to take an active part in the lesson so that they make swift progress. However, this is not consistent across the school. Not enough lessons are well matched to the needs of all pupils. Pupils' work is marked conscientiously, but the guidance given to the pupils on how to improve is not consistent across the school. The curriculum is satisfactory with some good elements. The school has achieved a variety of awards in sport and the arts and is recognised as an Eco-school for its work with pupils in looking at ways to improve the environment. The curriculum is enriched through drama, music

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Grade: 3

and the opportunity to represent the school in a variety of sports such as football, netball and athletics. 'Inspire workshops' for parents and links with the local infant school are used to support learning and help pupils settle quickly into school. The school recognises that the curriculum does not always meet the needs of all pupils as is shown by the fluctuating results in the Year 6 national tests. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and deputy headteacher give strong leadership in identifying areas for improvement in the school. They have rightly focused on increasing the involvement of pupils in lessons and in developing the tracking and monitoring system that is improving the progress that pupils make. They are supported well by the recently appointed middle management leaders and the staff, who work effectively as a team. As a result of good leadership and management, the school has a strong ability to improve further.

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Grade: 3

Governors are effective in holding the school to account and fully support the work of the school. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory, but which have areas of underperformance, will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted Inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that pupils make consistently good progress across the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the proportion of lessons in which teaching and learning are good and that the work given to pupils matches their needs. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007 ■ Improve the academic guidance given to pupils so that they know what they have to do to make good progress.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory and standards are broadly average. Pupils are assessed shortly after they enter the school at the start of Year 3 and attainment at this stage is either in line or above the national average. Progress made by pupils fluctuates across the school and is satisfactory overall. This is reflected in the results in end of Key Stage 2 tests that vary over time from above, to slightly below, the national average. For example, the progress made by pupils in 2007 in English, maths and science was better than in 2005. This variation also applies to subjects. The 2007 results show that achievement and standards in science were better than in mathematics and English, especially in the proportion of pupils achieving the higher Level 5. The school recognises these inconsistencies and has put strategies in place to identify and address underperformance. This is beginning to improve the progress that pupils make and

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Grade: 3

standards are rising in English and maths in each year group.

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Grade: 2

The school is a happy community and pupils have positive attitudes towards school, as is shown by their good attendance. Relationships are good and pupils feel valued and benefit from regular opportunities to express their views and concerns. They make friends readily and bullying is a rare occurrence. Pupils are knowledgeable about how to adopt a healthy lifestyle, are actively involved in improving their diet, and readily participate in a range of opportunities to take physical exercise including the popular 'fitness fortnight'. Behaviour around school is good and pupils show consideration for others and are courteous to adults. Pupils respond well to the opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In an assembly during the inspection, they sang well together, listened carefully during prayers, and had time for quiet reflection. Developing links with schools in China and Malawi encourage cultural awareness.

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Grade: 2

Pupils contribute to the wider community through their involvement in fundraising for charity and special events such as carol singing in a local shopping centre. Their ability to work with others and satisfactory progress in key skills mean that pupils are adequately prepared for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching has improved as a result of the general commitment of teachers to encourage independent and active learning. This has led to pupils enjoying their lessons more. In one literacy lesson, for example, the use of music inspired the pupils to produce highly imaginative work. Teachers are successfully using a wider range of teaching styles to stimulate learning, such as the provision of opportunities for pupils to review and extend their ideas through talking with a partner. This strategy is greatly assisted by the teachers' good subject knowledge. Learning is enhanced by the quality of relationships pupils enjoy with their teachers. However, lessons are not yet consistently giving pupils the opportunity to make and demonstrate good progress. The presentation of work in pupils' books is untidy. Whilst there are signs of 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007

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Grade: 3

improvement, the level of challenge for higher attaining pupils is also inconsistent, which slows the pace of their learning.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' interest and enthusiasm show that pupils enjoy the tasks and activities that the curriculum provides. The pupils are perceptive in noticing the steps taken by the school to develop links between subjects in order to motivate interest and stimulate learning. As one boy remarked, 'Putting numeracy games into literacy makes work interesting.' Greater flexibility in the curriculum is meeting the needs of pupils more effectively, especially the boys. Provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology is satisfactory and there is improved planning to support more independent learning and activities for pupils to reach their own conclusions. The curriculum is enriched by visits to art galleries, museums and a wide range of extra-curricular activities that includes sporting, musical and artistic clubs with good levels of participation. However, the level of challenge and tasks provided by the curriculum does not

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Grade: 3

always meet the needs of all pupils, especially the more able.

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Grade: 3

Parents value the good pastoral care and they appreciate the work of staff. Pupils like their teachers and the other adults in the school and have the confidence to talk to them if they have any concerns. The school council wears blue sweatshirts and members are instantly recognisable as people to turn to at playtimes if help is needed. The school's procedures for safeguarding, including child protection, comply with statutory requirements. Staff are appropriately trained and all adults who work in the school are thoroughly checked. Health and safety assessments confirm that the school is a safe place. The school is aware of the needs of its most vulnerable pupils and takes action to ensure their well-being. For example, the 'Pupils Involved in Positive Playtime Sessions' groups are taught personal and social skills which have a positive impact on relationships in the playground. Strong links with external agencies provide

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Grade: 3

support for pupils when required. Pupils' academic guidance is satisfactory as not all pupils have a clear understanding of their learning targets or how to improve further.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide strong and clear leadership and are committed to improving the school. They are fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and have established an effective system of self-evaluation. The school has been working closely with the local authority to introduce a new system to track the progress of pupils. This has been further improved and thoroughly monitored by the headteacher and deputy headteacher and, as a result, standards are rising in English and maths in each year group. They are well supported by a newly appointed leadership team who are in a good position to introduce change and are already raising standards across the school. Through the tracking and monitoring of pupils, the recently appointed year leaders are increasingly having a positive impact on the progress they make. However, the school recognises that not enough has been done to hold

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Grade: 2

staff to account for the progress that their classes make. Staff have supported and implemented new initiatives that are designed to improve pupils' progress. For example, they are increasingly 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007 involving parents if pupils start to fall behind their expected rate of progress. The governors are supportive and active and hold the school to account through structured committees. The school has made good improvements since the last inspection and has a good capacity to improve. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 December 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Castle Bromwich Junior School, Castle Bromwich B36 0HD. Thank you for making us feel welcome and helping us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and watching you work hard in your lessons. Mr Backhouse and the rest of the teachers and adults in the school care for you well and work hard to make sure you feel safe and enjoy school. After spending some time at your school, we thought you might like to know what we found out. ?You behave well and are keen to do your best in school. ?You look after one another well and are always willing to help the adults. ?You enjoy the different sports and music activities ° we were very impressed with the choir singing in a local supermarket. ?Your teachers and other adults work well together to help you get better at English, mathematics and other subjects. To help you to do even better, we have asked the adults who look after your school to make

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

sure that: ?you do the best you can in all your lessons in order to make good progress ?the teaching and activities in your lessons help you to make good progress ?you have clear guidance on how well you are doing in school and how you can help yourself to improve even more. You can help by continuing to do the best you can and working hard with your teachers. I am sure that everyone will do his or her best and the school will continue to be a happy place to learn. Good luck for the future. Yours sincerely Jim Henry Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Castle Bromwich Junior School, 11 °12 December 2007

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