Temple Meadow Primary School

Temple Meadow Primary School Inspection report

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103957 Unique Reference Number Sandwell Local Authority 323932 Inspection number 28–29 April 2009 Inspection dates Patrick Finegan Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 376 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 28 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Tony Tonks Chair Cathy Walsh Headteacher 14 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Wrights Lane School address Cradley Heath B64 6RH 01384 569021 Telephone number 01384 569051 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 28–29 April 2009 Inspection dates 323932 Inspection number .

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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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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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Temple Meadow is a primary school of above average size, serving a mixed community in Rowley Regis with some significant elements of social and economic deprivation. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average. The school provides Early Years Foundation Stage education in the Nursery and two Reception classes and in the New Beginnings Nursery for children aged 0 to 3. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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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: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to pupils' achievement and standards, and the effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Despite its weaknesses, the school is already making improvements and demonstrating the necessary capacity to improve. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses and has implemented key improvements over the last eight months, for example in establishing a satisfactory quality of teaching, developing good behaviour of pupils and sustaining good provision for children aged 0 to 3. The headteacher provides firm educational direction and is

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Grade: 4

clearly focused on improving the standards and achievement of all pupils. She has effective support from the senior leadership team. Despite recent instability, the staff are also working to bring effective improvement. Although there is still work to complete to ensure the school is effective enough, leadership and management are satisfactory. Whilst progress is good in the New Beginnings Nursery, children do not get off to a strong start in the Nursery and Reception years because the provision is inadequate and their learning and development is not rapid enough. As pupils move up through the school from the start of Year 1 to the end of Year 6, their progress is too patchy and achievement is inadequate, especially for higher attainers and for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Standards are not high enough at the end of Year 6. The curriculum is satisfactory but senior leaders recognise it could be better matched to pupils'

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Grade: 4

needs and abilities. There is now far more satisfactory teaching in school than at the start of this school year, with some pockets of good and outstanding provision. This is beginning to drive achievement upwards, though there is still work to do to improve basic skills. Care, guidance and support for pupils are satisfactory. The school ensures that current statutory requirements for child protection and safeguarding are met. There are some shortcomings in academic guidance because pupils do not always know what their targets are or how they can improve their work. The school does not yet promote community cohesion well enough. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to discover the wealth of other cultures both in Britain and overseas. Whilst attendance is below average, the school is taking successful measures to improve it. Behaviour is good and pupils enjoy their learning. Overall, pupils' personal

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Grade: 4

development and well-being are satisfactory.

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Grade: 4

There is considerable inconsistency in provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage. In the New Beginnings Nursery, children make good progress because the provision focuses carefully on their needs. There is good leadership and management for this setting and provision for children's welfare is good. However, achievement and standards are inadequate in the rest of the Early Years Foundation Stage as a result of inconsistent approaches to teaching. There is a distinct difference in the informal provision in Nursery and the formally taught curriculum in Reception. In the past, weaknesses in assessment procedures have led to an inflated view of 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009 both progress and attainment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. By the end of Reception, children have well below average knowledge, skills and understanding. Improvements

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Grade: 4

are being made to the quality of provision and children's welfare is promoted satisfactorily. They are kept safe and secure and any problems, difficulties or worries are dealt with effectively. Because the school has firm and sensible plans for further improvement that are rooted in satisfactory systems to check the quality of provision, leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory. This is underpinned by the evidence of recent improvements. The school has made improvements to the quality of the accommodation and the books and equipment for Nursery and Reception children which are helping to improve the quality of provision. The outdoor space has been developed to provide a place of adventure and fun. The good facilities are used appropriately to help children learn and develop. The children enjoy their time in Nursery and Reception and are keen to learn. Their personal, social

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Grade: 4

and emotional development is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise pupils' achievement and improve progress by more effective and consistent use of assessment data and ensuring that higher attaining pupils and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are effectively challenged and supported. ■ Improve provision for pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage so that their achievement is raised. ■ Provide opportunities for pupils to understand the common values shared with other people in Britain and internationally in order to promote community cohesion successfully.

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Grade: 4

Standards are well below average and the achievement of pupils is inadequate. From a low level of skills and knowledge at the start of main school Nursery, pupils do not make the progress they should. Children aged 0 to 3 make good progress, however. There are weaknesses in standards of writing which the school is beginning to tackle successfully due to new approaches to teaching. Higher attaining pupils and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do not do well enough because the use of assessment data to ensure that they make sufficient progress is inconsistent. Until recently, the school's evaluation of pupils' achievement has been inaccurate, especially for younger children. The new tracking system is designed to rectify this but is at a very early stage of development and it is too early for it to have full impact on achievement.

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Grade: 3

Attendance is improving and pupils enjoy coming to school. Pupils enjoy the good range of extra-curricular activities and are particularly keen to develop their teamwork through dance. They co-operate well with one another and are courteous and polite. Any bullying is quickly sorted out by the teachers so that pupils feel safe. Some parents are concerned about behaviour but inspection evidence shows that behaviour is good. The pupils spoke clearly of the improvements that have led to this. Pupils are given good opportunities to develop their confidence. In a good lesson in Year 1, that linked writing to dance, pupils were given the opportunity to collaborate effectively and 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009 act out various emotions together in a creative environment. Pupils know about healthy eating and eagerly talk about the need to eat five fruits and vegetables per day and how exercise

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Grade: 3

affects their body. Pupils make satisfactory progress in personal qualities such as developing empathy for others, which enables them to contribute to the local community in activities such as raising money for local charities. Whilst basic skills are weak, pupils' preparation for the next stage of education and life outside school is satisfactory because they develop enthusiasm for learning and are able to work together in teams and take responsibility. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. There are not yet enough opportunities for pupils to develop their awareness and understanding of other cultures.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Until recently, the quality and effectiveness of teaching varied too widely and too many pupils did not make enough progress in lessons and over time. The school recognises that much further work is required to rectify the main cause of pupils' underachievement, which is the inconsistency in the match of teaching to pupils' abilities. Often, lesson objectives do not take enough account of pupils' ages and needs. In lessons, introductions are sometimes too long and activities in the middle part of the lesson are not always stimulating enough. Despite this, examples of good and outstanding teaching are evident through the school and in the New Beginnings Nursery. In all years, relationships between adults and pupils create a supportive climate for learning and help lessons to proceed smoothly. Teaching assistants are satisfactorily deployed to work with groups of pupils. Recent

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Grade: 3

improvements to teaching have been effective and all inadequate teaching has been eliminated from Years 1 to 6.

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Grade: 3

The school is working successfully to improve its satisfactory curriculum. There is appropriate coverage of all the necessary subjects and for aspects such as pupils' personal, social and health education. Action has been taken recently to improve the provision for phonics, but there has not been enough time for this to fully raise standards and achievement in writing. The school development plan identifies appropriately that ways to make learning more fun, exciting and practical are the next areas for curriculum improvement. Nonetheless, many pupils in Year 6, for example, are well motivated by their interesting work on the Second World War that includes purposeful opportunities for writing. Such links between subjects are starting to make learning more meaningful for pupils. The out-of-school activities programme is good and children attending the breakfast and after-school clubs benefit well from the many activities that help them build good relationships,

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Grade: 3

more effective learning skills and the confidence to work independently. Provision for children aged 0 to 3 is well planned to meet their individual needs. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Grade: 3

Pupils are appropriately looked after in an environment where they feel valued. Safeguarding procedures meet current requirements. Pupils who are unwell or hurt are given sensitive care and support. Many pupils have barriers to learning when they start school and all staff work effectively to help pupils settle and feel well looked after. Pupils with behaviour difficulties are supported well by staff and other pupils. Pupils feel well looked after and say how much they like the adults in school. They say that the headteacher is approachable and that she 'will make things even better'. Guidance to pupils on how to improve pupils' work is not yet effective enough, particularly for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and high attainers. Pupils are not always given clear enough guidance about how to improve their work, for example through marking that tells them what to aim for in their work.

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Grade: 3

The new headteacher and senior leadership team have done an effective job to identify the reasons why attainment and achievement was inadequate. However, there is still a legacy of underachievement which staff are combating by improving systems for tracking pupils' achievement, the regular monitoring of teaching and learning, and increasingly realistic improvement planning. The school is developing its partnership with other agencies effectively. Its self-evaluation is accurate and has been used well to improve the quality of teaching. At present, subject leaders do not have sufficient responsibility for achievement, although their role is being strengthened in measuring the quality of provision. The whole leadership structure has been changed appropriately to tackle underperformance. Senior leaders are working effectively to bring even more rigour to the analysis of data and monitoring of performance.

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Grade: 3

Governance is satisfactory because of the governing body analysing the impact of improvement initiatives with more vigour than previously. Their influence and challenge on raising standards and achievement is much stronger than in the past. The school is setting more challenging targets for pupils' achievement. These have not yet been reached, but expectation has risen, the quality of provision already shows improvement and pupils' achievement is beginning to accelerate. For this reason, the school has satisfactory capacity to continue its improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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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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needs of learners?

No 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? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

4 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 4 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

4 How well do learners achieve? 4 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 4 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 3 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 4 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? Yes Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

29 April 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Temple Meadow Primary School, Cradley Heath B64 6RH Thank you for your politeness, warm welcome and friendliness when we visited your school recently. Thank you for telling us so much about your school. The school is already changing for the better but it is not yet doing enough to make sure that you all do as well as you should and reach high enough standards. We are asking the staff and governors to make some more improvements and we are recommending that the school gets some extra help over the next year. You clearly like your teachers and your behaviour is good. You now have more positive attitudes to learning and you listen well to one another in lessons. You are beginning to attend school regularly and this is really making a difference to your learning. You have helped a lot to improve the school by listening to your teachers and doing what your headteacher expects from you,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

such as being polite to one another. We have asked your headteacher and teachers to make a few things better for you and you can help in this process by asking your teachers to give you more chances to organise your own work and do some research yourselves. We would like you to have more chance to learn about other people and places in Britain and around the world. Make sure you tell your teachers when work is too easy or too hard, especially those of you who find learning hard. We are also asking your school to improve what it does for children in the pre-school Nursery and in Reception so that they have a good start to their education. However, children in the New Beginnings Nursery are making good progress because their work is lively and exciting. We have asked your teachers to plan your lessons so that you can make even better progress. We know you will help your teachers make these improvements. As a start, you can tell your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

parents, carers and teachers what you find easy in your work and what you find hard. This will help them work with you to reach even higher standards. Good luck in your studies. Yours faithfully Patrick Finegan Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Temple Meadow Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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