Birchensale Middle School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend this transformed school. The school's clear expectations for pupils' conduct are fully understood. This means that pupils are considerate towards each other.

They focus well in lessons and typically try their hardest, as they know this is what is expected of them. Pupils have confidence in staff to help them if they have concerns. As one pupil, typical of many, said: 'The school is very supportive and rewarding.'



The school has consistently high expectations for pupils' achievement. These are embedded from when pupils first start in the school. This means that pupils are well supported to achieve and to be ready to thrive in their... education.

Pupils are achieving increasingly well. However, current published outcomes for the school do not yet reflect the recent improvements.

The school has a number of pupil leadership positions.

These include a student council, sports leaders and an eco-group. Pupils are proud of how they work with leaders to drive improvements. Pupils also speak highly of the trips and visits the school organises for them.

These include visits to London, a theatre and to a local church as well as a residential trip. These enrich pupils' experiences and helps them to be well prepared for life in modern Britain. Theses experiences also help the school to live its values fully for its pupils: belong, motivate, succeed, resilient.

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

The design of the school's curriculum has been extensively reviewed and is fully embedded. When pupils arrive in Year 5, the school ensures that it rapidly addresses any historic gaps in their knowledge. This means pupils are well placed to learn the ambitious curriculum.

The school has a consistent, agreed approach to teaching. It ensures that tasks are well matched to pupils' prior knowledge. Staff check pupils' understanding well and make sure that any gaps in their understanding or misconceptions are addressed.

That said, some key stage 3 pupils find it harder to recall important knowledge which they learned some time ago. This means they struggle to complete more complex tasks. Pupils typically take pride in their work.

However, there remain some pupils who do not extend their written responses well enough. They miss opportunities to link their learning and to develop more extended written responses.

The school has a coordinated and effective approach to reading.

It quickly identifies which pupils need support to read fluently. It puts effective support in place to ensure that pupils read with the fluency necessary to learn the school's curriculum. The curriculum is enriched with a specific focus on reading and high-quality texts.

The trust has worked with the school to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified accurately. Staff have useful information about these pupils. They use this to adapt activities in line with these pupils' needs.

As a result, pupils with SEND now achieve well.

The school is explicit about its high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils are taught what these mean.

This helps Birchensale to be a harmonious community. The few pupils who find it harder to meet the school's expectations receive rapid and effective support. The school has a highly developed approach to managing attendance.

The school has a deep understanding of the barriers to regular attendance for some pupils. Their actions have led to high overall attendance and pupils are very well supported to attend regularly.

The school has carefully considered a range of wider experiences for pupils.

The school tracks which pupils take up the opportunities to ensure all benefit. Pupils speak about what they have learned to keep themselves healthy and to live in modern Britain. This includes experiences of other faiths and traditions.

They have appropriate information about possible future careers or destinations.

Staff speak very highly of how they are supported in their professional development. They are proud of the improvements in the school.

Leaders engage with them productively around workload. Governors and trustees have an accurate evaluation of the school. They have supported and challenged leaders effectively to sustain improvements.

The trust has provided consistent and helpful support to the school. This has helped leaders at all levels to make significant improvements to the quality of provision at Birchensale Middle School.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A few older pupils struggle to recall their learning over time. This means they find it hard to complete tasks which require more extensive retrieval of previous learning. The school should continue to embed its approach to assessment to support even more pupils to identify longer-term gaps in their knowledge, and to support pupils to know and remember more over time.

• Some key stage 3 pupils do not have sufficient support to extend their writing. This means their written responses lack depth. The school needs to ensure that pupils are supported to include extend their written responses to learning activities.