Brewood Middle CofE Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Brewood Middle CofE Academy and many describe it as being like a 'family'. This means the pupils feel encouraged to achieve well, and they take advantage of the opportunities provided for them. Pupils benefit from the welcoming environment that the school provides and are supported well to learn to keep themselves safe.

The school is renewing its curriculum to ensure there is consistently high ambition across all subjects for all pupils. In most respects, the school has been successful in this, and pupils are learning and remembering more. The curriculum is enhanced by an impressive range of clubs and educational visits which pupils enjoy.

These in...clude bushcraft, cookery, games club, the ski trip and annual residentials. Pupils benefit too from significant careers information throughout their time at Brewood.

Behaviour is of a high standard at Brewood Middle.

This is because pupils understand the importance of treating each other with respect, and the school takes effective action to support them in this. Pupils appreciate the leadership opportunities which they have available to them, including the school council, student leadership team and house captains.

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

The school has reviewed its curriculum to ensure higher levels of consistency and ambition.

This is now more secure, for example in English and mathematics. In these subjects, pupils are successfully learning and remembering more. This is because the key knowledge they need is clearly identified, and assessment supports teachers to identify and close gaps in pupils' understanding.

However, in other subjects, the curriculum design is less effective as the key knowledge that pupils need to learn is less precisely defined, and there is less clarity around how this develops across the two key stages. This means that pupils' understanding is sometimes less effectively developed. The school has focused significantly on reading and ensuring that all pupils have the support they need to read fluently.

Leaders have worked effectively to develop a love of reading.

The school has renewed its approach to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils have their needs accurately identified and there is more extensive liaison with parents and pupils with respect to future targets.

Plans that accurately identify pupils' learning needs are shared with staff, and leaders monitor their use to ensure they are used effectively. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

Pupils at Brewood Middle are explicitly taught the school's behaviour expectations.

As a result, they are consistently polite and respectful to each other and towards visitors. Incidents of poor behaviour are very rare and handled appropriately to help pupils reflect on their choices. The school has a strategic approach to attendance which has had a positive impact on overall attendance levels, especially for those pupils who are persistently absent.

Personal development at Brewood Middle has many strengths. The school has a substantial and well-established extra-curricular offer which is especially strong for sports provision and visits, both local and international. Leaders' analysis of attendance at extra-curricular clubs is becoming more focused on ensuring that more vulnerable pupils take advantage of the offer.

The advice pupils receive about future careers is highly developed and effective. There are strong links with employers and local providers and the school is proud to have the 'Quality in Careers' standard. The pupils' understanding of other faiths and cultures is developed effectively through well-planned opportunities.

The school uses 'Life' lessons to teach pupils about their personal, social, health and economic education.

Those responsible for governance are well informed about developments at Brewood Middle thanks to extensive liaison with leaders and external validation. They discharge their statutory responsibilities effectively.

Trust employees are ambitious for the school and have secured support from other schools in the trust to help develop provision at Brewood. There remain inconsistencies in how leaders at all levels quality assure their areas of responsibility, especially around the curriculum. This means there remains variation between and within subjects.

Leaders engage effectively with staff about workload. Staff report they are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the school has not ensured that there is clarity in the core knowledge that pupils should know and remember and the order in which it is taught to them. Consequently, some pupils do not build a secure depth of knowledge and understanding in these subjects. The school should ensure that it clearly defines and sequences the key content and concepts pupils need to know across both key stages in all subjects.

• There are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is delivered in some subjects. This means that there is variation in how well pupils learn the intended curriculum. The school should ensure that its quality assurance and professional development supports all staff to deliver their curriculum as intended across all subjects.