Kensington Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the impact of leadership and management, including governance, so that the school improves at a faster rate by:
  • planning for improvement with greater precision so that leaders can be held to account and in turn can stringently hold teachers to account
  • refining systems to manage the performance of teachers, ensuring feedback is
  • detailed and timely, so that the quality of teaching rapidly improves improving the procedures for measuring and tracking the progress pupils make so that it provides the accurate information teachers need to provide pupils with work that is well-matched to their ability
  • developing the skills of subject leaders so that they can improve teaching and raise
  • standards in their areas of responsibility improving the skills of governors so that they are able to hold leaders rigorously to account.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning, rapidly improving outcomes for pupils, by ensuring that teachers:
  • make better use of assessment, including during lessons, to provide pupils with work that extends their learning
  • make the intended learning clear to pupils so that they know what they have to do to be successful intervene more quickly when pupils are ready to tackle more difficult work
  • provide learning activities that engage boys and improve their attitudes to learning
  • provide pupils with opportunities to deepen their problem solving and reasoning skills in mathematics. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leadership and management requires improvement because leaders have not planned for improvements with sufficient precision to ensure that the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils have improved rapidly enough.
• The leadership team does not evaluate all aspects of the work of the school with sufficient attention to detail. This means that they are unable to effectively tackle potential weaknesses.
• Leaders have an overgenerous view of the progress some pupils make. They have not ensured that the systems for tracking pupils’ progress provide them with all the information they need. They recognise that work is needed to improve this without delay.
• The headteacher ensures that teachers’ performance is appraised annually. This process is undertaken by the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team. They observe teachers’ practice regularly. The headteacher has not ensured that the appraisal process, or the feedback she provides, is sufficiently well used to improve the quality of teaching for all teachers.
• The skills of leaders with responsibility for subjects other than English and mathematics are not well developed. They undertake some monitoring of their subjects but do not make a difference to the quality of teaching or outcomes in their subject areas.
• The local authority identified that the school was in need of additional support. While some support has been successful, other aspects of their work with the school have lacked sufficient rigour to enable leaders to bring about improvements quickly enough.
• The additional funding for primary physical education (PE) and sport is used to provide training for teachers and additional sporting opportunities for pupils. Leaders do not evaluate the use of the spending in sufficient detail. They are not certain of the impact of its use.
• Leaders commissioned a review of the use of the pupil premium spending. They have responded swiftly to the recommendations in the report. Leaders ensure the pupil premium funding is well spent. The leader identifies the pupils’ barriers to learning closely so that she can provide appropriate support for pupils. She keeps a close check on the progress these pupils make.
• Two leaders jointly have responsibility for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. The leaders work well together to ensure that provision for these pupils throughout the school is of high quality. They plan interventions carefully so that they address pupils’ particular needs. They ensure that any additional funding they receive for these pupils is well spent.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils can learn to play a variety of musical instruments. Some pupils had the opportunity to play with the Halle Orchestra at the Nottingham Concert Hall. Actors and theatre groups visit the school. Pupils learn about a wide range of different cultures and religions.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils learn about a range of subjects in depth. They benefit from trips and residential visits to enhance their learning. Leaders arrange events such as ‘World Book Day’ and ‘Science Week’ to enhance the curriculum.
• Leaders promote pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values well. A display in the hall celebrates ‘Parliament Week’. Pupils learn about democracy by voting for classmates to represent them on the school council. They understand the rule of law through the school rules.
• Leaders provide appropriate support to teachers who are new to the profession.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has not held leaders to account with sufficient rigour. While governors undertake some monitoring alongside the leadership team, too often they accept what leaders tell them without sufficient challenge.
• The governing body is ambitious for the pupils to do well. Governors are supportive of the leadership team. Minutes of governors’ meetings show that they ask some challenging questions.
• Governors ensure that they undertake their statutory duties. For example, they undertake the performance management of the headteacher. They do not make sure that checks on some aspects of the school’s work are undertaken carefully. For example, several aspects of the school’s website are out of date.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The headteacher ensures that all the appropriate vetting checks take place before a member of staff or volunteer begins working at the school.
• The headteacher provides staff with up-to-date training. She ensures that safeguarding remains at the forefront of everyone’s mind by including it as an agenda item for every staff meeting. Staff at all levels are clear about how to raise a concern about a child’s welfare should one arise.
• The headteacher keeps detailed records relating to child protection securely.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They are taught how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. For example, they understand about fire safety, road safety and stranger danger. Teachers arrange for visitors to come into school to enhance this part of the curriculum. For example, paramedics visited school to talk to pupils about basic first aid. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when they use modern technology.
• Pupils told inspectors that bullying does not happen often at Kensington Juniors. They could think of an adult they could speak to if they had any worries, safe in the knowledge that the adult would deal with it quickly and successfully for them.
• There are two learning support mentors. One is new to her post this year. They provide effective support to pupils and families through clubs for pupils to attend or signposting families to additional support where this may be helpful to them.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not consistently good throughout the school.
• Too often, teachers do not make effective use of assessments to plan learning that is well matched to what pupils already know and can do. During lessons, teachers do not respond quickly enough when pupils are ready to move onto learning that is more difficult. When this happens, pupils complete work that is easy for them. Sometimes, pupils sit waiting for teachers to provide more work.
• Sometimes teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can do. They do not insist pupils consistently present their work neatly. They do not provide pupils, particularly boys, with work that captures their enthusiasm. This leads to some pupils losing interest and not engaging well with their learning.
• Teachers do not consistently ensure that pupils understand the intention of their learning. For example, pupils do not think closely about the important features to include in their writing or the comprehension skills they are practising because teachers have not made it explicit that this is the purpose of the lesson. When this happens, pupils are not clear what they have to do to be successful. This slows the progress they make.
• Teaching assistants often provide high quality support to pupils to enable them to understand the ideas being taught. Occasionally, teaching assistants sit and listen while the teacher talks to the whole class. During this time, they do not promote pupils’ learning and understanding as well as they could.
• Pupils’ mathematics books show that teachers develop pupils’ fluency in calculations well. There are, however, limited opportunities for pupils to develop their problem solving and reasoning skills.
• In better-taught lessons, teachers respond to pupils’ emerging levels of understanding. They adapt their teaching, and the work they provide, so that pupils receive the right level of challenge and support to enable them to master new ideas and deepen their learning.
• Leaders are aspirational in their drive to raise standards. The assessment system that leaders have implemented to track pupils’ progress, however, does not provide teachers with the information they need to plan learning that closely matches pupils’ abilities. By the end of the inspection, leaders recognised that their use of the system must be improved so that teachers have the information they need to plan pupils’ next steps in learning with greater accuracy.
• Pupils’ books show that teachers provide opportunities for pupils to write at length in a range of subjects. This enables pupils to develop their writing skills. For example, pupils wrote ‘The diary of a heart’ in science lessons. This allowed pupils to practise their diary-writing skills and demonstrate their understanding of the workings of the human heart.
• Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to explain the concepts to pupils well. Teachers extend pupils’ vocabulary effectively by taking time to explain unfamiliar words or by giving pupils opportunities to use dictionaries.
• Teachers respond quickly through a system of ‘quick fix’ in mathematics. Pupils who have struggled to understand a concept receive additional teaching during the afternoon. Teachers successfully deal with some misconceptions through this system so that pupils are better prepared for the next day’s mathematics lesson.
• Most pupils’ books show that they are making strong progress from their starting points this year.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receive effective support in lessons and in separate interventions. The special educational needs coordinators communicate effectively with teachers and teaching assistants to keep a close check on the success of the support they provide.
• Teachers make effective use of homework to extend pupils’ learning. Leaders refer to this as ‘home learning’. Pupils can choose from a range of tasks that are designed to enable pupils to be creative in their approach to learning. During the inspection, pupils in Year 4 were sharing and celebrating the work they had completed. Every parent who responded to the online survey, Parent View, agreed that the homework that the school sets is appropriate.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school's work to promote pupils' personal development and welfare requires improvement because too often pupils do not demonstrate strong attitudes to learning. Pupils come to school ready to learn. They want to engage with their learning. Teachers, however, do not reliably provide the appropriate level of challenge, nor do they engage pupils’ interest well enough to sustain a love of learning. This is particularly true for some boys.
• Too often, books show that teachers do not insist pupils present their work neatly. Some pupils’ work is messy, and teachers do not reliably address this. This leads to pupils not demonstrating pride in their work.
• Pupils are keen to talk about their school. They told inspectors that they are well looked after, saying ‘This school cares for people’ and ‘Everyone is welcome here.’
• During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were enjoying a visit from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). They learned about how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations.
• Pupils speak knowledgeably about a range of cultures and religions. They spoke to inspectors very respectfully about people whose beliefs and lifestyles may differ from their own.
• Pupils raise money for charities such as Comic Relief and the Shoebox appeal, recognising that not everyone is as fortunate as they are.
• Pupils can take responsibility around school. They can act as ‘playbuddies’ to support each other on the playground. Some pupils help the midday supervisors to make sure lunchtime runs smoothly by indicating when the hall has enough space for the next class to be called in for lunch. Pupils can represent their classmates on the school council or as house captains. Pupils undertake their responsibilities proudly and maturely.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite to each other and adults alike. Pupils greeted inspectors warmly. Some shook hands with inspectors, while others said, ‘We hope you have a good day!’
• Pupils move around school sensibly. They come in from breaktimes without fuss, ready to start their lessons. Pupils enter assembly quietly and respectfully. At lunchtime, they show their good table manners as they enjoy eating lunch with their friends.
• Pupils’ overall attendance is in line with the national average. The headteacher promotes the importance of regular attendance by presenting trophies in assembly to the class with the highest attendance and the class with most improved attendance. Rates of attendance are reported to parents in regular newsletters. The headteacher and the school’s business manager keep a close check on pupils’ attendance to ensure that, if it drops for any pupil, they can manage it swiftly and successfully.
• On the playground, while a very small minority of pupils run around boisterously, typically pupils play together well. Some pupils make use of the equipment that is available while others play running games or chat with their friends.
• Very occasionally in lessons, when teachers do not capture pupils’ interests well enough, pupils become distracted and do not pay sufficient attention.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Published information shows that pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics has been too slow for too long. Leaders have identified the reasons for this and have taken action to improve pupils’ outcomes. School assessment information and pupils’ books show that current pupils are making stronger progress.
• Leaders had not identified that boys do not perform as well as girls in reading and writing. This oversight means that they have not planned for this situation to improve.
• By the end of 2017, the proportion of Year 6 pupils achieving the expected standard in mathematics and in spelling, punctuation and grammar had risen. It had not, however, reached the national average.
• Published information shows that the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading rose from 2016 to 2017 so that it was in line with the national average. These pupils were better prepared for secondary school.
• Published information shows that disadvantaged pupils make better progress than other pupils, indicating that the difference between these pupils and their peers is diminishing. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving the greater depth of understanding in reading and mathematics by the end of Year 6 in 2017 was higher than had been seen in 2016.
• Pupils’ books show that current pupils are making much stronger progress from their starting points. More pupils are working at the expected standard for their age.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112573 Derbyshire 10031292 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 217 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Chrissie Morley Lindsey Partridge 01159 322920 www.kensington-junior.org.uk info@kensington.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 16 17 July 2013

Information about this school

• The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is higher than average
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much lower than average. Most pupils are of white British heritage.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much higher than average
• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium, the pupil premium, the SEN information report and key stage 2 results on its website.
• The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning taking place in 16 lessons, sometimes jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors observed an assembly. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around school and at breaktimes.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the learning support mentor and a teacher who is new to the profession. Inspectors met with the assistant headteacher and the mathematics leaders, who jointly have responsibility for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• One inspector met with two members of the governing body. She also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors examined a wide range of pupils’ books from every class. One inspector listened to pupils reading.
• Inspectors examined a range of documentation, including that relating to the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans and the progress that pupils make. They also examined reports from the local authority and the report from the review of the pupil premium funding. Inspectors reviewed documentation relating to the safeguarding of pupils.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils informally in class, during breaktimes and around the school. One inspector held a more formal meeting with a small group of pupils and spoke with parents as they brought their children to school in the morning. Inspectors took account of the 20 responses to the online survey Parent View. They also considered the 22 responses to the staff survey and the 56 responses to the pupils’ survey.

Inspection team

Di Mullan, lead inspector Harkireet Sohel Angela Kirk Her Majesty's Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector