Newhall Community Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • developing the skills of subject leaders so that they can improve the quality of teaching and raise standards in their areas of responsibility
  • giving effective support to those teachers whose teaching is not yet good so that they can quickly improve.
• Improve the quality of teaching in order to accelerate pupils’ progress by ensuring that:
  • all teachers have consistently high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and the quality of their work
  • teachers use assessment information effectively to set work that provides sufficient and appropriate challenge for all groups of pupils
  • teachers provide greater opportunities in mathematics for pupils to develop their basic mathematical skills
  • leaders work to reduce any variations in the progress made by disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • teachers provide pupils with increased opportunities to write at length in subjects across the curriculum and insist they correctly use their spelling, punctuation and grammar skills.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by:
  • reducing the proportion of pupils who are absent and regularly absent from the school, particularly pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding and those who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • ensuring that all teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour
  • increasing pupils’ confidence and resilience so that they are able to play a greater role in their own learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since arriving at the school in January 2016, the headteacher and the senior leaders have worked with determination and commitment to improve the school. After a period of decline, the quality of teaching and learning is now improving and standards are rising.
• Leaders hold teachers to account for the attainment and progress of each pupil through ‘pupil progress’ meetings each half term. This is going some way to improving standards. However, inconsistencies in teaching and learning across the school remain a barrier to some pupils achieving their full potential.
• The local authority identified that the school was ‘causing concern’ in 2016. However, it has not provided effective support to secure the necessary improvements for pupils.
• Many leaders of subjects, including those of English and mathematics, took up their posts within the last year. They are working with senior leaders to monitor the quality of teaching and pupils’ work. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of their work.
• Leaders have taken effective action to stem the decline in pupils’ standards. For example, they have improved the teaching of reading. There are positive signs that this is leading to better outcomes for pupils. Leaders have provided staff with training to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The deputy headteacher regularly models good teaching practice and teachers carry out work scrutinies and observations. As the quality of teaching is improving, standards become more consistent.
• Leaders’ use of the school’s pupil premium funding has led to some improvements in the progress and attainment made by disadvantaged pupils. However, as the quality of teaching and learning is not consistently good, some gaps remain in some classes and in some subject areas when comparing the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils with those of their peers.
• The leader responsible for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities knows these pupils’ needs well. Leaders monitor the pupils requiring additional help closely and use external support where necessary. The impact of this support on the outcomes of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is not yet consistently good.
• With the support of staff, leaders have introduced new strategies to manage behaviour. As a result, pupils’ behaviour is improving and the proportion of pupils excluded has decreased.
• School leaders have sought advice from other external organisations and individuals to improve the school. This has been effective in improving the leadership of mathematics, for example.
• Leaders use the additional funding provided through the primary physical education and sport premium well. In addition to providing good-quality teaching and coaching skills, more pupils participate in a range of sporting activities and competitions than previously.
• Leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of the school well. Governors robustly challenge and refine these judgements. The school’s development plan is precisely focused on the most important priorities and is leading to improvements.
• Leaders have reviewed the curriculum to ensure that it is broad and balanced. They have ensured that the curriculum provides a wide range of learning activities for pupils to develop skills in different areas. Pupils also benefit from a range of extra-curricular opportunities.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education well. Displays around the school are testament to pupils’ knowledge of, and tolerance towards, people of different faiths and cultures. For example, the ‘current news’ board expands pupils’ horizons to wider world issues. Overall, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders provide appropriate support to teachers who are new to the profession.
• Senior leaders have a clear vision and have established a culture of raised expectations. Almost all staff who completed the Ofsted online questionnaire and spoke with inspectors are supportive of leaders. The majority of parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted survey and who also completed the school’s own survey believe that the school is well led and managed.

Governance of the school

• All the governors have joined the governing body since May 2016. They are highly committed to the school. The chair of the governing body has ensured that the governors bring a wide range of skills that help them to support, and rigorously challenge, leaders.
• The governing body is ambitious for the school and its pupils. Governors are determined that standards will continue to improve. Governors’ understanding of the school’s performance is accurate. They are fully supportive of the new strategies that leaders are implementing. Governors ensure that new practices and processes focus on improving pupils’ outcomes.
• The governing body now rigorously monitors the use of additional funds, such as the pupil premium and funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Governors receive regular updates from leaders on the outcomes for different groups of pupils.
• Governors visit the school regularly and play an active role in school life. Staff and parents know the governors well, improving the school’s standing in its local community following its decline.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All pupils who spoke with inspectors agree that they are safe in school. The majority of parents feel that their children are safe and well cared for at the school.
• There is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. School leaders, including governors, ensure that appropriate systems for safeguarding pupils are in place. Leaders carry out all necessary checks before adults begin to work or to volunteer at the school.
• Staff and governors have a clear understanding of safeguarding. All staff and governors have received the necessary safeguarding training, including on the ‘Prevent’ duty, which helps them to protect pupils who are at risk from extremism and radicalisation. They understand their roles and the procedures that they must follow.
• The system for staff to report any welfare concerns about a child is effective. The pastoral team meets each week to ensure that there is early support in place for pupils needing more help. Leaders work closely with external agencies to make sure that pupils are safe. Leaders understand the importance of keeping records in good order.
• The chair of governors checks that leaders are following safeguarding procedures closely. This shows the high priority given to safeguarding throughout the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching and learning are not consistently good throughout the school. Not all teachers have high enough expectations of pupils. Where expectations are too low, teachers do not provide pupils with work that captures their enthusiasm. As a result, some pupils said that lessons ‘drag’.
• Teachers do not use assessment information consistently well across all subjects. Where this is the case, they do not match activities to pupils’ abilities. On occasion, pupils sit waiting for teachers to provide more work and can then engage in off-task behaviour, slowing their progress.
• The teaching of mathematics is not consistently good. In some classes, teachers do not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to practise their basic mathematical skills before moving them on. This hinders pupils’ progress on more complex mathematical activities, involving problem-solving and reasoning skills.
• Teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to write at length in subjects across the curriculum. Teachers do not consistently reinforce high expectations of the accuracy of pupils’ spelling, grammar and punctuation in their work across the curriculum.
• Teaching assistants provide effective support and intervention to help pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make progress in their learning. For example, they skilfully reshape questioning and learning activities to keep these pupils focused. However, where the quality of teaching is less than good, these pupils do not make as much progress as their peers.
• In some classes, teachers use skilled questioning to check pupils’ understanding and deepen their learning. For example, in science, the teacher encouraged Year 5 pupils to explain the order in which they would separate the different elements of their ‘alien soup’. In Year 6, a teacher used questioning effectively to challenge pupils’ misconceptions in relation to measuring the area of a parallelogram.
• When teachers provide pupils with targeted feedback, in line with the school’s policy, pupils understand what they need to do to improve. For example, a Year 4 pupil improved their written work by including more connectives. However, teachers’ feedback is not always precise enough to move pupils’ learning on to the next stage.
• The teaching of reading is increasingly effective. Pupils across the school have books at the appropriate level of challenge for their ages and abilities. They use phonics skills to decode unfamiliar words. Teachers encourage pupils to ‘find the gist’ of the text to highlight the key points. Pupils enjoy reading and do so fluently.
• Teachers are positive and enthusiastic, and classroom routines are well established. Pupils work well collaboratively alongside their peers to share information and ideas. Pupils are proud to receive achievement stars and house points when they are successful learners.
• Parents receive regular information about how well their children are progressing with their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are articulate and courteous. They behave considerately towards each other and adults. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive. One pupil told an inspector, ‘Teachers are kind and they look after us.’
• Pupils respond quickly to adults’ instructions. Teachers resolve any minor misdemeanours in class promptly. This ensures that most lessons flow smoothly and without interruption.
• Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school. They know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. For example, pupils were keen to offer their ideas during an assembly that focused on internet safety. Pupils can explain how staff will look after them if they have an accident. The majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, confirmed that the school keeps their child safe.
• Leaders promote healthy lifestyles. Pupils talked with inspectors about how to stay healthy by eating well and exercising regularly. One pupil explained that they are encouraged to bring healthy snacks into school rather than chocolate cake, because it is ‘not brain food’. Many pupils benefit from the range of extra-curricular clubs and activities provided by the school.
• Pupils understand bullying in its different forms, including cyber bullying. The ‘several times on purpose’ mantra is well known to the pupils and used by them. A small number of parents and pupils who spoke with the inspectors agreed that bullying sometimes happens. Leaders follow up bullying incidents, and school records show that they are taking appropriate action to resolve any issues.
• The school provides very effective spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, including a visit to a local faith centre to learn about different faiths and cultures. Pupils have a good understanding of British values, which they have explored through artwork. For example, pupils have used pop art to study ‘democracy’ and created images relating to ‘liberty’. They understand the importance of respecting others who have different backgrounds or beliefs from their own.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school has increased to above the national average. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities do not attend school as well as other pupils. These pupils are more likely to be regularly absent.
• Since the introduction of a new behaviour and rewards policy, there has been a decrease in the number of incidents of poor behaviour.
• Most pupils apply themselves well to their learning. However, some drift off task when teachers do not provide learning that engages them well or when learning is not well matched to their needs. Some pupils display a lack of confidence and resilience in their learning when they get stuck or are faced with something new. This slows down their learning.
• Pupils do not always take pride in their work. In some classes, and in some subjects, teachers do not insist that pupils present their work neatly.
• Pupils are polite, friendly and respectful towards each other and the adults who teach them. Pupil ‘ambassadors’ greet visitors in lessons and explain what the pupils are learning. This role encourages pupils to be more self-assured.
• The proportion of pupils who are excluded from school has decreased over time and is now below the national average.
• The school’s ‘RESPECT’ agenda (responsibility, skill development, positive participation, exceeding expectations, clever choices and tirelessness) is helping pupils to take responsibility for their actions. They value the awards that they receive and behaviour is improving.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Standards are improving, but pupils across the school do not make consistently good progress.
• In 2016, pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics was well below that seen nationally. This improved in 2017, but progress in writing decreased.
• Compared to 2016, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 improved in 2017 but remained below that seen nationally.
• In 2017, disadvantaged pupils achieved more highly than they had done the previous year. There are strong signs that these improvements are continuing. For example, in Year 6, disadvantaged pupils are making faster progress than other pupils in reading and writing and are rapidly catching up with their peers. However, disadvantaged pupils are not making consistently good progress in all year groups, because the quality of teaching is not consistently good.
• For the last two years, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities have not made enough progress or achieved as well as other pupils, particularly in writing and mathematics. Current information shows an improving picture. For example, the progress of current Year 6 pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has accelerated. However, this is still not the case in all year groups.
• The progress that pupils make is not consistently good. Pupils in Year 3 and Year 6 make stronger progress than pupils in Year 4 and Year 5. Progress is not strong in all subjects.
• School assessment information and pupils’ books show that current pupils are making stronger progress than in previous years. Current Year 6 pupils are making more rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics compared to pupils in 2017. The proportion of Year 6 pupils who are achieving the expected and higher standards in all three subjects is increasing.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112635 Derbyshire 10041584 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 341 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Dr Mark Flynn Mrs Zoe Driver 01283 217472 www.newhalljuniorschool.co.uk info@newhall-jun.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 16–17 January 2014

Information about this school

• The headteacher joined the school in January 2016. There have been considerable changes in staffing since the previous inspection.
• All members of the school’s governing body have taken up their positions since May 2016.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. In 2017, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 25 lessons. Some of these lessons were visited jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also observed an assembly.
• Inspectors and senior leaders looked at samples of pupils’ work covering a range of subjects, abilities and year groups.
• Inspectors met with two groups of pupils and spoke informally with pupils during lessons, lunchtimes and breaktimes. An inspector also heard some pupils read.
• Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils at playtime and lunchtime and as pupils moved around the school.
• Inspectors held a number of meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and newly qualified teachers. The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day. They also considered the 20 responses from Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including responses made through the free-text service.
• Inspectors considered the 48 responses from the pupil survey and the 20 responses from the staff survey.
• Inspectors considered a wide range of documentation, including the school improvement plan and the self-evaluation summary, safeguarding procedures and records, and minutes of meetings of the governing body. Inspectors also considered the school’s current information on pupils’ progress and achievement, attendance records, behaviour logs and external reports on the work of the school.

Inspection team

Rachel Tordoff, lead inspector Jeannie Haigh Sarah Fielding Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector