Havelock Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching and learning and accelerate progress by:
  • extending pupils’ use of self-assessment and personal challenge in mathematics to their other subjects, including English and the wider curriculum
  • ensuring that more-able pupils receive appropriately challenging work
  • ensuring that teaching assistants consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy when leading small-group activities
  • developing pupils’ inference and comprehension skills when reading.
• Further develop the learning culture of the school to develop pupils’ resilience and independence.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the last inspection, the executive headteacher has been relentless in her drive to secure improvement. A restructuring of the leadership team to include staff from the infant and junior school has strengthened leadership, to make the necessary improvements.
• Senior and subject leaders have a clear understanding of the improvements needed and have a shared vision for pupils to achieve the best that they possibly can. Sharply focused monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning have brought about significant improvement to raise standards and accelerate pupils’ progress.
• The professional development of staff has been a priority of the leadership team since the last inspection. Staff have reacted positively to improve their practice, adapting to new approaches to teaching and assessment. Professional development is linked to the school’s improvement priorities and pupils’ attainment. Through this, senior leaders hold staff to account well.
• Leaders have high expectations of staff and pupils. Consistency in staffing between the infant and junior schools has ensured that the high expectations of pupils leaving the infant school continue in Year 3 and throughout key stage 2.
• Leaders have targeted additional funding for disadvantaged pupils effectively. Leaders have a clear understanding of the progress that disadvantaged pupils make and have put in place specific interventions when necessary. Leaders carefully monitor the progress and well-being of disadvantaged pupils and, as a result, this group of pupils makes strong progress.
• Leaders responsible for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have a clear view of the needs of individual pupils. Effective use of funding to support pupils and target needs means that they make good progress relative to their needs and starting points. Support is used to target pupils’ academic, social and emotional needs appropriately. Leaders are quick to seek support from external agencies when necessary.
• The curriculum systematically builds pupils’ skills across all subjects, helping pupils to make connections in their learning. Pupils learn to be ambitious for their future and to set goals that they can strive for. The school’s values thread through the curriculum, enhancing the school’s ethos and developing pupils’ understanding of other faiths, cultures and lifestyles. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders provide pupils with a range of sporting activities that promote physical well-being. Leaders’ effective use of the additional funds provided through the physical education (PE) and sports premium ensures that every pupil takes part in extra-curricular sport. Specialist coaches work alongside teachers to develop their expertise in the teaching of sport and PE. Older pupils receive training to be part of the sports crew, leading games for younger pupils at lunchtime.
• The curriculum contributes effectively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The values curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to understand what it means to be tolerant of others, respectful of difference and appreciative of culture, including music and the arts. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, pupils demonstrated empathy and sensitivity when writing a monologue of a character who was disfigured. In so doing, the pupils showed good understanding of how the character might be feeling.

Governance of the school

• Governors have high aspirations for the school. A recent federation with the infant school has brought strength and expertise to the governing body.
• Governors are aware of the strengths and weakness of the school and keep a close check on the progress the school is making by regularly monitoring the school’s development plan and reviewing progress information. They are holding the leadership team to account, striving for rapid progress.
• Governors regularly monitor the spending of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. They are aware what interventions and support are in place for pupils and regularly challenge the leadership team about the progress that pupils are making.
• The safeguarding of pupils is a priority for the governing body. They understand that keeping children safe is the responsibility of everyone and are thorough in making sure that safeguarding is robust.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders are rigorous in their approach to safeguarding. They work closely with the pastoral and attendance manager and parent link worker to monitor the pupils about whose welfare staff have a concern. Families are supported well, including during the school holidays.
• Leaders work closely with external agencies to safeguard their pupils. They are tenacious in this, ensuring that the pupils receive the support that they need.
• Staff, including breakfast club and office staff, receive regular safeguarding training and understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe. Staff know pupils well and are vigilant in recognising concerns.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching and learning is good because teachers regularly review the progress that pupils make. They carefully plan interesting activities, often with cross-curricular themes that meet the needs of the pupils and build further on their progress.
• Since the last inspection, the expectations of what pupils can achieve has risen. Pupils challenge themselves as a result of the encouragement that they receive from their teachers. In class, teachers and teaching assistants intervene in pupils’ learning to support or offer greater challenge when necessary. As a result, pupils make good progress, particularly in mathematics.
• Pupils develop their English skills across the curriculum, particularly their writing skills. Pupils receive many opportunities to write for different purposes and for different audiences, including considering various historical events and contrasting localities, such as Desborough and Sicily.
• Well-matched reading books encourage pupils to read widely. The systematic reading programme builds skills and develops pupils’ reading confidence. Teachers are proactive in encouraging pupils to read at home and send letters home if they don’t read four times in a week. However, teachers do not develop pupils’ comprehension and inference skills well enough. As a result, some pupils do not make as much progress as they should.
• Teachers have good knowledge of the abilities of the disadvantaged pupils and plan to ensure that the activities they set them meet their individual needs. Leaders and teachers monitor the progress of these pupils, putting in place interventions quickly to meet emerging needs. Due to this, they make strong/secure progress from their starting points.
• Teachers and leaders monitor the impact of support that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive. Teachers and teaching assistants provide pupils with appropriate support in class, while also encouraging the pupils to work independently, so developing their independence.
• The use of teaching assistants in running small-group interventions is not consistent. Some teaching assistants do not monitor pupils’ progress carefully enough, and do not ensure that these pupils complete as much work as they should. On these occasions, the progress that these pupils make slows.
• In some lessons teachers do not sufficiently challenge the most able pupils to achieve more. Teachers’ expectations of these pupils are sometimes too low and the pupils do not receive enough opportunities to extend and develop their learning. This is particularly the case in English, where some of the most able pupils do not extend their writing enough to consider the style of writing and structure.
• The school’s system of allowing pupils to choose their own work, and to challenge themselves, is working well in mathematics to raise pupils’ ambition and attainment. However, teachers do not use this system consistently across the curriculum. As a result, the level of challenge in some lessons is not high enough.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Staff encourage pupils to be ‘learning warriors’ to become more independent in their learning. As a result, pupils are beginning to demonstrate greater resilience in their learning, understanding that they may not always get it right first time. This is particularly the case in mathematics.
• Pupils, parents and staff understand the school’s values. Pupils who put the school’s values into practice are celebrated and become ‘Values VIPs’. Pupils learn how the school’s values relate to their lives and life in modern Britain.
• Pupils learn about other faiths, cultures and lifestyles. They understand that other people’s lives may not be same as their own and are accepting of differences.
• The pupils inspectors met said that they feel safe in school. They said that they know whom to go to if they have a concern or a problem and how to keep themselves safe. Leaders are quick to bring the potential dangers when online to the attention of both parents and pupils. Parents come into school to learn how to keep their children safe on the internet. Pupils learn the skills to deal with unsafe situations, should they arise.
• The wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities promotes the importance of keeping active. Pupils take part in activities such as cheer leading, lacrosse, tag rugby and circuit training. Disadvantaged pupils are able to attend the breakfast club and ‘Fit for Life’ club to learn how to be, and stay, healthy. Pupils are proud of the school’s sporting heritage and are keen to take part in the many competitions and tournaments that are available.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Conduct in class and around the school is good. Pupils are polite and courteous.
• Pupils and parents believe incidents of bullying and discriminatory language are rare. If they do happen, leaders deal with them well. Positive behaviour and tolerance is interwoven into the school curriculum and pupils are taught to be kind and supportive of each other.
• Teachers apply the behaviour policy consistently and, as a result, the number of recorded incidents of poor behaviour is decreasing. However, occasionally teaching assistants are not as consistent when managing pupils’ behaviour. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as much as they should.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ outcomes are good because the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end of key stage 2 is rising. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading and writing in 2016 was in line with the national average. Teachers’ assessment show that pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage two in 2017 is expected to be above the national average. This represents good progress for these pupils.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving the expected standard at the end of key stage 2 is rising. Senior leaders are making effective use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. Because of this, disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are making better progress than other pupils within the school. However, despite this improvement the proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving the expected standard in reading and writing at the end of key stage 2 is still below the national average.
• Leaders have targeted the recent underperformance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, these pupils are making good, and in some cases rapid, progress.
• Leaders have targeted the teaching of mathematics, encouraging pupils to challenge themselves and develop their reasoning skills. Pupils’ books show that they are making rapid progress, with a greater proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard or greater depth compared to 2016.
• Focused teaching of spelling, grammar and punctuation develops pupils’ writing skills, while teachers monitor how well pupils adapt these skills in their writing. Pupils receive many opportunities to complete extended pieces of writing, particularly in history, geography, science and religious education. As a result, teacher assessment shows the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard at the end of key stage 2 are expected to be above the national average in 2017.
• The introduction of a systematic approach to building skills in reading has resulted in pupils developing confidence in their reading ability. Most pupils are making good progress. However, the proportion of pupils achieving at the expected and higher standard is just below the national average.

School details

Unique reference number 140054 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10031169 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 7 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 325 Appropriate authority Academy trust Chair Paul Burnett Headteacher Ann Davey Telephone number 01536 760361 Website www.havelockschools.org.uk Email address head@havelock-jun.northants-ecl.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Havelock Junior School is larger than the average-sized junior school.
• The school has received formal support from Havelock Infant School.
• Pupils are taught in 12 classes.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 33 lessons, some of which were observed jointly with the headteacher and senior leadership team. Inspectors observed the teaching of reading skills and listened to pupils read. The inspectors also talked with pupils about their school and looked at examples of pupils’ work in all year groups to gain a view of the impact of teaching over time.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, subject and middle leaders and representatives of the governing body. The inspectors also spoke to members of the academy trust board.
• The inspectors spoke to parents informally and considered the 56 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View).
• The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including: the school’s own self-evaluation and plans for improvement; the school’s most recent information on the achievement and progress of pupils; information relating to the health, safety and safeguarding of pupils; the school’s most recent data relating to the attendance of pupils; and minutes from meetings of the governing body.
• The inspectors considered the range and quality of information provided on the school’s website.
• The lead inspector scrutinised the school’s single central register and the school’s procedures for recruiting new staff.

Inspection team

Helen Williams, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Elizabeth Mace Ofsted Inspector Aileen King Ofsted Inspector