Eastlands Junior School (Welbeck Federation of Schools) Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership, management and governance to drive more rapid improvement by ensuring that:
  • plans for improvement are precise and based on rigorous evaluation of the school’s performance
  • governors hold leaders effectively to account for the impact of additional funding to improve the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils
  • leaders have a sharp focus on the progress of different groups of pupils when checking the quality of teaching and learning
  • leaders support middle leaders to develop their roles so that they understand their responsibilities and have a strong impact on improving outcomes for pupils.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in order to accelerate pupils’ progress by:
  • using assessment information to set work that is well matched to pupils’ abilities, especially for the most able
  • ensuring that improved teaching strategies for reading and mathematics are effectively implemented across all year groups
  • teaching pupils to accurately and consistently use English spelling, grammar and punctuation in their writing
  • frequently providing pupils with opportunities to practise their writing skills in extended pieces of writing. An external review of the use of the pupil premium funding 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

• Since the previous inspection, the focus on improving standards has not been precise. Leaders have not been thorough in checking that approaches to improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment have been effectively and consistently applied across the school. The pace of improvement in reading, for example, has been too slow.
• Over the last two years the school has been through a period of uncertainty during which a temporary collaboration with Netherfield Infant and Nursery School was formed. This collaboration has recently become a formal federation with a newly formed governing body. This has brought stability to the school and increased the capacity of the leadership team. Leaders have begun to put appropriate actions into place to drive more rapid improvements, but these are in the early stages of development.
• School development plans lack precision. They are not tightly focused on the actions needed to swiftly improve the school. Leaders do not use the range of information available about the performance of the school as strategically as they should to identify immediate priorities for improvement.
• School leaders have not ensured that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is consistently good across the school. Too many pupils do not make the progress or attain as highly as they should, particularly in reading and mathematics.
• Leaders have not ensured that the pupil premium funding is used effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. Plans do not precisely focus on improving pupils’ outcomes. Leaders have not closely evaluated their actions, so they cannot be sure that the funding is having the maximum impact on improving pupils’ progress.
• The coordinator for the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has established systems for identifying these pupils’ needs and putting into place appropriate provision and support. Nevertheless, leaders do not sharply analyse the impact of all additional provision and support, to ensure that pupils are making continued positive progress.
• Changes to middle leadership are in the early stages of planning and implementation. Some middle leaders have only recently begun to take responsibility for the strategic oversight and analysis of pupils’ progress. Other leaders are about to extend their leadership roles across the federation. They are able to share their expertise with less experienced colleagues.
• Leaders recently carried out a review of the curriculum to ensure that it is broad and balanced and meets pupils’ needs. Leaders adapted their plans to better interest and motivate pupils in their learning as well as broaden their life experiences. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through a variety of topics of learning and extra-curricular experiences such as working in the village charity shop and planting bulbs to enhance the local area.
• Senior leaders are ambitious for the school. They are currently well supported by the local authority and by working in partnerships with colleagues in other schools. Leaders are now able to access good-quality training for staff through the Redhill Teaching School Alliance. These links are effectively supporting leaders to drive improvements.
• The majority of staff say that they feel proud to work at the school and appreciate the opportunities that leaders provide to improve their practice.
• Leaders ensure that the additional sports funding received by the school is used well to develop pupils’ physical fitness, health and well-being. Pupils value the opportunities they have to access a variety of sports competitions and activities such as wheelchair basketball.

Governance of the school

• In September 2018, the governing body re-formed to become the governing body of the federation. Members of this new governing body know the school well. They demonstrate a range of relevant skills, knowledge and expertise. This means that they are able to hold leaders to account for pupils’ achievement and actions to improve the school more effectively than in the past. However, these improvements are in the early stages.
• Over recent years, governors have not held leaders to account for the school’s use of the pupil premium funding. They have not thoroughly challenged leaders to demonstrate if additional funding is used well enough to accelerate pupils’ progress.
• Governors are beginning to have a more accurate understanding of the school’s performance. They visit school regularly to meet with leaders, staff and pupils. The visits help governors to check on the progress of actions to improve the school in areas such as the quality of teaching and learning. They are determined to bring about more rapid improvements and are ambitious for the future of the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff understand that they have a duty to be vigilant and are aware of the different forms of abuse.
• There is a good culture of safeguarding throughout the school. Leaders ensure that staff and governors receive regular and up-to-date training to keep pupils safe.
• Records for safeguarding are detailed and demonstrate that leaders take prompt action to support vulnerable pupils and their families. Leaders decisively follow up concerns. Leaders work effectively with external agencies, where necessary, to ensure the well-being of pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school is inconsistent. Over time, the teaching of mathematics and reading has not enabled pupils to make good progress in these subjects.
• Not all teachers sufficiently match work to pupils’ needs. Some teachers do not tackle pupils’ misunderstandings and errors quickly enough. Too many pupils, including the most able and those who are disadvantaged, do not make the progress they should.
• Recent developments in the teaching of reading are beginning to have a positive effect. The purchase of good-quality books and a new approach to the teaching of reading are helping pupils to develop their skills and improve their understanding of the vocabulary in the texts they are reading. However, these improvements are in the early stages of implementation and are not yet effective across all classes.
• Teachers do not have consistently high expectations for pupils’ spelling, grammar and punctuation in their writing across different subjects. Some pupils also make less progress in writing than they should because teachers do not provide sufficient opportunities for them to write at length to practise and develop their skills.
• The teaching of mathematics is improving across most classes in the school. Work in pupils’ books and the inspector’s observations of teaching show that teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematics skills to solve problems and explain their understanding.
• Teachers plan lessons which enable pupils to apply their English and mathematics skills in a range of different subjects. For example, in a science lesson, pupils in Year 5 used their mathematics skills to support their investigation into the effect of exercise on the rate of the heart. In a personal development lesson, Year 6 pupils used their English skills to write about the person they most admire and to explain why they admire them.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have good relationships with pupils. They encourage pupils and are caring and good humoured. This has a positive effect in motivating pupils, including those with SEND, in their learning.
• Some teachers’ subject knowledge is secure. Where this is strong, teachers model appropriate subject-specific vocabulary well. This is not consistently the case.
• Pupils are enthusiastic learners. When teachers match work well to pupils’ abilities and maintain high expectations, pupils respond very positively. For example, pupils were inspired in a mathematics lesson because activities had been carefully chosen to challenge and stretch their thinking. The class was a hive of activity while pupils worked together to solve a variety of problems using their knowledge and skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are friendly and courteous. They behave well in lessons and around the school. They are clear about the expectations for behaviour, which are positively promoted by staff.
• Pupils understand the various forms that bullying can take. They say that incidents of poor behaviour do sometimes happen, but staff deal with them promptly and effectively. A minority of parents expressed concerns about how the school handles bullying. However, records shared with the inspector show that instances of bullying are rare and are handled appropriately, in line with the school’s behaviour policy.
• Pupils work well together in lessons. They cooperate well and show mutual respect for one another. They are keen to learn and enjoy their lessons. However, occasionally, pupils lose concentration when their work is not well matched to their needs.
• Attendance is in line with the national average. Leaders analyse attendance information closely and work with families and external agencies effectively to encourage pupils to attend school and ensure that pupils are safe. Leaders demonstrate significant improvements for some individual pupils who have previously had low attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The proportions of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieving the expected standards in reading and mathematics in 2018 at the end of Year 6 were below national averages. This has been the case for the previous two years.
• Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics (combined) at the end of Year 6 has been below national averages for the last two years. This declined further for all pupils in Year 6 in 2018.
• Improvements in pupils’ writing outcomes over the last two years are positively reflected in the school’s current assessment information and the work seen in books. Nevertheless, some teachers do not insist on high standards in writing across all subjects to enable pupils to practise their skills and make even better progress in their writing.
• The most able pupils in the school do not make the progress that they are capable of in a variety of subjects, including in English and mathematics.
• The progress of pupils with SEND is carefully monitored by leaders. However, leaders have not used this information precisely enough to evaluate the overall progress of this group of pupils as they move through the school.
• Across most classes, pupils apply their reading, writing and mathematics skills with increasing confidence and improving accuracy.
• The progress that disadvantaged pupils make in some year groups is improving in line with that of their peers.
• Current school information and scrutiny of pupils’ work show that, in some year groups, pupils’ rates of progress are improving in all subjects. An increasing proportion of pupils are currently making good progress from their starting points.

School details

Unique reference number 122497 Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council Inspection number 10086735 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 Community 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 140 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Joanne Rush Julie Rischer 01623 842257 www.eastlandsjuniorschool.com office@eastlands.notts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17–18 June 2015

Information about this school

• Eastlands Junior School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of pupils who speak English as an additional language are below those seen nationally.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.
• The school receives support from the local authority and accesses training and guidance for staff from the Redhill Teaching School Alliance.
• In September 2018, the school formed a federation with Netherfield Infant and Nursery School to form The Welbeck Federation of Schools.
• The governing body is the governing body for The Welbeck Federation of Schools.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching in 13 lessons, including some joint observations with the executive headteacher. In addition to observing the teaching of reading, the inspector listened to pupils read. She talked to pupils about their school and looked at examples of pupils’ work.
• The inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school and several middle leaders, including those for English and mathematics. She met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.
• The inspector spoke with parents informally at the start and end of the school day. She took account of the 14 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 13 responses from staff to Ofsted’s questionnaire for them. There were no responses to the pupil survey.
• The inspector looked at a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation of current performance and plans for improvement, the school’s most recent information on the achievement and progress of pupils, information relating to safeguarding, information about behaviour management, information relating to the school’s use of the pupil premium funding and funding for pupils with SEND, the school’s most recent information relating to the attendance of pupils and minutes from meetings of the governing body.

Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector