White Woman Lane Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the standard of pupils’ handwriting so that it consistently reflects the high standards and strong progress that pupils make in other aspects of their written work.
• Continue to widen pupils’ vocabulary to ensure that this enhances their very strong progress in literacy.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The exceptional leadership of the executive headteacher has successfully created a culture where nurture and ambitious aspirations for what pupils can achieve go hand in hand. Her passion to achieve high academic standards and provide exceptional pastoral care is shared by governors and staff. Staff understand her principle that to achieve and fulfil their academic potential, pupils need to feel happy, safe and well motivated. The very caring, positive atmosphere in teachers’ classrooms reflects the high quality of teaching, learning and assessment that supports pupils’ personal development and achievement so effectively.
• Senior leaders have uncompromisingly high expectations and check that teachers are routinely fulfilling them. Subject leaders have the freedom to introduce the changes that they think are right for pupils. Similarly, teachers can take risks and try new ways of teaching. Leaders and teachers are reflective and evaluate their actions precisely. Staff are trusted, appreciated and motivated to help pupils to achieve the best that they can.
• Subject leadership is excellent. All leaders have a deep understanding of their subject areas and how they can ensure that teaching supports all pupils to achieve their potential. They regularly check on the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment in their subject areas. As a consequence, pupils make strong progress across the curriculum.
• Where areas for improvement are identified, leaders act swiftly. For example, leaders ensured that teachers provided more opportunities for problem solving and reasoning in mathematics to raise pupils’ achievement. Checks on pupils’ learning have led to changes in the teaching of reading, which is helping pupils to make even stronger progress.
• Leaders have made very good use of the opportunities provided by partnerships within the Nebula Federation to further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Opportunities for teachers to support and observe in other schools have been used to share ideas and check that assessments are accurate.
• Leaders have wisely used support available from the local authority to check the accuracy of their self-evaluation and provide subject-specific advice. As a result, sharply focused improvement plans are underpinned by well-considered actions. Leaders have improved and strengthened what was already effective provision to ensure that pupils achieve exceedingly well.
• Staff are extremely supportive of leaders’ work. They feel valued and appreciate the high-quality opportunities leaders provide to support their professional development. Teachers who are new to the profession are helped to become highly effective practitioners. They receive personalised support but also share their knowledge and ideas with more experienced colleagues. Teachers provide teaching, learning and assessment of the highest quality.
• There is highly effective leadership of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Partnerships, both within the federation and with external organisations, ensure that pupils’ needs are accurately identified and that resources are used highly effectively to meet these needs. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities achieve very well.
• Leaders consider carefully how to best use additional funding to help disadvantaged pupils participate in the full range of activities on offer and fulfil their academic potential. Individual barriers to learning are accurately identified so that pupils receive the necessary help to overcome them. This includes ensuring that they can access the wide variety of enrichment activities, have support to develop their resilience and have access to high-quality texts. Disadvantaged pupils’ achievement is in line with that of other pupils nationally. They behave and attend well.
• The curriculum provides pupils with opportunities to develop knowledge across the full range of subjects in the national curriculum. They are well prepared for the demands of secondary school. Leaders have implemented a high-quality curriculum where pupils are encouraged to ask questions and explore their ideas. This promotes pupils’ interest and enjoyment of learning. Pupils develop their wider interests through participating in a very wide variety of trips, clubs and sporting activities.
• Leaders develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively. Pupils learn about the cultures, beliefs and views of others in religious education and understand why they should do so. Pupils have opportunities to consider moral issues and consider their own opinions and the views of others in their English work, ‘talk homework’, a programme of assemblies and personal, social and health education. Pupils have opportunities to watch and participate in musical, drama and sporting performances at large venues.
• The primary sport premium is used successfully to provide pupils with a wide variety of opportunities to be physically active. Pupils are appreciative of these activities. An extensive range of popular sports clubs and after-school activities are offered, including football, athletics, korfball and cross-country. The school has a record of success in competitive sport against other schools.

Governance of the school

• A single governing body is responsible for the governance of the six schools that make up the Nebula Federation. Governors share the executive headteacher’s vision and high ambition for the school and its pupils. The federation has contributed to significant improvements in the school by creating opportunities to share good practice and helping leaders to learn, improve and make the best use of resources.
• The members of the governing body are very experienced and knowledgeable. They are not complacent. They used the formation of the federation governing body as an opportunity to review their skills and recruit new members to further strengthen governance. As a result, they have the skills needed to provide support and challenge to school leaders to ensure that improvements are sustained. They are highly effective in their role.
• Governors check on the work of school leaders systematically. In addition to holding leaders to account regularly through governing body and committee meetings, a purposeful programme of visits to the school take place. These actions contribute to governors’ deep understanding of the school’s effectiveness. They are fully involved in contributing to school self-evaluation, setting the school’s priorities and monitoring leaders’ progress towards successfully achieving their agreed goals.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders carry out all of the checks necessary to ensure that adults employed are suitable to work with children. The single central record of these checks is accurately maintained and reviewed regularly by the chair of the governing body.
• Child protection and safeguarding policies reflect the latest published guidance. Leaders ensure that all staff receive annual training and regular updates so that they can recognise signs and risks of harm and keep children safe. This includes training so that staff are aware of the signs of extremism and radicalisation. As a result, staff are confident as to when and how to report any concerns.
• Leaders ensure that they promptly make referrals to other agencies and follow up concerns tenaciously. This ensures that pupils and their families quickly receive any help that they need.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers use their excellent subject knowledge to plan sequences of learning that enable pupils to become highly confident in acquiring and using new knowledge and skills. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is highly effective across the curriculum.
• Teachers know their pupils extremely well. They make use of their regular checks on pupils’ learning to identify accurately what pupils can do already and what they should learn next. This ensures that teachers’ activities are very well matched to pupils’ abilities and build on previous learning. All pupils, including the most able, are provided with learning that stretches them to improve and aim for higher standards. Pupils respond to the challenge and make sustained progress as a result.
• Teachers have the highest expectations of pupils’ behaviour and levels of engagement. They manage the behaviour of those pupils who have emotional and behavioural difficulties extremely well. Teachers plan activities that pupils say are ‘interesting and fun’. These activities develop and build upon pupils’ highly positive attitudes to learning. Lessons flow smoothly and pupils are highly focused on their learning.
• Teaching supports disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to make very strong progress. This is because teachers have the same high expectations of all pupils. They ensure that any barriers to these pupils accessing activities are overcome. Teaching assistants provide very effective support to pupils. They help pupils to become increasingly confident, independent learners and contribute well to their learning.
• The teaching of mathematics is highly effective. Pupils are confident in their use of number, shape and measure. They have opportunities to use and apply their mathematical knowledge to reason and solve problems. Pupils of all abilities apply their mathematical knowledge very confidently, including in other subjects, such as science.
• Teachers ensure that pupils have a strong knowledge of the technical aspects of writing, such as grammar and a range of punctuation, and that they apply this in their writing in different subjects. This has ensured that, by the end of key stage 2, the proportion of pupils that attain the standard expected for their age in the grammar, punctuation and spelling tests is higher than the national average.
• Teaching in subjects other than English and mathematics is consistently effective in developing pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. Pupils carry out practical work and draw conclusions very well in science, they use their coding skills in computing and they display high-quality artwork around the school. Well-planned learning activities and interesting topics ensure that pupils learn very well in geography, history, religious education and modern foreign languages. Teaching in physical education focuses successfully on developing pupils’ skills, such as gymnastics, while still providing an opportunity for games and physical activities.
• Teachers support pupils’ personal development extremely well. They provide opportunities that allow pupils to discuss and collaborate with one another. They set a ‘talk homework’ task every week, which provides opportunities for pupils to discuss and debate interesting ideas, such as whether they should have to do chores for pocket money, or the benefits and drawbacks of using electronic devices.
• Throughout the school, teachers promote and teach reading extremely well and pupils make very strong progress. Leaders have recognised that current pupils need to widen their vocabulary and further develop their skills of inference to sustain these high levels of achievement. Teachers’ use of high-quality, interesting texts and carefully focused activities support this aim. Pupils are encouraged to read and are enthusiastic about the ‘library bus’. Inspectors saw pupils using this facility at lunchtime to take the opportunity to read for their own pleasure and interest.
• Teachers support the development of pupils’ writing and communication skills extremely well. However, teachers have not ensured that pupils have handwriting that is consistently neat and well formed.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Adults prioritise pupils’ personal and emotional well-being because they know that pupils’ welfare underpins their academic achievements. Parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, acknowledged this strength of the school. One parent’s comment that reflected this stated: ‘My child feels safe at this school and I have confidence in the school’s ability to provide the best education available whilst making the journey enjoyable.’
• Pupils feel safe and are safe. Teachers and other adults know the needs of individuals very well. Support is always available for those who need it. Regular mentoring meetings and rewards for academic achievements or contributions to school life ensure that pupils feel valued and are understood by their teachers on a personal level.
• Pupils are given opportunities for wider experiences that support their personal development, such as Children’s University and participation in science and engineering activities. These successfully open pupils’ eyes to the opportunities that education provides. Pupils have access to many activities that help them develop resilience and self-esteem, some of which draw on outside support and expertise where necessary.
• Roles as house captains and members of the school council provide opportunities for pupils to develop high levels of confidence and strong leadership skills. Pupils understand the democratic process through their involvement in electing individuals for these roles. In partnership with the local professional football club, pupils have participated in raising funds for a high-quality sports venue that they will be able to use. This shows how they are learning to support their local community and value active lifestyles.
• Leaders have worked hard to ensure that pupils and parents are aware of the risks of working online. Visiting speakers have led assemblies and parents’ meetings to alert pupils, staff and parents to these risks. Consequently, pupils have a well-developed understanding of how to use modern technology safely and responsibly.
• Pupils are very respectful of others’ differences of culture, race, values or beliefs. They are aware of why this is important in modern Britain’s diverse society. As a result, incidents of racist, homophobic or derogatory language are extremely rare. The school is a happy, harmonious environment.
• School records show that bullying is very rare. Pupils confirmed that this is the case. They are confident that teachers resolve any problems that do occur quickly.
• Arrangements for supporting pupils when they join or leave the school are very strong. Parents and pupils are very positive about how teachers help those who are new to the school to settle in. Pupils are prepared extremely well for secondary school, as they become confident, inquisitive learners and effective transition arrangements are in place.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons is exemplary. They are polite, considerate and helpful to one another, adults and visitors to the school. Pupils are very clear that poor behaviour is not tolerated. They understand that they have choices about their behaviour and almost always make the right ones. Parents and staff are confident that pupils behave very well.
• Pupils have high expectations of others’ behaviour but are understanding of those who have difficulties in managing their own behaviour. Adults provide effective support to help these pupils improve their behaviour. Pupils with records of poor behaviour at previous schools have been helped to successfully integrate into the school. There have been no fixed-period or permanent exclusions from school since the previous inspection.
• Pupils enjoy school and rarely miss a day. Absence has been below the national average consistently since the previous inspection. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school is well below the national average. As a result, no groups of pupils are disadvantaged because of poor attendance.
• Leaders monitor attendance closely. High and improved attendance is rewarded. They provide support where there is a genuine reason for long-term absence, such as a medical need. However, leaders do not shy away from taking appropriate action if parents do not ensure that their children attend regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils join the school with standards of attainment that are broadly in line with the national average for pupils at the end of key stage 1. By the end of key stage 2, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is typically higher than the national average for all pupils.
• Scrutiny of pupils’ work and assessment information show that all pupils, including the most able, make strong and sustained progress from their different starting points in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.
• Pupils’ progress is increasingly strong as they move through the school. This is because teachers identify and address any weaknesses in reading, writing and mathematics successfully. The longer pupils are in the school, the better their progress because teaching is challenging and extremely well matched to individual pupils’ needs.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make the same very strong and substantial progress as other pupils who have similar starting points. This is because their learning needs are swiftly identified, and teachers provide highly effective support that meets these needs.
• As a result of high expectations and targeted support to address individual pupils’ barriers to learning, disadvantaged pupils make very strong progress, whatever their starting points. Results of end of key stage 2 tests and assessments show that disadvantaged pupils make progress and attain standards that are typically in line with those of other pupils nationally.
• Leaders’ monitoring has ensured that increased levels of challenge in subjects other than English and mathematics enable pupils to make sustained progress across the curriculum. This prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education.
• Pupils can confidently write for different purposes using the appropriate style and tone. Their writing typically includes a wide range of vocabulary that adds detail and shows understanding. A recent focus on vocabulary is strengthening further this aspect of pupils’ writing and is supporting them to have a greater understanding of the texts that they are reading. However, pupils’ handwriting is not consistently neat and well formed.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120914 Norfolk 10053117 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 320 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Judy Leggett Executive headteacher Ashley Best-White Telephone number 01603 419203 Website Email address www.whitewomanlane.norfolk.sch.uk head@whitewomanlane.norfolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 16–17 January 2014

Information about this school

• White Woman Lane Junior School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school is part of the Nebula Federation. This is a federation of six primary schools with one executive headteacher and an executive senior leadership team. A federated governing body, responsible for all schools in the federation, was formed in December 2017.
• White Woman Lane is the lead school in the federation and has provided and brokered support for other schools, including schools outside the federation. The schools in the Nebula Federation work collaboratively to support and improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the federation. School leaders have made use of advice from a local authority school improvement partner and their associates to get an external view on their work and provide subject-specific professional development.
• Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than the national average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is broadly average and has increased in recent years.
• No pupils are educated off site or through alternative provision.
• There was a short inspection of the school in March 2018. This determined that the school remained good and that the next inspection would be a full inspection, as there was evidence that the school was showing significant improvement. The school’s previous full inspection was in January 2014.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors made visits to classes to observe learning in all year groups. They made a number of these visits with school leaders. Inspectors also scrutinised pupils’ work, listened to a group of pupils read and reviewed the school’s assessment information.
• A range of school documentation and policies, including behaviour and attendance information, minutes of governing body meetings and documentation relating to the safeguarding of pupils, were reviewed by inspectors.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils in lessons, met with a group of pupils from each year group and spoke to pupils when observing them at informal times, such as morning breaktime and lunchtime, to gather their views on the school. Inspectors also analysed the eight responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey. An inspector observed two assemblies.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and held discussions with teachers.
• Inspectors considered the 43 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey, Parent View, and the 20 free-text comments submitted by parents. Inspectors also spoke to parents before school and considered a letter and an email sent to the lead inspector.

Inspection team

Paul Wilson, lead inspector Tessa Holledge Robert Greatrex Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector