Dorothy Barley Junior Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding by:
  • teachers setting more challenging work, especially for the most able, so that more pupils attain higher standards
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to apply a range of mathematical skills to solve complex problems.
• Extend opportunities for pupils’ cultural development so that they gain a deeper understanding of current affairs and the different major faiths in the UK.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, trust leaders and the local governors faced head-on the immense challenges they experienced in the first year of the school’s operation. There was initially much turbulence and a high turnover of staff, so learning remained poor. By September 2015, senior leaders had recruited a stable staff and started building up an effective new leadership team.

• All current leaders are passionate and keen to learn and develop. They want every pupil to reach their academic potential and to excel in their personal development. This positive culture permeates the school. Staff morale is high. As a result, all aspects of the school’s work are good and improving.
• Leaders and teachers have benefited greatly from the support and training provided by the trust and other consultants, national training programmes and through working closely with colleagues in other schools. New leaders have developed effective skills to check on, train and support colleagues, and to hold them to account for their performance. As a result, teaching and pupils’ outcomes are now good and improving.
• Leadership of the additional resource provision is good. Leaders make sure that all members of staff attend bespoke training to meet the specific needs of pupils in the provision. As a result, members of staff provide well-tailored support that enables pupils to make good progress. Equally, leaders and members of staff help other pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities so they too make good progress. This demonstrates that leaders make good use of additional funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders have developed robust systems for checking on pupils’ progress, as well as on all other aspects of the school’s work. They use the information extremely well to evaluate the effectiveness of their actions and to prioritise and plan the next stages of development planning. Leaders have a strong capacity to deliver further improvements.
• Leaders are fully committed to equality of opportunity and inclusion. The school recently received the Inclusion Quality Mark.
• Leaders have improved the curriculum. Although there is a strong emphasis on English and mathematics, the curriculum covers a range of other subjects. Leaders restructured the timetable from the start of the spring term. The change provides pupils with longer sessions in the foundation subjects so that they can delve more deeply in their learning and make better progress. In science, for instance, the longer periods enable teachers to teach theory and then get the pupils to do a practical experiment to consolidate their understanding.
• Pupils benefit from a range of enrichment activities. These include visits to museums and workshops run by theatre groups at school. Pupils told inspectors that they really enjoyed a visit to a supermarket where they attended a workshop on healthy eating. They then made their own healthy meal. For one year in the school, every pupil learns to play a musical instrument. Currently, Year 5 pupils are learning to play the violin. Most-able writers join peers in other schools for workshops led by an author. Most-able mathematicians attend a mathematics day with peers in other schools and enter national competitions.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development and their understanding of many British values are strong. Through lessons, workshops and assemblies, pupils learn about different issues such as equality and different lifestyles, and not to stereotype. Further, pupils have opportunities to sing in the choir and perform at venues such as the O2 arena during a ‘young singers’ competition.
• Pupils’ cultural development is not as strong. They have a limited knowledge and understanding of current affairs and the diversity of faiths found in the UK.
• Leaders use the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils wisely. The extra support is helping current eligible pupils to make generally faster progress than their peers. This is diminishing differences in the standards reached between disadvantaged pupils and others.
• Leaders use the additional physical education and sport funding to good effect. A sports coach teaches all physical education lessons in the school. In addition, he, plus two other trained members of staff, organise a wide variety of lunchtime and after-school sporting and exercise activities. Pupils have many opportunities to take part in competitive sport with other schools. Further, pupils participated in the London Youth Games. These activities make a good contribution to pupils’ physical health.

Governance of the school

• Members of the local governing body have played a major role in driving forward improvements across the school.
• Governors often visit the school to check on all aspects of its work. Visits include observing learning and pupils’ behaviour, looking at work in pupils’ books and meeting with leaders. They regularly scrutinise pupils’ progress information and invite senior and middle leaders to report at governing body meetings. As a result, governors have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.
• Governors sharply challenge leaders. For example, the chairperson has recently asked the headteacher for a detailed analysis of the impact of each of the strategies used to diminish differences for disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors audit their own effectiveness and undertake training so that they can improve. Some regularly take part in staff training sessions.
• One of the governors brings her experience in education and special needs to bear in supporting the work of the inclusion leader and the leader of the additional resource provision.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The designated safeguarding lead, plus four other leaders, have attended advanced training. They in turn train all other members of staff. They keep all members of staff up to date with any changes. All governors have attended safeguarding training. As a result, all members of staff and governors are aware of the range of potential child-protection issues that might occur in the community. They are alert to any changes in pupils’ behaviour and report any concerns.
• Safeguarding and welfare leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers as well as external agencies to support families and ensure pupils’ safety and well-being.
• Pupils learn to keep safe, for instance from cyber bullying during the e-safety week activities. Older pupils attend a ‘junior citizenship’ day with police, firefighters, social services and other agencies. They discuss potentially dangerous scenarios that they may face at secondary school and in adult life and how to deal with these situations.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching is now good and improving. As a result, pupils are learning well and making good progress.
• Year leaders and their teaching teams plan lessons together. They use the information that they have on pupils’ progress to plan activities designed to cater for the range of abilities in the classes. Teachers and their teaching assistants meet each morning to review the day’s planning. As a result, lessons are well structured. This helps pupils to make good progress.
• Teachers have a good rapport with the pupils. Teachers have high expectations for behaviour. As a result, pupils get on with their work and try hard to succeed.
• Teachers pick up pupils’ misconceptions and address these straightaway. Teachers give pupils clear instructions on what is expected and regular feedback on how well they are doing. These actions help pupils to become successful learners.
• Teachers and other adults give pupils who need to catch up well-targeted support. This ensures that pupils who join the school mid-year, often with little or no English, learn to read and write in English so that they can access the curriculum. Equally, because adults have expertise in helping pupils who have specific learning difficulties, those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.
• The teaching of writing has improved. It is now good. Pupils have frequent opportunities for writing at length. Evidence in English and other subject books confirms that pupils write for a range of purposes and audiences. As a result, they make good progress. Nevertheless, teachers do not routinely challenge pupils who are already writing at a good standard to think more deeply and write with greater sophistication. As a result, pupils, especially the most able, do not consistently reach the higher standards of which they are capable.
• Leaders took decisive action to improve the teaching of reading. It is now good. There is a new scheme for teaching phonics. This is helping Year 3 pupils who arrive at the school having not met the standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check, and the late joiners, to learn basic reading skills. Leaders have established a new library and they encourage pupils to take out books and read at home. Teachers are using a new daily reading scheme that helps pupils to develop their comprehension skills. Consequently, pupils are making good progress in their reading. Occasionally, teachers ask only closed questions. This inhibits pupils from thinking more about the depth of meaning in the text and stops them from making rapid progress.
• Teaching of mathematics is effective. Leaders introduced a scheme for teaching mathematics this year. Teachers attended training, and evidence in books demonstrates that pupils are making good progress overall. There is a strong emphasis on teaching and reinforcing basic number skills. Pupils have opportunities to apply their number skills in solving problems. There are not enough opportunities, however, for pupils to apply wider mathematical skills to solve problems that are more complex. This inhibits some pupils, especially the most able, from making rapid progress to reach the high standards of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• As pupils move through the school, they grow in self-confidence and become articulate. They increasingly develop the academic and social skills they will need in later life.
• Because of the effective support that members of staff give to late joiners, these pupils quickly learn to communicate in English, socialise and integrate into the school community. Pupils say that there is no racism and that all pupils, no matter what their background, get on very well together.
• Pupils have a sound understanding of the various types of bullying. They say that it is rare at the school. They are confident that if they have any concerns, they can turn to an adult who will help them.
• During aspiration week, pupils hear from speakers about a range of careers, from being a hairdresser to a barrister, for example. These opportunities help them at a young age to start thinking about future career options.
• Pupils have many opportunities to take part in sporting events. This ensures their physical well-being. The ‘warm and fuzzy’ initiative was effective in encouraging pupils to say positive things about and to each other so that all pupils feel valued. The welfare officer works closely with pupils and parents whose circumstances make them vulnerable to support them and refer them to external agencies. For pupils, parents and members of staff who experience difficulties, the school employs a part-time counsellor to provide support. In these ways, leaders promote pupils’ positive mental health.
• The recent pilot to introduce philosophy into the curriculum is beginning to encourage pupils to understand and debate important topics. Inspectors observed, for instance, pupils considering the question of whether one has to fail first if one is to succeed in future. However, pupils’ broader understanding of what is currently happening in Britain and the wider world, and about the different major faiths in the UK, is limited.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils and members of staff agree that behaviour has markedly improved during the last few years. Leaders involved pupils in agreeing the golden rules. School leaders reinforce positive attitudes through a half-termly value that they promote in assemblies and lessons, such as the importance of being considerate.
• Pupils take pride in their school and in their work. They move around the school sensibly and are polite and welcoming to visitors. They come to lessons ready to learn and try hard to succeed. These positive attitudes make a strong contribution to their learning.
• On the odd occasion, there is some low-level disruption in class or a minor skirmish in the playground. Members of staff swiftly deal with these rare instances. Leaders have introduced a restorative justice approach to help pupils understand the negative impact of their poor behaviours on others. Often, that is enough to convince them not to repeat the poor behaviour.
• Historically, attendance has been below average and persistent absence above average, particularly for some groups. Leaders have worked closely with parents and external agencies this year to raise the attendance rates of all groups of pupils. Their efforts have been highly successful. Since the start of this academic year, the attendance rate has increased to above the 2016 national average for primary schools. There has also been a sharp fall in the rates of persistent absence for all groups.
• Equally, as current leaders have worked to improve all aspects of pupils’ behaviour, there has been a noteworthy reduction in exclusions. In 2015, there were 76 days of exclusions. In the current academic year, this has reduced to three.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In the 2016 Year 6 tests, outcomes in English and mathematics were low. Although pupils made good progress in their last year at the school, the legacy of poor teaching meant that a higher than the national proportion of pupils were not able to reach the expected standards for their age.
• Inspection evidence confirms the school leaders’ view that current pupils are making good progress from their varied starting points, across the year groups and subjects. This is because teaching is now good and improving, and support for those pupils who need to catch up is effective.
• Leaders test late joiners, many of whom have weak English skills, on entry so that they can identify the specific help that the pupils need to catch up with their peers. The resulting support helps these pupils make good progress from their starting points. Equally, leaders, by frequently checking on all pupils’ progress, quickly identify those falling behind. These pupils also benefit from extra help, which ensures that they too make good progress.
• Pupils supported in the additional resource base, as well as other pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points. This is because leaders arrange training for members of staff to enable them to give targeted support to meet the needs of these pupils.
• In the 2016 Year 6 tests, disadvantaged pupils made slower progress and attained lower standards than their peers and other pupils nationally. Leaders have put in a comprehensive package of support for current disadvantaged pupils. School assessment information demonstrates that disadvantaged pupils are currently making faster progress than their peers and a higher proportion are working at age-related expectations across all year groups.
• Because of historical poor outcomes, leaders focused their efforts on securing consistently good or better teaching so that pupils’ outcomes improve. Current pupils are making good progress and the proportions reaching the expected standards for their age are therefore higher than in the past. Not enough of the most able pupils, however, are making the rapid progress required to reach standards above those expected for their age. This is because teachers do not provide them with work that is challenging enough to make them think more deeply.

School details

Unique reference number 140687 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 10031689 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 Academy sponsor-led 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 429 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address The local governing body and academy trust Roger Deadman Cathy Leicester 0208 270 4962

www.dorothybarleyjunioracademy.co.uk admin@d-barley-j.bardaglea.org.uk

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

• Dorothy Barley Junior Academy is much larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school became a sponsor-led academy on 1 June 2014. It is part of the REAch2 Academy Trust. When its predecessor school, Dorothy Barley Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.
• Most pupils are from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds and most pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above that found nationally.
• A below-average proportion of pupils have special educational needs support. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is well above that found nationally.
• The school has additional resourced provision for 12 pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and who are diagnosed with moderate learning difficulties. Currently, eight pupils attend this provision.
• The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at other than the usual times is above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.
• The headteacher took up her post in September 2014.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 27 parts of lessons. Some of these observations were made jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors looked closely at the work in pupils’ books to inform further the judgements made about pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching and learning. Inspectors also read with pupils.
• Inspectors met with two groups of pupils and spoke informally to other pupils in lessons and during break and lunchtimes. Inspectors also met with school leaders.
• Meetings were held with three members of the local governing body, including the chair, and with the regional director of the trust.
• Inspectors examined a range of documentation, such as that relating to pupils’ attainment and progress, information about how teachers’ performance is managed, and minutes of governing body meetings. They also looked at records and documentation about pupils’ behaviour, attendance and exclusions and the ways in which the school keeps pupils safe.
• Inspectors considered the 25 responses to the online questionnaire for parents. They also had informal conversations with parents in the playground. Inspectors also took account of the views of 51 members of staff who responded to the inspection questionnaire.

Inspection team

David Radomsky, lead inspector Shabana Khan Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Denise James-Mason Ofsted Inspector