Thames View Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Broaden the curriculum so that pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills improve by:
  • setting high expectations and standards of written work across the curriculum
  • regularly monitoring pupils’ progress across the curriculum subjects
  • giving pupils the right level of challenge in all subjects and measuring regularly.
• Increase the rates of pupils’ progress in English and mathematics at all levels by:
  • tracking pupils’ progress closely from starting points, particularly those pupils with high prior attainment
  • using the school’s assessment information to plan work that meets pupils’ needs
  • setting consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly the most able pupils.
• Improve the provision, including the teaching and level of challenge, for disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils by:
  • using assessment data to plan work
  • taking individual and group starting points into account before and during lessons. An external review of 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

• Leaders have successfully moved the school from the very weak position it was in before academy conversion. Nevertheless, a number of key areas still require improvement. Most significantly, pupils are not provided with a broad and balanced curriculum.
• The school’s curriculum does not provide the opportunity for pupils to make sufficient progress in all national curriculum subjects. As a result, pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills in subjects other than English and mathematics are limited.
• Strategies to improve attainment in reading, writing and mathematics have taken test results in Year 6 to above national averages in 2017. However, published progress measures and observations of current work show that pupils still do not do as well as they could, given their above-average starting points when they join Year 3.
• Leaders do not monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning in subjects other than English and mathematics robustly enough. The checks that they make do not pay sufficient attention to progress made by groups of pupils. This means that leaders do not have a full picture of progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils make significantly less progress than their peers. The pupil premium funding is used to support whole-school development rather than being targeted at the pupils for whom it is intended.
• The school’s evaluation of its own performance rightly recognises the journey the school has made to date. However, it does not pinpoint some of the key issues the school continues to face. This is particularly the case in areas such as the curriculum and pupils’ progress, including that of disadvantaged pupils.
• The headteacher has the confidence of staff, pupils, parents and carers. She has created a culture where effective teaching and good behaviour are the expectation. Her leadership, along with that of other members of the senior team, has been effective in stabilising the school and rescuing improvements in pupils’ attainment and behaviour. This gives confidence in leaders’ capacity to bring about further improvement.
• Middle leaders are relatively new to their roles and are in the early stages of developing their management skills. However, they too are hardworking and committed to raising standards.
• The vast majority of parents who spoke with inspectors were overwhelmingly positive about the care shown by the headteacher, teachers and all other adults in the school.
• The extra funding to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is having a positive impact on their learning. These pupils have detailed action plans that identify their varying needs and how best they can be supported in their learning. They receive sensitive and closely targeted support in most lessons.
• Leaders ensure that the primary school physical education and sport funding is used well. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in a range of extra-curricular activities, including choir, gymnastics and Spanish classes. Pupils say that they enjoy these opportunities because they help to contribute to mental and physical health.
• Aspects of pupils’ social and moral understanding are strong. Pupils are given opportunities to engage in a range of experiences. However, their spiritual and cultural understanding are not as well developed because of inconsistencies and limitations in the curriculum, including religious education.

Governance of the school

• The academy trust and governors are committed to improving the school. They have
• The governing body carries out most of its statutory duties effectively. Governors check secured recent improvements, following declining trends over time. Their commitment is evident in improvements in the 2017 attainment data, which is above national averages. However, they have not ensured that the curriculum is broad and balanced. They have allowed it to focus too narrowly on English and mathematics. on the progress of leaders’ actions towards meeting school development priorities. However, they view the school’s effectiveness as good, and this is too generous.
• Governors do not ensure that the pupil premium funding is managed effectively to promote disadvantaged pupils’ progress and narrow gaps in performance. The funding has been used to support whole-school developments rather than being targeted at the pupils for whom it is intended. Progress information shows that disadvantaged pupils make significantly less progress than their peers.
• Governors ensure that the headteacher’s performance management is rigorous and linked to school priorities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school’s record of staff and visitor checks is kept in appropriate order. Staff receive relevant training to ensure that they are knowledgeable about signs of abuse. Staff training is kept up to date.
• The school’s procedures for reporting concerns are effective. Staff are able to report concerns that they have swiftly. Pupils’ records are well organised and clearly show prompt and effective actions taken by leaders.
• Leaders engage well with parents to ensure that pupils are kept safe at all time. Parents confirm that their children are safe at the school. Similarly, pupils say that adults support them when they have concerns. Case studies and records show that vulnerable children and their families are well supported.
• Leaders are quick to follow up on any concerns and put in place appropriate interventions. The safeguarding team build effective relationships with families and outside agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe. All staff and visitors have appropriate checks before entering the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• In too many instances, expectations of the progress that pupils should be making from their starting points are not high enough. This is especially the case for disadvantaged pupils and those who are the most able.
• Not enough chances are provided for pupils to apply their English and mathematics skills across the curriculum. ‘Topic’ books seen contained little written work of substance. Subject-specific learning in geography, history and religious studies lacks depth. Leaders acknowledge that this has not been their priority.
• English and mathematics teaching has improved, the impact being seen in improved attainment in the Year 6 test results. Nevertheless, further improvements are required to ensure that pupils’ progress is good from their above-average starting points.
• The teaching of mathematics is inconsistent. In some classes, pupils have too few opportunities to develop their skills in solving real-life problems.
• Too often, pupils repeat their mistakes without this being challenged by the teacher. This leads to lack of challenge or the work provided being too difficult. In turn, this leads to some pupils losing interest in their work.
• Where teachers take into account pupils’ starting points, pupils make good progress. As a result, pupils participate in the learning and produce high-quality work. For example, in one mathematics lesson in Year 4, pupils described how to find the answer when calculating the difference between the sum of two sets of numbers.
• Similarly, in Year 6 reading lessons, teachers used good questioning skills to check on pupils’ understanding. They encouraged pupils to think more deeply about their answers, often modelling answers so that pupils knew exactly what to do.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Teachers encourage pupils to be reflective about themselves. During assemblies, pupils reflect on ‘big feelings’. Teachers also encourage pupils to use the ‘worry bag’ in the hall to express any concerns they have. They contemplate questions that develop their moral understanding.
• Pupils are proud of their school values. They were able to articulate how it has made them more responsible for their actions. The values include honesty, respect, compassion and courage.
• Pupils are taught how to keep safe online. They have regular opportunities in class to learn about online safety. The school computers have a special filter to keep pupils safe from inappropriate information.
• Pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they feel safe and that bullying is rare. Pupils say that, on the rare occasions when bullying occurs, adults swiftly act to deal with it. Parents who responded to the survey say that their children are safe at the school.
• Pupils enjoy the range of enrichment activities the school offers. For example, pupils participate in tennis, chess, film, dance, book club, football, athletics, gymnastics and choir.

Behaviour

• Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils are proud of their school and they are polite and caring towards one another. They play harmoniously at lunchtimes.
• Leaders have recently reviewed the school’s behaviour policy and procedures. Rewards pupils receive have had a significant impact on behaviour. They make responsible choices by themselves.
• Overall attendance is above the national average. Leaders’ actions are improving rates of attendance and reducing the persistent absence of certain groups of pupils. The headteacher has brought this improvement about by appointing a member of staff with a special brief for improving attendance. Every week, the school celebrates good attendance and pupils with good attendance regularly receive certificates.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Outcomes require improvement because pupils’ progress is not consistently good, either in English and mathematics or across the curriculum. This is the case between year groups and between classes within year groups.
• In the 2017 Year 6 tests, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was above national averages. This was an improvement on 2016 and reflects leaders’ efforts since the school converted to become an academy. Nevertheless, given the well-above-average standards that pupils had achieved before they joined Year 3, the progress achieved by pupils in 2017 was no better than should have been expected. Too few pupils achieved results that showed they were working at greater depth in reading. Work in books confirmed that pupils come to the school in Year 3 with high standards. At the start of the year, sampled books showed excellent handwriting and imaginative use of language.
• Pupils’ deeper thinking is sometimes limited by a lack of challenging tasks in lessons. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to use and apply their skills, for example to solve problems.
• In some classes, older pupils’ English books show that the standard of presentation is not as good as it could be. Teachers’ expectations of how pupils will present their work are not high enough. Consequently, the development of pupils’ handwritten work across the curriculum is not good enough.
• In 2017, reading attainment was at expected standards for disadvantaged pupils. However, in English and mathematics, they do not make the progress expected of them, given their starting points.
• Across the curriculum, in subjects other than English and mathematics, outcomes are particularly weak and inconsistent. The school does not evaluate pupils’ progress in these other subjects. Inspectors made their judgement by looking at the quality of work in books and by talking with pupils.
• Although data shows that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are working below expected standards for their age, evidence seen at the school shows that their needs are identified quickly and they are supported well in most lessons.
• Pupils go to secondary school with the expected standards in English and mathematics. However, their broader knowledge, understanding and skills are weaker, and this does not prepare them for the wide range of subjects they will encounter in Year 7.

School details

Unique reference number 141651 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 10041954 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 440 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address James Hodgson Sara Rider 020 8270 4310 www.thamesviewjunior.com info@thamesview-j.bardaglea.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school converted to sponsor-led academy status under Partnership Learning Trust on 1 February 2015.
• The headteacher was appointed in March 2016. Two assistant headteachers were appointed in March 2014.
• In 2016, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of key stage 2.
• The school is larger than the average junior school.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is above the national average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in 22 lessons. These covered all classes in the school. The inspectors also made short visits to classes, most of which were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. The inspectors also scrutinised many examples of pupils’ work.
• The inspection team held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, governors, trustees, parents and pupils.
• The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s development plan and its self-evaluation, policies and records related to safeguarding and information about pupils’ behaviour and attendance. Inspectors considered a range of evidence related to governance.
• The views of 21 parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered. Inspectors also considered 17 parents’ views gathered at the school gate. There were no staff or pupil responses received.

Inspection team

Maureen Okoye, lead inspector Chris Birtles Melanie Jackson

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector