Burnt Oak Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Enable pupils to take further ownership of learning by developing their questioning skills.
• Provide more opportunities for pupils to write in depth across the curriculum to maintain the outstanding quality of education.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Leadership is exceptional. The headteacher leads by example to create a culture where pupils and staff can excel. The way leaders keep learning under constant review is a key element in the success of the school. Leaders have consistently high expectations of staff and pupils.
• The school receives strong support from the multi-academy trust. It provides support practically, financially and in the allocation of resources to meet learning needs. For example, some pupils receive additional help in preparation for their end-of-key-stage tests. Trust leaders hold the headteacher to account and provide good-quality external verification of progress. This has had a very positive impact on outcomes.
• Leaders ensure that all staff have access to professional development to improve their practice and skills. An effective school-based programme is supplemented by good-quality external provision. This includes outstanding leadership programmes for middle and senior leaders, and involvement in initiatives like the local mathematics hub. All staff are trained coaches, and everyone is part of a ‘teaching triangle’ mentoring group to improve classroom practice. Staff said that they greatly value the focus on staff development, and that it is having a positive impact on their work in the classroom.
• A rich curriculum is in place, which inspires pupils to learn. The range of subjects helps pupils acquire knowledge and understanding in many areas. For example, all pupils are taught by subject specialists for art, computing, music and languages. The latter is strengthened by liaison with a local grammar school to provide extra input after school in French, Spanish and Latin.
• Leaders train and develop teaching assistants very well. Inspectors saw some excellent contributions by teaching assistants in lessons. This enables pupils to make strong progress, for example by supporting groups with effective questioning to aid learning.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. In religious education lessons, pupils learn about other faiths and visit local places of worship. Religious festivals like Diwali and Eid are celebrated. A large number of trips and visits are arranged for pupils, all of which are linked to themes in the international primary curriculum. Examples include trips to Parliament, the Science Museum and the Isle of Wight. The impact of these is to give pupils a wider cultural appreciation. Pupils are encouraged to set personal goals and know the next ‘steps to success’ in their work.
• Equality and diversity are promoted extremely successfully in the school through a number of assemblies and especially themed days or weeks. For example, a ‘let’s get better together’ assembly focused on diversity issues. The school held a United Nations day to raise pupils’ awareness of different cultures and British values. The school holds a multicultural week each year. Inspectors visited an assembly where the qualities of respect, kindness and helping others were strongly encouraged.

Governance of the school

• Governors challenge leaders systematically and have a sharp focus on outcomes, including those for disadvantaged pupils. They know the school very well and monitor the effective deployment of pupil premium and primary physical education and sports premium funding. As a result, pupils’ outcomes continue to be strong and they have access to an increasing range of sports. For example, pupils play golf, tag rugby and tennis, as well as more traditional games. Sports premium funding allows for golf scholarships and has paid for new dance equipment. It also funds sports coaches who work with pupils at lunchtimes.
• Governors visit the school frequently. They have a first-hand knowledge of the learning process. They use this knowledge to ask detailed questions on many matters, including teaching and learning and the quality of provision.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All policies and procedures are up to date, and the school’s checks on employment are robust. The school follows all safer recruitment recommendations. Staff are fully trained in safeguarding issues.
• Leadership of safeguarding is effective, and governors receive regular reports on the safety and welfare of pupils. Any concern the school may have about pupils is logged, and the school works very effectively with outside agencies, where appropriate.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and the majority of parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire agreed.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers have high expectations of all pupils. This is evident from the first activity of the day, usually guided reading or literacy support, to the last. The subject knowledge of staff and their understanding of the learning process are strong. As a result, pupils thrive in school.
• Very effective planning means that teachers produce a range of different resources to match pupils’ needs. This includes those pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Therefore, everyone can access the curriculum from their individual starting points and pupils make strong progress.
• Pupils enjoy the challenge of learning. For example, in a computing lesson, pupils showed palpable excitement when attempting a new task. This activity is part of an engaging programme of work which enables pupils to move on once they have mastered a concept. Strong classroom practice allows pupils to learn well, further deepening their understanding.
• Teachers ensure that skills are practised and embedded. In Years 5 and 6, pupils have learned to refine sentence starters and synonyms to improve their writing skills. Highly effective questioning allows pupils to articulate their understanding of the key concepts.
• Teachers follow the school’s policy to check that pupils know the next steps in their learning. This consolidates pupils’ knowledge and understanding and clarifies misconceptions.
• Leaders embed reading and communication skills throughout the curriculum. For example, pupils are encouraged to use technology in many subject areas to develop communication skills. In science, iPads are used to record pupils’ presentations on light. This allows pupils to share ideas effectively and learn from each other. Pupils are developing sophisticated technology skills, like editing from Year 3 onwards, very effectively. Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to practise and extend their writing skills across the curriculum by writing at greater depth.
• Parents are provided with clear information on their child’s progress. In addition, the school holds parent forums and produces regular questionnaires to gather the views of the parent body. Leaders use these to inform planning and make appropriate changes, for example to the homework policy.
• Pupils have frequent opportunities to read in school, and good-quality resources are available. Pupils read with fluency and expression. They said that they enjoy reading and read at home regularly. There is clear evidence of strong support with phonics work for pupils who struggle with reading.
• Teachers set challenging homework which consolidates learning and deepens understanding. Weekly literacy and numeracy homework is supplemented by more creative homework tasks to prepare pupils for the next steps in their learning in other subjects. For example, Year 5 pupils made Greek masks for their unit on Ancient Greece.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. In lessons, inspectors saw pupils who were eager to learn, keen and enthusiastic. Teachers apply rules consistently and manage behaviour very effectively.
• In some lessons, pupils did not always get the opportunity to extend their learning by asking more questions.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and positive. Pupils clearly love their school. One pupil said that it was a ‘bursting ball of joy’. Many others made the effort to tell inspectors how much they enjoyed being at school.
• Pupils are given leadership opportunities. For example, there is an elected head girl and head boy, plus a school council. Digital leaders and assistants help with information technology, and buddy clubs support pupils who value the extra reassurance.
• Pupils contribute leaves to an ‘aspiration tree’ to articulate their aims and help them set personal learning goals for the future. Each classroom has a ‘worry box’ for any concerns, and teachers check this frequently to pick up any issues. Pupils find this helpful and reassuring.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils, staff and parents are very positive about behaviour in school.
• Pupils manage their own behaviour in lessons and around school very well. They take responsibility for their behaviour and leaders reinforce high expectations routinely.
• Attendance is consistently above the national average and is steadily rising. No groups of pupils, including vulnerable pupils, are disadvantaged by low attendance. The number of persistently absent pupils has declined sharply from last year as a direct result of the interventions put in place by leaders.
• Pupils state that instances of bullying are rare, and teachers deal with it effectively if it does occur. The school’s own information confirms this. Leaders ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and know how to keep themselves healthy.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• The school’s assessment information, and the work in pupils’ books, shows that progress is substantial and sustained. In 2017, the pupils made particularly strong progress in reading and mathematics, and attainment scores in those subjects were well above national averages.
• The school benefits from central input from the multi-academy trust, which supports the progress of identified groups of pupils in school. This enables leaders to ensure that these pupils’ progress is strong. An externally led teaching and learning review commissioned by the trust has been used to check and validate pupil performance information.
• In 2017, disadvantaged pupils outperformed their peers nationally, in terms of progress across the curriculum. Current progress for this group and other vulnerable groups is strong, given their starting points. The school has ‘learning together partnerships’ with parents of this group, and these meetings work effectively to ensure that sustained progress is made.
• Pupils read widely and to a high standard. They read with fluency and comprehension appropriate for their age.
• Year 6 pupils are well prepared for secondary education, and there are a range of activities to support the move to their new school. The school has developed links with other local schools to facilitate this.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141976 Bexley 10048354 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 238 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher John Judd Mrs Jill Ivil Telephone number 0208 300 5854 Website Email address www.burntoak.bexley.dbprimary.com admin@burntoak.bexley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school is part of The Pioneer Academy Trust. The trust board has overall responsibility for six primary schools. The trust delegates some authority to local governing bodies, who are committees of the board. This includes standards, premises, buildings and resources. The governing body is accountable to the trust board.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities or who have English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The school became a sponsor-led academy in the term following the last inspection.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed in lessons, looked at work and had discussions with pupils. They also looked at school documentation, including behaviour and exclusion records as well as attendance figures.
• Inspectors met with school staff and representatives from the multi-academy trust. In addition, they considered responses to the staff survey, pupil survey and the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents.

Inspection team

Stephen Adamson, lead inspector Teresa Davies

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector