Parklands Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, complete sufficiently challenging work in reading and topic work.
• Make sure that teachers adapt tasks when necessary in mathematics, so that work is neither too hard nor too easy for the middle-attaining pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The senior leadership team and governing body, ably led by the enthusiastic and ambitious headteacher, are successful in driving the school forward. Leaders and managers have made good progress in improving the school since the previous inspection. There is a clear and shared vision for the school’s next steps and self-evaluation is thorough and accurate.
• Performance management and staff training are targeted on what will have the most impact on improving the pupils’ education. Teaching has improved considerably over the last two years. Teachers are very keen to develop further and are motivated to contribute towards evaluating their own work.
• Middle leaders have been trained since the previous inspection. They are knowledgeable about the subjects and aspects they manage. They can demonstrate that they are having a positive impact on the pupils’ learning.
• The curriculum is planned thoroughly and covers the required subjects and themes well. Additional activities such as clubs, visits and visitors make a positive contribution towards broadening the pupils’ knowledge and enjoyment of learning. One pupil spoke for others by saying, ‘Every year group has something special in the curriculum.’
• The special funding for physical education and sport is used effectively and pupils have access to a wide range of sporting activities and competitions. These have a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour, health and well-being.
• Funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent on rigorous procedures for checking their progress. Additional staffing provides good support when needed.
• The leadership and management of provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are effective in ensuring that these pupils have their specific needs catered for well. Funding is used wisely and pupils’ progress is monitored carefully. They are given the right level of help in lessons.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very strongly. Pupils are very well informed about British values and the beliefs and lifestyles of a wide range of cultures. Pupils show their care and respect for the needy. For example, they support the education of a pupil in Senegal and send gifts to children in need at Christmas.
• Leaders and managers are aware that the next step in their monitoring is to ensure that the most able pupils make as much progress in their reading and topic work as they do in other subjects, and that middle attainers always complete work at the right level in mathematics.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. Governors have carried out a review of their work since the previous inspection and have ensured that they are trained to support and challenge the school.
• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and next steps for development because they visit the school frequently and check up on specific aspects of the school’s work.
• They are not afraid to take tough decisions about staffing to ensure that teaching and learning are good and improving.
• Governors are clear about the school’s vision and know how well various funds are being spent to strengthen the pupils’ outcomes.
• They know how well various groups of pupils are doing across the school and where they need to challenge further.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All members of staff are checked for their suitability to work with children.
• Leaders work closely with parents to ensure that the pupils are kept safe. Responses to any concerns are prompt and advice is sought from external agencies as needed.
• Leaders and other members of staff are knowledgeable about the pupils and watch out for any changes in behaviour that might indicate that they are vulnerable.
• Records on health and safety are clear and members of staff are kept up to date in their training.
• The curriculum is used very well to help pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe and to manage risks.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers work together well to plan lessons and ensure that pupils are clear about what they are to learn. They are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach and share this information with the pupils successfully. Teachers make links between subjects, helping to make learning engaging and meaningful.
• Teachers and teaching assistants form good relationships with the pupils and the school’s five golden rules for good behaviour are promoted well. As a result, behaviour is managed well and this is a clear improvement since the previous inspection. Very little time is lost due to pupils being inattentive and not listening to the teacher.
• There is good support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and teachers and teaching assistants support their learning well in most lessons. The less able readers are given effective support.
• Teachers assess and mark the pupils’ work thoroughly and provide pupils with clear guidance on how they can improve their work next time. Consequently, pupils understand the targets they have been set for the future and refer to them as they work.
• Work for the most able pupils, including the disadvantaged, is suitably challenging in most lessons, especially in mathematics and writing. Work provided in reading and topic work does not consistently expect pupils to gain a depth of understanding or to make full use of the skills they have learned.
• There are occasions in mathematics when teachers do not check that the work is appropriate for the middle-attaining groups and adapt the tasks if necessary. When this happens, the work can be either too easy and not extend learning sufficiently, or it is too difficult and pupils become stuck.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils at the school are very confident and have a very thorough knowledge of what they need to do if they want to succeed. They have been encouraged to aim high and consequently they believe that they can and will achieve well.
• The school goes the extra mile to support the pupils’ emotional and physical well-being. Pupils who are experiencing specific emotional difficulties are given valuable and effective counselling.
• Members of staff are sensitive about making sure that occasions such as assemblies about Remembrance Day are positive experiences, as well as being opportunities to show respect.
• Pupils new to the school are supported well so that they settle into school life quickly. As one new pupil stated, ‘I like this school because everyone is very caring.’
• Pupils are very knowledgeable about how to stay safe and say that they feel very safe at school. There are frequent anti-bullying workshops for parents, keeping them informed about types of bullying and how to deal with them.
• There is an anti-bullying committee of pupils who are prominent on the playground in their orange high-visibility bibs. These pupils are specially trained and are available to help pupils who have any concerns. Pupils say that instances of bullying are very rare and that when they occur, they are dealt with straightaway.
• ‘Digital leaders’ provide other pupils with reminders about the importance of e-safety and pupils know that they are all responsible for keeping themselves and others safe.
• Pupils’ thorough knowledge of British values is evident in the respect they show for others, including those who are different from themselves. One pupil spoke for others by saying, ‘Everyone is equal in their own way.’ The debating society and various visits and visitors provide a clear picture of democracy and how it works.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are very clear that the responsibility for behaving well is theirs. They are considerate towards others and care for the animals in the school farm.
• Pupils are very proud of their school and the ambassadors are keen to act as good role models for their peers. Pupils help each other in lessons, keeping each other on task. They know that the golden rules are there to help everyone to learn. They take care over their work and are anxious to help each other to succeed. For example, when identifying the themes in given texts, pupils in Year 6 compared their answers to check that they had understood.
• Parents, staff and pupils all agree that behaviour at the school is very good. One pupil was right in her analysis of behaviour, saying, ‘I think it is better than good.’
• Rates of attendance are above average and leaders are working tirelessly with the small number of families who find it difficult to ensure that their children come to school regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils of all abilities make good progress across the school. Attainment is above average including in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. Consequently, they are prepared well for the next stage of their education and later life.
• The school’s use of pupil premium funding is effective. Funding is spent on providing targeted teaching. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make at least good progress from their starting points and there are no significant differences between the attainment of these pupils and that of others.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and their needs are monitored closely. These pupils make good progress because they receive well-targeted support within the classroom. They have the same opportunities as other pupils to take part in the whole school curriculum.
• The most able pupils, including the disadvantaged, do well overall, especially in writing and mathematics. In reading and topic work, they are not consistently demonstrating their deeper knowledge and understanding and making best use of their previously learned skills. As one most-able pupil commented, ‘I would really improve if I read more challenging books.’
• Middle-attaining pupils do well overall, especially in reading and writing. In mathematics, there are occasions when the work is not adjusted quickly enough when it becomes clear that it is either too easy or too difficult.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102299 Havering 10019664 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 475 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Keith Butcher Julie Wilson 01708 743404 www.parklands.havering.sch.uk office@parklands.havering.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 16–17 October 2014

Information about this school

• Parklands Junior is much larger than an average-sized junior school.
• Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds, with most being White British.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 21 lessons, 11 jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• Meetings were held with leaders, other members of staff, members of the local authority and members of the governing body.
• Inspectors held informal discussions with a number of parents and scrutinised 102 responses from the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View.
• Questionnaires from 22 members of staff and 94 pupils were also scrutinised.
• Pupils in Years 3 and 6 were heard to read.
• A range of information supplied by the school was checked, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents and checks on the quality of teaching. The inspectors also looked at the school’s development plan and records relating to behaviour and attendance and safeguarding procedures.

Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Joy Barter Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Sarah Murphy-Dutton Her Majesty’s Inspector