Oak Farm Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils make good progress by ensuring that:
  • assessment information is used effectively to plan for pupils’ learning needs, including those who have special educational needs/and or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and White British boys
  • pupils are given sufficient time to complete their work
  • the most able pupils are consistently challenged so that they make the progress of which they are capable
  • there are more opportunities for pupils to practise and improve their writing skills through extended pieces of writing in English and other subjects
  • there are sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their thinking skills so as to help them to understand the meaning behind words they read
  • pupils are given more opportunities to apply their mathematical skills to solve everyday problems
  • teachers’ expectations of the presentation of pupils’ work are routinely high.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • improving the systems for checking the progress of different groups of pupils across the year groups
  • ensuring that leaders have a sharper focus on the progress of different groups of pupils when checking the quality of teaching
  • improving the skills of subject leaders in science and foundation subjects so that they can contribute fully to improvements
  • assessing the impact of the support available for disadvantaged pupils more closely to ensure that they make good progress. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium 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

• The headteacher’s ambition for the pupils is shared by leaders, including governors, and staff. However, leaders have not done enough to ensure that the quality of teaching is good and pupils make strong progress.
• Assessment and tracking systems are not sufficiently developed to check the progress of different groups of pupils in English, mathematics and other subjects. As a result, leaders are not able to share this information with governors and take swift action to raise achievement.
• The performance of staff is well managed. There are regular checks on the quality of teaching, and staff are able to identify their strengths and weaknesses. There is, however, insufficient focus on the progress of different groups, including disadvantaged pupils and the most able disadvantaged pupils, to ensure that they make good progress.
• The school improvement plan identifies the main priorities for improvement agreed by leaders and governors. However, governors do not routinely evaluate the impact of actions taken by leaders so that they can consistently hold leaders to account for the work they do.
• Subject leaders for science and foundation subjects have limited opportunities to check the quality of teaching, track pupils’ progress or hold teachers to account for the progress pupils make.
• Leaders have yet to analyse the impact of the pupil premium funding for 2016/17 to assess which initiatives have had the most impact on the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. There is insufficient monitoring first-hand of the interventions for disadvantaged pupils.
• The special educational needs coordinator has provided guidance and training for staff to support the learning needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, the progress of these pupils is not carefully tracked and there is limited analysis by leaders of the impact of initiatives on the outcomes for this group of pupils. The school is aware of this and has clear plans in place to strengthen the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Overall, the additional funding is used effectively to support these pupils, particularly in relation to employing additional teaching assistants.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport funding has been well spent to provide pupils with a wide range of sporting activities to promote their fitness. For example, pupils participate in fencing, inter-school competitions and multi-skills festivals. There has also been training for staff to improve their skills in, for example, teaching dance.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and engages pupils well in their learning. The curriculum is enriched by a range of clubs, visits and trips, including residential trips for Years 4 and 6. Pupils are involved in workshops to support their historical understanding, for example the study of Vikings. There are good opportunities for pupils to play and improve their skills in a range of musical instruments. There are links with schools in France and Uganda to increase pupils’ awareness of other parts of the world and cultures. Pupils enjoy learning French and benefit from being taught by a specialist teacher in this subject. Languages around the world are celebrated through the school’s European Day of Languages.
• British values are promoted well. Pupils are taught about democracy, the rule of law and elections. Pupils elect their classmates to the school council. Assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons are used well to reinforce the difference between right and wrong, and underline the consequences of pupils’ behaviour and actions. Leaders promote pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development well.
• Pupils learn about respect and tolerance for others, and develop an appreciation of different cultures and religions. Overall, pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.
• The local authority has done some positive work in the school to improve governance. It has plans to work more closely with the school, including on tracking pupils’ progress.

Governance of the school

• Governors are committed to their work and are ambitious for the pupils. They use their skills well to support and challenge leaders to bring about improvements.
• Governors know the school’s main strengths and areas for improvement. They visit the school to find out things for themselves, particularly the chair of the governing body. However, governors do not routinely receive detailed information from senior leaders on the progress of different groups of pupils across the subjects. As a result, governors are not fully informed about how different groups of pupils are achieving across the curriculum.
• Governors have a secure overview of the arrangements for managing the performance of staff, including that of the headteacher. They have supported the headteacher well in taking decisions relating to improving the quality of teaching.
• Governors know how the additional funding is used, including the pupil premium for 2015/16 and the primary physical education and sport premium, and the impact of these monies on pupils’ outcomes. However, governors are yet to ensure that senior leaders fully assess the impact of the actions identified for the pupil premium funding for the year 2016/17.
• Governors are trained on safeguarding and child protection procedures, including on the safer recruitment of staff. They visit the school to check for themselves that pupils are kept safe, including checking the information on staff’s suitability to work at the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have established a culture of safeguarding where all staff are vigilant and understand their responsibility in keeping pupils safe. Leaders make sure that all staff are fully trained in safeguarding pupils, including having a deep awareness of the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty. Governors are suitably trained and aware of their duties.
• Record-keeping is well maintained and fit for purpose. Leaders work effectively with external agencies for the safety and welfare of pupils. They follow up concerns they may have in a timely manner.
• Thorough risk assessments are in place to ensure pupils’ safety within the school and when attending off-site visits and trips.
• A very large majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, agree that their children feel safe and are well looked after at the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Leaders have not ensured that teaching over time is consistently good so that pupils make good enough progress from their starting points.
• Teachers do not use assessment information consistently well to match activities to pupils’ abilities to enable them to make good progress. Pupils often do the same activities and do not move to more challenging work quickly enough, particularly the most able pupils. As a result, their progress slows.
• The time in lessons is sometimes not used productively and pupils do not have sufficient time to complete their tasks. This leaves gaps in their learning.
• There are insufficient opportunities consistently for pupils to improve their writing by writing at length in English and across other subjects.
• There are sometimes insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their thinking skills further to help them to understand the meaning behind words they read and to extend their reading. However, lower-attaining pupils use their knowledge of phonics well to read difficult or unfamiliar words.
• In mathematics, pupils have fewer opportunities to apply their mathematical skills to solve everyday practical problems and apply their mathematical knowledge and skills.
• Teachers’ expectations of the presentation of pupils’ work are sometimes not high enough. Occasionally, teachers’ feedback on pupils’ work in books does not pick up on poor presentation.
• Teachers display good subject knowledge overall. This engages pupils and gives them much confidence in their learning. For example, in a mathematics lesson, the teacher’s subject knowledge helped pupils to extend their understanding of breaking codes through drawing on pupils’ knowledge of square numbers. The teacher skilfully linked their learning to the Second World War and the significance of Bletchley Park.
• There are strong working relationships between staff and pupils, which create a positive atmosphere of mutual trust.
• Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning well to engage pupils and to test and strengthen their understanding.
• A strong feature of teaching is the opportunities teachers provide for pupils to improve their speaking and listening skills. Pupils enjoy learning from each other. This especially helps pupils who have English as an additional language to make better progress than their classmates. In one lesson, for example, pupils enjoyed working together to identify and discuss the description of the main character in the book ‘The day it all began’. The teacher made effective use of questioning to reinforce pupils’ understanding of the vocabulary in the extract they were reading.
• Teaching assistants work effectively with small groups of pupils or individual pupils on a one-to-one basis to support their learning, particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.
• Pupils are provided with regular, challenging homework to consolidate their learning in line with the school’s policy.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are friendly, kind and courteous. They show respect for each other and adults, including visitors to the school.
• Pupils demonstrate strong attitudes to their learning. However, occasionally, they lack concentration and their progress slows. Pupils whom inspectors met confirmed that sometimes in lessons a few pupils talk when the teacher is talking, and this disturbs their learning. A few pupils do not take enough pride in their work and do not present it well.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons are used well to highlight unsafe situations. For example, pupils know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and understand the dangers associated with cyber bullying.
• Pupils whom inspectors met said that behaviour is usually good, bullying is rare and they always feel safe in the school. They agreed that name-calling, including racist or homophobic language, only happens rarely. Pupils agree that when incidents of poor behaviour do occur, staff address the issues quickly and effectively. However, leaders do not maintain a behaviour log with an analysis of the types of unacceptable behaviour and the background of pupils involved. This means that they do not have a clear overview of the patterns and trends of behaviour over time.
• There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their physical fitness through a range of sporting activities on offer. Most pupils know how to lead healthy lives. However, a few pupils eat chocolate snacks and biscuits bought from the school’s tuck shop.
• Pupils have a range of opportunities to develop their confidence through, for example, being school council members, prefects, house captains and monitors.
• A very large majority of parents who responded to Parent View and all those whom inspectors spoke with said that their children are happy, safe and well looked after at school.

Behaviour

• Behaviour is good.
• Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and the staff. Pupils from all backgrounds interact and play together well.
• Pupils behave well in class and around the school. Pupils are keen to learn, and enjoy working together and helping each other. However, occasionally, pupils lose concentration when teaching does not challenge them. This slows pupils’ progress.
• Attendance is above the national average and persistent absence is low. However, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is lower than the overall attendance figure for the school.
• The large majority of parents who responded to Parent View agree that the school makes sure that pupils are well behaved.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Leaders’ actions to improve outcomes over time have not been effective enough. In national tests at the end of key stage 2 in 2015, pupils’ attainment fell in all subjects from well above average in the previous year to broadly average. Pupils’ progress from their starting points also declined in 2015 to well below average in all subjects combined. Pupils’ progress in writing was particularly weak.
• In 2016 national tests at the end of key stage 2, pupils’ attainment was above average in mathematics and reading, but below average in writing. Pupils’ attainment in 2017 national tests at the end of key stage 2 improved, and was above average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• At the end of key stage 2, pupils’ progress in writing from their starting points has been below the national average since 2015. In reading, pupils’ progress was average in 2015 and 2016 and below the national average in 2017. Pupils’ progress in mathematics has been average over time.
• Over the last three years, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils has been weaker than that of other pupils, nationally, in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2017, the difference in attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally narrowed in mathematics and reading, but not in writing, when compared with their attainment in 2016. Overall, the progress of disadvantaged pupils in reading and writing was significantly below that of other pupils nationally. Leaders are yet to analyse the impact of the actions taken in 2016/17 in their efforts to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.
• At the end of key stage 2 in 2017, the progress of some groups of pupils was significantly below average. This included that of boys in reading and writing, middle-attainers in writing and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in writing. School leaders know that it is the White British boys who do not achieve well, overall, in reading and writing, compared with other boys in the school.
• In 2017, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities that achieved the higher standard in reading and writing was below average. The proportion of boys achieving the higher standard was below average in reading and writing. In writing, overall, the proportion of pupils achieving at a greater depth was below average. This is because the most able pupils are sometimes not challenged sufficiently to make the progress of which they are capable.
• Leaders are yet to monitor the progress of pupils, including groups of pupils, across the year groups in science and foundation subjects to ensure that they make good progress. Subject leaders in science and foundation subjects have insufficient opportunities to check the quality of teaching and learning, and to hold teachers to account for the progress their pupils make.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve better than their classmates and other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. They receive effective support, often from teaching assistants, to ensure that they achieve well.
• In the key stage 2 tests in 2017, a higher proportion of pupils achieved the expected standard in English grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• Leaders have not set up systems to monitor and evaluate the progress of different groups of pupils from their starting points across the year groups. Consequently, leaders have not had a sharp enough understanding of the progress pupils make over time across the curriculum subjects. The work in pupils’ books shows that progress across the wider curriculum is inconsistent across subjects.
• Leaders ensure that pupils are prepared well for their transition to secondary school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102431 Hillingdon 10041061 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 Foundation 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 357 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Neil McLoughlin Alan Mills 01895 238 812 www.oakfarmjunior.co.uk office@oakfarm.hillingdon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 26−27 September 2012

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the pupil premium on its website.
• The school is larger than the average-sized junior school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average. A well above-average proportion of pupils are in receipt of an education, health and care plan.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is average.
• Almost all pupils transfer from the infant school which occupies the ground floor of the same building.
• There is little mobility within the school and very few pupils join ‘in year’. Most pupils stay throughout their years at the junior school.
• There were very few low-attaining pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities with an education, health and care plan in the cohort of Year 6 leavers in 2017.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum standards expected nationally for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning across the school in all year groups and made joint observations of learning with either the headteacher or the assistant headteacher.
• The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books, spoke to pupils about their learning and heard some pupils read.
• The inspectors spoke with pupils in classrooms and outdoors, and held meetings with pupils in key stage 2 about their learning and to hear their views about the school. The inspectors listened to Year 3 and Year 4 pupils read and discussed their reading with them.
• The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktime and at lunchtime.
• The inspectors met a range of staff, including the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders, and evaluated all aspects of the school’s work.
• The inspectors met with five members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.
• A telephone discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.
• The inspectors checked the single central register of pre-employment checks on staff, and looked at pupils’ attendance and behaviour records. They examined documents, including school improvement plans and policies in relation to safeguarding and child protection, and discussed safety issues with staff and pupils.
• The inspectors considered a range of information about the school. This included information on pupils’ attainment and progress, and information published on the school’s website.
• Inspectors considered the 46 responses to Parent View and the 46 free-text responses from parents. The inspectors spoke with some parents as they dropped off their children at the start of the school day. The inspectors also considered the 18 responses from staff to a school questionnaire.

Inspection team

Avtar Sherri, lead inspector Rekha Bhakoo Sam Nowak

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector