Trafalgar Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen the leadership skills of senior and middle leaders and ensure that:
  • teaching is at least good so that pupils, particularly middle-ability pupils, make good progress from their starting points
  • the school’s assessment system provides accurate information for teachers to plan more effective learning and strengthen pupils’ progress, particularly for disadvantaged pupils
  • teachers deploy additional adults effectively so that they have a positive impact on pupils’ learning, particularly for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Raise standards in mathematics by ensuring that:
  • more disadvantaged pupils reach average or above-average standards by the end of Year 6
  • teachers consistently set demanding tasks so that the most able pupils make rapid progress.



Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have not been rigorous in sustaining the good teaching across the school since the previous inspection. The link between teachers’ objectives, set through the school’s performance management process, and pupils’ progress is not sharp enough. As a result, leaders have not been able to hold teachers to account for the inconsistency in pupils’ progress.
• The use of pupil premium funding has not been effective in the past. As a result, differences remained between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils, including the most able and middle-ability pupils, and other pupils nationally at the end of key stage 2 in 2016. This was the case in writing and mathematics. Leaders have revised the way that the pupil premium funding is used so that disadvantaged pupils receive more focused support than before. Currently, evidence in pupils’ books shows that these pupils are starting to make better progress.
• Additional funding for pupils who have special needs and/or disabilities has not been spent well. The quality of support provided by additional staff is too variable to enable this group of pupils to make good progress from their starting points.
• Middle leaders share senior leaders’ determination to improve the school. They are developing the skills to hold teachers to account more effectively and to support less experienced teachers. However, they have not been in post long enough to show a sustained impact on teaching quality and pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders have not ensured that the school’s system for providing guidance to pupils is followed across the school. As a result, pupils’ work does not improve as quickly as it could.
• The physical education and sports funding is helping to develop pupils’ understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. For example, pupils explored healthy options when creating hamburgers by adding vegetables and pulses. The wide variety of well-attended extra-curricular sports clubs contributes well to pupils’ enjoyment of school. The school recently became borough champions for gymnastics in a local competition.
• Teachers new to the profession receive appropriate support from the school. They are very positive about the guidance they have received from the deputy headteacher. They attend training that is having a beneficial impact on improving their classroom practice. They have a clear understanding of the school’s safeguarding procedures.
• The broad and balanced curriculum provides pupils with a range of interesting experiences. Outings and visits, including to theatres, places of worship and art galleries, develop the skills required to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Together with the governors, leaders have developed the ‘Pride’ values at Trafalgar Junior School (Positive, Relevant, Inclusive, Demanding and Exciting). Pupils demonstrate these in the positive and mature ways that they conduct themselves in school.
• Parents are very positive about the work the school does to give their children stimulating experiences in their learning. They typically say that the school is a happy and safe place for their children to be.

Governance of the school

• Since the previous inspection, governors have recruited new members with the appropriate skills to hold leaders to account. As a result, their confidence is growing in being able to challenge and support leaders effectively.
• Governors recognise that improvements are required. They know what is needed to strengthen capacity in the senior leadership team in order to improve progress for all pupils across the school, particularly in mathematics.
• Governors work in an effective partnership with the neighbouring infant school and the local authority. They have a more accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement than in the past.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

• Leaders work in close collaboration with external agencies to ensure that effective communication between the school, parents, carers and external agencies helps to keep pupils safe.
• Leaders ensure that they make the required checks when recruiting new staff. School leaders, including governors, regularly check the school’s single central record for accuracy. Training is up to date for all staff, including training to raise staff’s awareness of the ‘Prevent’ duty, female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation. Staff know how to raise concerns using the school’s system. As a result, information-sharing is effective and leaders have created a successful culture of safeguarding for pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is variable and does not enable pupils to make good or better progress. Historically, leaders’ actions have not been swift enough to tackle weaker teaching.
• Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are not high enough across the school to secure good progress for pupils, particularly in mathematics. Work in mathematics is not routinely challenging for the most able pupils. This results in limited progress for some cohorts. When pupils are not engaged by demanding work, their concentration declines and, as a result, their progress is reduced.
• Teachers do not consistently use information from assessments of pupils’ progress well enough to secure good progress for all groups of pupils, particularly the middle-ability pupils. This is most evident in mathematics. Teaching does not build on pupils’ prior knowledge securely to ensure that they make good or better progress. In some classes, variable challenge for the most able pupils means that they do not develop their mathematical-reasoning skills well.
• Teaching does not ensure that additional adults support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively in their learning. As a result, some pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not persevere in their work and give up too readily when they find learning difficult.
• Teachers’ subject knowledge of reading is strong. Texts are challenging and matched well to pupils’ abilities. As a result, pupils develop a real love of reading. There is a well-stocked library and pupils enjoy choosing the challenging books. As a result, pupils’ progress in reading is good.
• Work in pupils’ subject books shows that teachers give pupils a wide range of opportunities to write at length across the curriculum. Pupils’ presentation is of a good quality and demonstrates the pride pupils take in their work.

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 happy and enjoy coming to school. They respond well to adults and to each other. They talk about their learning and recognise when teachers’ advice challenges them to improve. They say that this varies across the school.
• The school’s work to support pupils’ mental health has been successful in developing their self-confidence and emotional well-being. As a result, pupils work and play well together, and relationships between pupils and staff are strong across the school.
• Pupils are clear in their understanding of personal safety. They know how to identify risks online and how to keep themselves safe.
• School records show that bullying is rare. Pupils show a good understanding of what constitutes bullying. They have confidence in the staff to deal with their concerns.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.

• The school’s behaviour system is clear. Pupils said that the teachers apply rewards and sanctions consistently. Pupils are confident and demonstrate positive behaviours.
• Pupils behave well in lessons. However, pupils said that when learning is not sufficiently challenging for the most able pupils, or too hard for lower-ability pupils, some pupils ‘switch off’ in class.
• The school looks at patterns in pupils’ attendance. School leaders have used this information to identify those families that require support to ensure that their children attend regularly. As a result, attendance has improved and is currently above the national average.
• Parents are happy with the school’s approach to keeping their children safe. Those parents who spoke to inspectors expressed their support for the school’s leadership.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• In the 2016 Year 6 assessments, middle-attaining pupils did not make enough progress from their starting points. In both writing and mathematics, this group of pupils made significantly less progress than others nationally with similar starting points.
• The proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in mathematics was below the national average in 2016. Leaders have put plans in place to address the weaknesses in teaching that led to this underperformance. Although progress in mathematics is improving overall, evidence in pupils’ books shows that there is still some variation in the challenge set for most-able pupils.
• Teachers do not use assessment information showing the progress made by pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities sharply. As a result, guidance for these pupils is not always appropriate to support their learning from their starting points. This limits the progress these pupils make.
• Progress across key stage 2 in writing and mathematics for disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, was below national averages in recent years. School leaders have taken effective action to address this and use the pupil premium funding effectively. They measure the progress of disadvantaged pupils regularly in order to check that these pupils make accelerated progress. Current pupils’ books show that disadvantaged pupils’ progress is improving, particularly in Year 6.
• Outcomes in reading across the school are strong. Pupils develop their reading skills well. The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected and highest standards in 2016 at the end of key stage 2 was above the national average.
• By the end of Year 6, pupil’s attainment in writing is in line with the national average. The proportion of most-able pupils, particularly boys, achieving the highest standard in writing was above the national average.
• Pupils’ books show that current pupils at the school make good progress when work is challenging. Work in pupils’ books in a wide range of curriculum subjects shows that pupils apply their basic skills well. Pupils rise to teachers’ high expectations of the quality of presentation, as can be seen in pupils’ books across the school.

School details

Unique reference number 102900 Local authority Richmond upon Thames Inspection number 10023632 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Junior School category Maintained Age range of pupils 7 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 353 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dean Rogers Headteacher Zoe Griffiths Telephone number 020 8894 1606

Website http://www.trafalgar-jun.richmond.sch.uk Email address info@trafalgar-jun.richmond.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection 10−11 January 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Trafalgar Junior School is larger than the average primary school.
• The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who are from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language is also higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by an education, health and care (EHC) plan is higher than the national average.
• The deputy headteacher has been in post since September 2016. At the time of the inspection, the deputy headteacher was leading the school due to the headteacher’s long-term absence.
• The school meets the current government floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes, some of which was carried out jointly with senior leaders.
• Pupils’ work in a range of subjects was scrutinised.
• Inspectors listened to pupils from Years 3, 4 and 5 read.
• Inspectors observed behaviour at break and lunchtimes.
• Discussions were held with senior and middle leaders, governors, a representative from the local authority, subject leaders, parents and pupils.
• A range of documentation and the school’s policies were considered, including the school’s self-evaluation, records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance, assessment information showing pupils’ achievement and minutes from governors’ meetings.
• Records, policies, training logs and procedures relating to safeguarding were also reviewed.
• Inspectors took account of the 105 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. They also took account of the 15 staff responses and 96 pupil responses to the online surveys.

Inspection team

Sara Morgan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Noeman Anwar Her Majesty’s Inspector Susan Ladipo Ofsted Inspector