Carrington Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • pupils, including the most able and most-able disadvantaged, have the opportunity to sustain and deepen their thinking
  • tasks, particularly in writing and mathematics, are well matched to pupils’ starting points.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders sharpen their monitoring and development of the quality of teaching
  • the new systems to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are used effectively to improve pupils’ progress
  • governors develop a sharper understanding of the progress current pupils should be making so that the challenge they offer to leaders is more effective.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, the school has had a significant period of turbulence in leadership and staffing. This has left a legacy of poor teaching and weak outcomes for pupils. Leaders are aware of this but have not yet improved sufficiently the quality of teaching, learning and assessment at Carrington Junior School.
• The new headteacher is tenacious and has a clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Importantly, she has made sure that current staffing is stable and that there is high morale among staff to improve the school.
• The headteacher has set high expectations among staff. She has a clear focus on doing what is right for pupils and their families. Her leadership is steering improvements across many areas of school life, especially in pupils’ personal development and welfare.
• Until recently, senior leaders were not always clear about pupils’ starting points. Since September, leaders have used assessment information more rigorously. However, leaders do not quickly pick up inconsistencies in teaching or use assessment to set challenging work. As a result, pupils do not make rapid progress.
• Most middle leaders are new to their roles and some are also new to the school. They do not check the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress rigorously. Therefore, weaknesses in teaching are not addressed with sufficient urgency.
• The newly appointed inclusion manager is passionate to raise standards. The assessment of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has not always been accurate. Very recently, the inclusion manager has developed more effective systems for assessment and monitoring. Nevertheless, these systems have not been in place for long enough to improve the outcomes for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• There is now a clear focus on ensuring that the pupil premium funding is used well to support disadvantaged pupils. Leaders use the funding effectively to promote pupils’ well-being, for example through ‘Launch Pad’, an extracurricular club which focuses on providing additional support linked to raising attainment. However, its use has not fully secured improvements for disadvantaged pupils’ progress and attainment across the school.
• The sport premium funding is spent well. Specialist teachers have been brought in to deliver high-quality teaching of PE and to train staff. As a result, more pupils are beginning to participate in competitive events.
• Most parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, value and support the school. Parents recognise the recent improvements in the school’s provision. They appreciate the good communication that they receive, the many learning experiences provided for their children and how staff are approachable and address any concerns efficiently. One parent commented: ‘Some real positive changes have taken place with the absolute focus on providing excellent education,’ and another parent wrote: ‘I am very happy with the leadership at the school and the dedication of all staff. The commitment really shows and as a parent, I feel the staff have a genuine interest in the children.’

Governance of the school

• Governors bring a range of relevant skills and experience to the governing body. Some governors are very experienced. They are committed, organised and work hard for the school and the pupils. They have a strong understanding of safeguarding arrangements and provide useful performance management of the headteacher.
• The governing body are aware of the main priorities of the school. However, governor visits are not always purposeful in driving improvement. Similarly, governors do not have a detailed and accurate understanding of the progress current pupils should be making. As a result, they do not always offer enough challenge to leaders.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff are well trained and receive updates on safeguarding issues, such as the different types of abuse. As a result, staff know how to keep their pupils safe.
• Leaders keep detailed records of vulnerable pupils. They work closely with external agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe and their welfare needs are met.
• The curriculum offers a range of successful opportunities for pupils to learn about how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. For example, pupils speak knowledgeably about how to keep themselves safe online and know to keep their personal details secure when using computers.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Some teaching helps pupils to learn well, so they work hard and make progress. However, some teaching is not suited to pupils needs. On these occasions some pupils lose interest in their learning and make limited progress.
• Assessment information is not consistently used to plan learning that matches pupils’ needs and abilities. Consequently, work does not routinely challenge pupils so that they make good progress, especially the most able and middle-ability pupils. There are some interesting tasks that engage pupils. For example, in a Year 5 class a Shakespeare lesson helped pupils to understand the text. However, inconsistent challenge means that some pupils do not achieve well enough.
• The quality of teachers’ questioning is variable. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, questioning was used effectively to engage pupils and move learning on. However, this is inconsistent across the school. At times questioning does not overcome misconceptions, or challenge pupils to think more deeply about their learning.
• There are too few opportunities for pupils to develop effective skills in writing, including through writing at length in a range of subjects. Although extended writing books were introduced in April, teachers’ expectations for their use are not consistent. As a result, learning and progress is variable.
• The teaching of mathematics is beginning to improve. Teachers plan work to ensure that pupils are taught basic concepts. They encourage pupils to develop their number skills through daily practice. However, development of pupils’ skills in problem-solving and reasoning is less consistent.
• Teaching assistants support pupils’ learning well, both in the autistic spectrum disorder resource provision and throughout the school. For example, in a mathematics lesson extra support enabled pupils to confidently articulate and explain their learning using mathematical vocabulary.
• New leaders are beginning to ensure that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are given appropriate challenge and guidance in their learning. However, these pupils are not yet making the progress they are capable of from their relative starting points.
• Classrooms and corridors are brightly decorated with stimulating displays of pupils’ work and helpful guidance for motivating learning. These resources and examples of good work encourage pupils and show them what they can achieve.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils play happily together during playtimes, work collaboratively and listen to others’ opinions in lessons.
• Pupils are polite and show respect for each other and adults. For example, they hold doors open for adults and each other. They were keen to share their views about the school. They know that on the rare occasions that bullying occurs, adults do not tolerate it and deal with it swiftly.
• Pupils are confident, enjoy school and feel safe. Pupils are very clear that staff are readily available to deal with any worries or concerns that they might have. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe, including when using the internet.
• Pupils vote for the members of the learning council and learn about democracy, liberty and the law. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite and friendly, and cheerfully welcome visitors to the school. They take care to look smart in their school uniform. Pupils talk enthusiastically about different aspects of school life that they enjoy, including special events such as the Year 6 residential trip and after-school clubs.
• Around the school and at playtimes, pupils are considerate and respectful. They walk quietly when others are working. This is because pupils and staff have fostered high expectations of conduct and good manners. Pupils look after their school environment and keep it neat and tidy.
• Behaviour is good in lessons. From time to time, a few pupils lose concentration in lessons when work is not challenging enough.
• The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly. Leaders encourage pupils to celebrate high attendance. Leaders are swift to check the whereabouts of absentees to make sure they are safe.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics has weakened considerably. In 2017, the school did not meet the government’s minimum floor standards.
• Current pupils are beginning to make stronger progress. However, many need to catch up if they are to meet expected standards by the end of key stage 2. There are wide variations in pupils’ rates of progress and attainment in a range of subjects and across the year groups.
• Pupils’ progress is accelerating in mathematics due to improvements to the quality of teaching, particularly of calculation strategies. Nevertheless, pupils receive insufficient opportunities to apply their skills to solve problems and reason. As a result, too few, particularly the most able and most-able disadvantaged pupils, attain at a high standard in mathematics.
• Some pupils are not achieving strongly in writing because there are too few opportunities for pupils to develop good writing skills across a range of subjects. Pupils do not apply their understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling to produce high-quality written work. As a result, many pupils write below the expected standard for their age.
• The progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is beginning to improve. This is because the new leadership team has evaluated pupils’ needs and starting points and put in place more focused support. Nevertheless, work in this area has not yet secured sustained improvements in outcomes for these pupils.
• Pupils enjoy reading in school and at home and become fluent and very keen readers. The new reading system has enthused pupils. A Year 5 pupil commented, ‘It is inspiring to read a range of books.’

School details

Unique reference number 110274 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10045046 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 242 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Anne Sheddick Anna Majcher 01628 521457 www.carringtonjs.co.uk office@carringtonjs.co.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 July 2014

Information about this school

• Carrington Junior School is an average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage and very few speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils with disabilities or special educational needs supported at school action is below average.
• The proportion of pupils supported with an education, health and care plan is above average.
• Most of the pupils with education, health and care plans are in the eight-place Additional Resource Provision (ARP). This is a facility for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is below average. This is additional funding provided by the government to support pupils, in this school, who are eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.
• The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 21 parts of lessons.
• All observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher or interim deputy headteacher.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, a group of pupils, the chair of the governing body and other members, and a representative of the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust, the company commissioned by the local authority to undertake school improvement work on its behalf
• The inspection team took into account the views of 60 parents expressed in their responses to the online questionnaire Parent View. They also took account of the responses of 153 pupils to the online pupil survey and 18 responses of staff to Ofsted’s staff survey.
• The inspection team also looked at a range of school documentation including information about pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s self-evaluation and documentation related to the safeguarding of pupils.

Inspection team

Mineza Maher, lead inspector Hester Millsop

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector