Purbrook Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and governors should further strengthen outcomes for pupils by:
  • ensuring that the schools’ marking policy is implemented consistently so that pupils
  • know clearly what to do to improve their work increasing the opportunities pupils have to respond to the comments teachers make about their work
  • making sure that teachers extend their questioning of the most able pupils in mathematics to challenge them to deepen their understanding further.
• Improve communication with parents about the progress their children make.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has been uncompromising in his resolution to ensure that pupils’ outcomes are at the heart of the work of all adults in the school.
• The headteacher has built a leadership team who share his ambitions for pupils and who, with him, lead by example and model strong professional practice. Together they have been successful in raising the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. This means that pupils, including the most able, now make good progress from their different starting points.
• Teachers, and other staff, value the opportunities they have to develop their practice through the professional development and support the school offers. In particular, they appreciate the coaching and mentoring they receive from the leader of teaching and learning. This encourages a culture where teachers reflect on their practice and are keen to improve. Staff at an early point in their careers value the support and encouragement they receive.
• Leaders use the school’s assessment systems to quickly identify pupils who may be at risk of falling behind in their learning. Supported by governors, leaders make effective use of systems for the management of teachers’ performance to raise the expectations placed on teachers and hold them to account for the progress pupils make.
• Staff who were at the school at the time of the last inspection report that the school has improved a great deal since then. They explain that achieving the best outcomes for pupils is at the centre of decisions the school makes. Parents report that the headteacher has given the school a strong sense of direction since he joined the school.
• Leaders and governors, and a wide range of stakeholders, including pupils and parents, have worked together to build a new vision and set of values for the school. This means that all members of the school community are highly motivated by the school’s aim of ‘Dream Big’ and its core values of ‘respect, team and achieve’. There is an atmosphere of shared purpose between adults and children, centred on improving learning and progress for pupils.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good, sometimes exceptional, progress from their starting points because their needs are identified clearly and they are supported effectively. The leader for special needs knows the needs of these pupils extremely well and monitors them carefully. Her work is highly regarded by parents. One said, ‘My son is now enjoying school and I couldn’t be happier that he is finally getting the help he needs. 10 out of 10!’ Another said, ‘I can't speak highly enough of the school or the staff. Utterly fantastic.’
• Leaders and governors have ensured that the funding for disadvantaged pupils is well spent. Leaders have a detailed understanding of the barriers to learning for disadvantaged pupils, including the most able among them, and track their progress carefully. As a result, disadvantaged pupils in the school are making good progress.
• The sport premium additional funding is well spent. The wide variety of extra-curricular sporting activities available means that pupils’ rates of participation have increased so that now nearly two thirds of pupils take part in a sporting activity. The increase in competitive sporting events means that about a quarter of pupils have had the opportunity to represent their school.
• The well-planned and wide-ranging curriculum provides pupils with opportunities to use and extend their key skills in English and mathematics in a variety of other subjects. Expectations of handwriting, presentation and spelling are as high for all areas of the curriculum as they are in English. For example, in mathematics work in Year 6 pupils are expected to correct any misspelt words and in science in Year 4 pupils carefully presented charts, tables and diagrams as part of their work on changing materials.
• Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is promoted well through the range of activities threaded through the curriculum. These include opportunities to play a musical instrument or sing, trips and cultural experiences such as theatre and exhibition visits.
• The example of leaders and other adults establishes a culture where modern British values are promoted well. Pupils appreciate the many opportunities they have to make a difference to the life of their school, such as through the ‘Junior Improvement Team’. The curriculum provides them with occasions to learn about equality and diversity. One example is a recent assembly for parents on gender stereotypes.

Governance of the school

• Governors rapidly undertook the external review of governance requested of them at the previous inspection. They responded quickly and comprehensively to its findings.
• Governors are ambitious for the school and its pupils. Their comprehensive programme of monitoring provides first-hand evidence which enables them to challenge leaders and hold them to account for the achievements of pupils. They are not afraid to ask leaders for the data and information they want and they carefully evaluate the actions on the school’s improvement plans.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff, and governors, are very clear that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Staff are trained appropriately and have a detailed understanding of what to do if they have a concern about a child.
• Governors are very clear about their responsibilities and make sure that safeguarding is a part of all their monitoring visits. Policies and procedures are up to date and very informative. New staff and governors receive a thorough induction which emphasises the school’s culture of safeguarding.
• The school works well with outside agencies to support pupils and their families. The work of the family link worker is highly valued by parents. Leaders challenge other professionals to ensure safe outcomes for pupils.
• Pupils, staff and parents are in very strong agreement that pupils are safe and well looked after at this school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

• The quality of teaching has improved because of the determination and resolve of the

Good

headteacher and governors. Regular and accurate monitoring means that leaders have a clear view of the strengths of teaching and areas to develop further. The coaching and professional development that teachers receive, in particular from the teaching and learning lead, means that teachers are keen to reflect on and develop their practice.

• Teachers know their pupils’ learning needs well. They assess the progress pupils make in lessons and adapt their planning and teaching quickly in the light of their findings.
• Strategies such as ‘learning passports’ accurately identify individual pupils’ barriers to learning and clearly highlight what is required to support them. This means that disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils at risk of falling behind are identified quickly and strategies put in place that help them catch up briskly. For example, in Year 5 and Year 6 in particular, some pupils receive additional preparation before English and mathematics lessons which helps them learn more effectively in their lessons.
• Additional adults provide strong support for pupils across the school, particularly in English and mathematics. For example, in Year 6 mathematics lessons, additional adults skilfully support pupils who find mathematics more challenging. They are helped to use their knowledge of place value to spot patterns and number rules in a problem-solving task, explain their thinking, and correctly predict and test new numbers to fit the number rule.
• Effective teaching of phonics in Year 3, and continued support with phonic skills as appropriate throughout the school, means that pupils of all abilities can use their phonic knowledge to help them read unfamiliar words. This helps all pupils, including the most able and least able pupils, to read well.
• In mathematics, teachers make sure that pupils write about their reasoning in almost every lesson. This good practice means that pupils across the school can think about and explain their reasoning in mathematics very well.
• Pupils in every year group make good progress in writing because they are consistently taught key skills well. For example, in Year 3, pupils confidently describe and use the key elements of persuasive text in their writing about the benefits of living in their local area. By the end of key stage 2 pupils make better progress in writing than pupils nationally.
• Teachers use their sound subject knowledge, particularly in English, mathematics and science, to plan activities that challenge pupils, including the most able. Teachers’ skilful questioning helps pupils extend their thinking and tackle misconceptions. However, occasionally teachers’ questioning does not help some of the most able pupils to deepen their understanding further, particularly in mathematics.
• Teachers provide regular feedback to pupils about their work. However, sometimes, feedback does not tell pupils clearly how to improve their work as required by the school policy.
• Pupils’ opportunities to respond to the feedback they receive about their work vary. Where this practice is stronger, for example in Year 5, pupils know they have a regular time to reflect and respond to their teacher’s comments. This helps them to improve their work.
• The school has a clear rationale for the homework it expects of pupils. However, a few parents feel that recent changes to the school’s homework policy mean that they are less involved in their children’s learning.
• The skills pupils gain in reading, writing and mathematics are preparing them well for the next stage in their education. Parents comment on the strong start their children make in secondary education because of the skills they have acquired.
• Parents are firmly of the view that their children are taught well and enjoy learning. One parent said their children ‘find learning at school interesting even when they find it hard’. Another said, ‘My daughter has blossomed at this school.’

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 confident and self-assured. They speak with enthusiasm and understanding about their learning. Pupils are keen to improve their work and take pride in themselves and their school.
• Across the school, pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Pupils’ involvement in developing the school’s new vision and values means that they are highly motived to learn. In particular, many pupils speak of their love of reading and mathematics.
• Parents, pupils and staff all feel that pupils are safe at school. The strong relationships between pupils and adults mean that pupils are very confident about who to talk to if they have a concern; they know they will be listened to.
• Pupils are clear what bullying is and say it happens rarely. Parents and staff support this view. Pupils and parents are confident that adults in school will deal swiftly with any issues of bullying.
• Pupils are aware of how to stay safe online, including on social media. For example, pupils in Year 4 know not to give out personal details online and what to do if cyber bullying were to happen to them. There is useful information about e-safety available to parents on the school website and on the school’s video screen on the playground for all to see.
• The curriculum provides well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, older pupils are encouraged to think about the rights of children across the world through the Global Goals campaign. A very wide range of extra-curricular activities, clubs and sporting events helps pupils to learn about staying healthy and safe.
• The school prepares pupils well to become active citizens in British society. Pupils value the opportunities they have to influence developments in the life of their school such as through the ‘Junior Improvement Team’, the thinking they did about the school’s vision and values and the regular meetings that pupils have with adults, including governors, to gather their views.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is very good. Across the school pupils live up to the high expectations placed on them by teachers and other adults. They behave well when moving around the school, for example at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Parents say that pupils behave well at school.
• Pupils respond quickly to the instructions of adults during lessons. Incidents of low-level disruption or distraction are not common. When these do happen, it is because teachers have not matched work well enough to the needs of a small number of pupils.
• Pupils understand and appreciate the clear reward systems, such as the house point system, which help them to behave well. Careful and skilful support helps those pupils whose behaviour may be challenging to improve so that they are not at risk of exclusion.
• Pupils enjoy and value their time at school. Their attendance is consistently better than that of other pupils nationally. Disadvantaged pupils attend school in almost exactly the same high proportion as other pupils. Inclusion leaders, including the headteacher, work with pupils and their families to minimise persistent absence so that it is consistently well below the national figure.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils currently at the school are making good progress from a wide range of starting points. Many, including the most able, those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are exceeding the progress expected of them.
• Scrutiny of pupils’ work, observations in lessons and talking with pupils about their work shows that the progress pupils make has increased over time, particularly in English, mathematics and science.
• Across the school the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are challenged well to extend their learning and are making good progress. Many, including boys, display a passion for their learning in reading, writing and mathematics and relish opportunities which challenge them to do better.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making good progress from their starting points. This is because their needs are accurately identified and they receive effective support from leaders, teachers and other adults.
• At key stage 2 pupils’ attainment has been rising over time. In 2015 the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected level or above in the combined measure of reading, writing and mathematics was at the national level.
• In 2016 the progress that pupils made by the end of key stage 2 was better than pupils nationally in writing. In reading and mathematics their progress was slightly less than pupils nationally. However, scrutiny of their work shows that many had made good progress from a wide range of starting points.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils has improved and at the end of key stage 2 is similar to that of other pupils nationally in reading and writing. The most able disadvantaged pupils make better progress than other pupils nationally in reading.
• Pupils read fluently and well, relative to their age and development. There is a great enthusiasm for reading among pupils because of the culture of reading that the school promotes. For example, reading challenge texts for every year group include a range of new and traditional children’s classics, adults read aloud regularly to pupils and the school’s librarian has an infectious enthusiasm for reading which makes children eager to make use of the library resources.
• Leaders, teachers and other adults ensure that pupils in Year 3 make a smooth transition into the school from their infant schools. As a result, many pupils in Year 3 are making brisk progress. Parents comment on the quality of their child’s transition into school and the progress they are already making.
• Parents are overwhelmingly of the view that their children are making good progress and are well taught at the school. However, some parents also expressed the view that the information the school gives them about their child’s progress was not easy to understand.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116022 Hampshire 10019873 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 Maintained 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 372 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority James Scott Craig Williams 02392 254 577 http://www.purbrook-jun.hants.sch.uk headteacher@purbrook-jun.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17–18 September 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Purbrook Junior School is larger than the average junior school.
• The majority of pupils are of White British backgrounds and very few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The number of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is slightly lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils receiving support for their special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Pupils’ learning was observed in 23 sessions or part sessions, a number jointly with the headteacher and a senior leader. The work of pupils in all year groups was scrutinised. Many pupils were spoken to about their work during lessons and informally at breaktimes and around the school. Inspectors listened to pupils from all year groups read, met with groups of pupils to gather views about their experiences of school and considered pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.
• Discussions were held with the headteacher and other leaders, governors and a representative of the local authority. A meeting was held with 18 members of the school staff to gather their views.
• Inspectors took account of the 51 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 48 comments. Discussions were held as parents dropped off and collected their children and at the end of an assembly to which parents were invited.
• A range of documentation was considered, including information on pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s improvement planning, minutes of governing body meetings, records of the monitoring of teaching and information on the management of teachers’ performance. Procedures for the safeguarding of pupils were examined, including information relating to attendance, behaviour and the exclusion of pupils.

Inspection team

Sarah O’Donnell, lead inspector Judith Grevett Bruce Waelend

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector