Lyndhurst Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ outcomes further, by ensuring that all pupils, particularly the most able, are suitably challenged and extended in all lessons.
• Improve leadership and management, by continuing to develop the skills and expertise of foundation subject leaders, enabling them to hold others to account for the quality of teaching in their subject and the progress made by pupils from their starting points.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since her appointment, the executive headteacher has worked vigorously to ensure that pupils in this school receive the best education possible. She provides strong and determined leadership. The executive headteacher is well supported by senior leaders and the recently appointed head of school. High expectations of learning and behaviour have been established, ensuring that the school is well placed to continue to improve.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. The executive headteacher and head of school have successfully developed the role of year leaders. Year leaders describe their development as ‘transformational’. They say that they are now empowered to lead their teams and play a full part in decision making across the whole school. Leaders are aware that some foundation subject leaders, although willing to develop, do not yet have the skills needed to hold others to account. Training from senior leaders is currently under way to further develop these leaders.
• Staff are highly positive about changes that have taken place within the school. They strongly welcome the opportunities for professional development that they are receiving, in addition to the support provided by leaders. Nearly all staff who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire said that they are proud to be a member of staff at this school.
• Senior leaders identified a lack of consistency in teachers’ assessment of pupils’ progress and attainment. As a result, new procedures were introduced to ensure a common approach to monitoring and recording progress information between the local infant school and Lyndhurst Junior School. The immediate impact has been that pupils who are falling behind are now more readily identified and interventions are quickly put in place to address this.
• Leaders of both English and mathematics have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development within their subject. For example, the mathematics lead found that pupils’ mathematical reasoning was not well developed within the school and, as a result, implemented staff training. Work in books and discussions with pupils show that this aspect of mathematics is now much stronger across all year groups.
• The primary physical education and sport premium is used well across the school to increase pupils’ involvement in sport. Recent analysis by the sport leader shows that the proportion of pupils participating in healthy activities has increased over the past two years. There are plans to further increase this participation by introducing a wider range of sports clubs.
• The current curriculum is broad and balanced. A wide range of carefully planned educational visits and visitors adds to pupils’ enjoyment of their studies. However, leaders and staff are further developing the present curriculum to make it even more relevant to the pupils at the school and their surrounding area.
• Leaders ensure that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to support their academic and emotional needs. The need of each individual child is assessed, and bespoke support is put in place, and reviewed and adjusted accordingly. As a result, most disadvantaged pupils currently at the school are making accelerated progress.
• Additional funding for pupils with SEND is used to good effect. The special educational needs coordinator has implemented clear and thorough procedures for identifying these pupils. Additional targeted support is put in place, monitored carefully and adjusted as needed. As a result, work in books, observations of interventions and school progress information indicate that most current pupils are making strong progress from their starting points.
• Pupils have a good understanding of the democratic process and a respect for law and order through, for example, elections for the school council and class champion, and involvement in developing their own class charters.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils have a very good understanding of equalities issues through participation in regular ‘diversity days’, where themes such as gender, faith and respect are explored. Pupils spoken to during the inspection were emphatic that everyone at the school is treated equally and that no one is discriminated against.
• Parents and carers are very positive about the school and nearly all would recommend the school to others. One parent, reflecting the views of many, described how the school has improved under the new leadership team and reflected that, ‘the children seem happier now because the staff seem happier’.
• King’s Group Academies Trust has an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Trustees provide challenge and support and know the school well. They provide effective training opportunities for all members of staff.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well. They work alongside leaders to ensure that they have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They have a good grasp of performance data and regularly challenge leaders, for example over the progress made by disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors regularly visit the school to gain a greater understanding of areas of the school’s work discussed in meetings. For example, one governor recently visited the school to gain a greater understanding of the interventions that pupils with SEND were receiving.
• All governors are suitably trained in safeguarding. The safeguarding governor regularly visits the school to ensure that safeguarding procedures are up to date and robust.
• Governors are committed to playing an active role within the school. They regularly attend training sessions to ensure that their knowledge and understanding enable them to fully carry out their duties.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Rigorous systems are in place in all areas of safeguarding and staff understand them well. Staff receive regular training and undertake a termly quiz to ensure that their knowledge is up to date.
• Safer recruitment practices are used effectively. Leaders carry out the required checks on all staff and volunteers. The single central record is well maintained.
• Pupils are taught how to be safe. They understand how to look after themselves in a variety of situations, for example when cycling through the Bikeability training they receive. Pupils learn about e-safety through themed days and assemblies. They know they should not share personal information when using the internet and the importance of keeping passwords safe.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and all parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, said that their children are safe at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching, learning and assessment at the school are good. Highly detailed school monitoring records and evidence gained during the inspection showed that pupils are making better progress over time.
• Most teachers have good subject knowledge because of the training they receive from subject leaders and through whole-school training. They use effective questioning skills that address misconceptions and develop pupils’ understanding of key ideas, to enable learning to move forward.
• Relationships between teachers and pupils are extremely positive. As a result, most pupils work hard and enjoy learning. Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils are confident to ask if they don’t understand, as they know that teachers will help them.
• The focus on reading is high in the school. Pupils use their skills well to tackle unfamiliar words. They are encouraged and rewarded for reading regularly at home. Adults listen to pupils read regularly at school.
• Leaders have found that pupils do not always have enough opportunities to write at length in subjects such as science or geography. This is currently being addressed through the review of the curriculum, where more opportunities for cross-curricular writing are being implemented.
• Teachers make effective use of other adults who support pupils with SEND. Work is matched to the needs of the individual and adjusted as required to enable pupils to make good progress from their starting points.
• In some lessons, there is a lack of challenge and work is not matched to the ability of some pupils. Where this occurs, pupils finish tasks quickly and become disengaged with the lesson. As a result, progress, particularly for the most able, slows.
• Homework is set in accordance with school policy. Parents feel that the amount of homework their children receive is about right.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is good.
• Pupils are given many opportunities to have a voice in school decisions and say, ‘we are listened to’. Pupils helped to implement the present reward system entitled ‘carrot’ (standing for ‘courtesy and respect reward orange token’). At present, they are designing a similar system for their teachers, whom they felt should also be rewarded.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are confident and self-assured and respond well to staff. Pupils show a good level of respect when listening to the views of their peers, yet are confident enough to challenge each other appropriately when discussing, for example, mathematical problems.
• Pupils understand what bullying is and say that it used to happen, but that it is now a thing of the past. They say that should bullying happen, they are sure that a member of staff would sort it out quickly.
• Pupils take on a range of responsibilities at the school, for example as road safety officers, play leaders and Change4Life leaders. Pupils spoken to during the inspection said that they enjoy these roles as it encourages them to become independent.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils enjoy school, and conduct themselves sensibly around the school, holding doors open for each other and demonstrating good manners towards adults and each other.
• Pupils enjoy learning and talk positively about the staff. One group of pupils told the inspectors that, ‘our teachers help us get better and achieve our best’.
• Attendance for all pupils is at least in line with national averages. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school was above the national average in the past. However, leaders have taken effective action to tackle this. Recent attendance information shows that it is now broadly in line with the national average.
• Occasionally, when the pace of learning slows or pupils are not challenged by the work they are given, a few pupils go off task. As a result, they do not progress as quickly as they could.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Work in pupils’ books and the school’s own progress information show that pupils currently in the school make strong progress from their various starting points.
• In 2018, the proportion of pupils at the end of key stage 2 who reached the expected standard in writing and mathematics was broadly in line with the national average. The proportion who achieved the expected standard in reading was slightly below the national average.
• Progress made in 2018 by pupils at the end of key stage 2, in reading, writing and mathematics, was below the national average. However, the rates of progress made by pupils in the school have been rising steadily for the past three years.
• Progress information for 2018 shows that the progress made by the most able pupils is improving. This is reflected, for example, in the increased proportion of pupils reaching the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics. In some classes, however, the most able and most able disadvantaged pupils are not routinely given work that challenges them. As a result, some of these pupils do not attain as well as they could.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ progress is carefully tracked to ensure that they make good progress. School progress information and work in books indicate that most of these pupils currently at the school are now making at least similar progress to other pupils.
• Progress in reading has developed over time. It is currently improving rapidly as a result of a clear focus on improving vocabulary, developing pupils’ enjoyment in reading and establishing higher expectations from staff.
• School progress information, work in books and analysis of individual interventions indicate that pupils with SEND presently at the school are making good progress from their starting points.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 144506 Portsmouth 10058120 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 Sponsored academy 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 460 Appropriate authority Chair Board of trustees Sir Roger Fry CBE Executive Headteacher Mrs Debbie Anderson Telephone number 02392 663645 Website Email address www.kgalyndhurst.uk contact@kgalyndhurst.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school joined King’s Group Academies in March 2016.
• The local governing body is accountable to the trust board for: the overall strategic direction of the school; pupils’ outcomes and the safety of staff and pupils; and challenge and support to the executive headteacher and head of school.
• The executive headteacher also leads College Park Infant School. The present head of school was appointed in September 2018.
• This school is larger than the average-sized junior school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than for other schools nationally.
• The proportion of children receiving support for special educational needs is slightly higher than for other schools nationally.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in all classes throughout key stage 2. Most observations were carried out with senior leaders. A sample of pupils’ workbooks was also examined.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, subject leaders and a group of teaching and non-teaching staff.
• Inspectors met with members of the governing body and representatives of the multi-academy trust.
• Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their views about the school and heard them read. The views of 36 pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online pupil survey were also analysed.
• The views of parents were considered by analysing 53 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 34 additional free-text comments and one telephone call. Inspectors also spoke informally with parents at the start of the first day of the inspection.
• Inspectors considered the views of staff by analysing 30 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.
• Inspectors scrutinised documentation, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, minutes of governing body meetings and notes of external monitoring visits commissioned by the academy trust.

Inspection team

Brian Macdonald, lead inspector Alan Jenner James Munt

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector