Wimborne Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress by providing more opportunities to:
  • develop writing and vocabulary skills across the curriculum
  • enhance experimental and investigative skills in science.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The leadership team has created a school with an ambitious learning culture. It has worked hard to ensure that attainment, particularly in mathematics, has risen. Pupils now make good progress due to effective teaching.
• Leaders are well respected by staff. All who responded to the Ofsted staff survey are proud to work at this school. They consider that leaders use professional development effectively to help them improve.
• School documentation is thorough. Self-evaluation is accurate and leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths. They set aspirational targets for the areas still to improve.
• Leaders have set up effective systems to check on progress. Any pupil who is falling behind is identified quickly. Effective strategies are put in place to ensure that these pupils catch up.
• Leaders carefully check the quality of teaching. Those who are middle leaders provide effective support and mentoring. They monitor work in books regularly to ensure that pupils make good progress.
• Leaders make effective use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils. They have tackled successfully recent weaknesses in the achievement of this group. Teachers identify what works best for each pupil and modify support accordingly. This has had a beneficial effect on pupils’ progress.
• The sport premium is well used to ensure that pupils take part in a large number of activities. Leaders make sure that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, take full advantage of the sports on offer.
• Parents are very supportive of the school. Over 95% of parents who responded to the Ofsted survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent. They like the way that the school celebrates their child’s achievements. Many parents praised the large range of extra-curricular activities. One said, ‘There is a wide and varied range of opportunities. These include singing, drama, eco and school council and gardening.’
• Leaders have planned an imaginative curriculum. Exciting projects often start with a visit or event. Besides English, mathematics and science, pupils study a range of different subjects. For example, they study famous artists and painting techniques. Pupils learn several foreign languages. As well as French, pupils learn some Russian and Thai.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Opportunities to learn about British values are woven into each subject. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of tolerance. They know how to be respectful to people who are different from themselves. They recognise that some people hold different views from their own.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a clear strategic vision for the school. They play a key role in working with leaders to identify the school’s priorities.
• Governors are very experienced. They support and challenge leaders well. They regularly complete training. A recent audit identified that they have a good range of the skills necessary to perform their roles effectively.
• Governors appreciate the work of ‘associate governors’. These are pupils chosen by the school council to represent pupils’ views at governing body meetings.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils say that they feel safe at the school. Parents who were spoken to considered that their child was safe and well looked after by staff. For example, they praised office staff for keeping them well informed about their child’s welfare.
• Leaders are aware of the needs of pupils. They keep meticulous records regarding vulnerable pupils. This ensures that leaders and appropriate external agencies are able to act on concerns rapidly.
• Staff are well trained on a range of safeguarding issues. Recruitment checks are thorough.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Recent improvements in teaching and learning have led to better outcomes. In lessons, teachers carefully check pupils’ understanding. Books and school records clearly show how pupils are building on their previous learning.
• The learning environment is vibrant and exciting. Displays in classrooms are relevant to the subjects that pupils are currently learning. Pupils refer to them often in their lessons.
• Leaders have put in place effective strategies to improve teaching in mathematics. Staff now have strong subject knowledge. Pupils are able to confidently apply their skills when reasoning and solving problems. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress in every year group.
• Pupils enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction books. Staff encourage pupils to develop skills such as inference and deduction.
• Books show that pupils develop strong punctuation, spelling and grammar skills, but many pupils have quite a limited vocabulary. This has an impact on pupils’ ability to convey subtlety of meaning in a broad range of subjects.
• In science, pupils do not always get enough chances to conduct experiments. Their investigative skills are often not well developed. This has an impact on pupils’ ability to think scientifically.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work well together. They understand the needs of pupils. They adapt learning carefully to suit pupils’ abilities.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils say, ‘Staff are always keen to show us how to understand things, even when we don’t get it the first time’.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. In lessons, pupils learn how to become successful learners. They take pride in their work. Books are neat and well completed.
• Pupils are confident. They enjoy taking on extra responsibility and helping the school community. Those who are librarians play a useful role in suggesting ‘good reads’ to others. Pupils who tend the school’s rabbits, fish and guinea pig learn to understand about the needs of other living creatures.
• School councillors consider many suggestions about how to improve the school. They are proud that the new ‘buddy bench’ means that pupils have someone to talk to at playtimes.
• Pupils understand how to stay safe. Those who are trained as junior road safety officers show others how to safely cross the road. Pupils know how to stay safe when online. They know about the dangers of strangers. For example, they understand that they must not give out their address.
• Residential trips enable pupils in all year groups to develop their independence. They particularly enjoy pond dipping and building shelters.
• Those who attend the alternative provision do well. They behave appropriately and attend most of the time.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school is orderly and calm. The small playgrounds are well managed by staff. Pupils are respectful of each other. They all know the schools ‘golden rules’, such as to be gentle and kind.
• Pupils describe behaviour as ‘mainly good’. They say that bullying is rare. In lessons, pupils listen carefully to the teacher.
• Leaders monitor attendance well. Attendance is in line with the national average for primary schools.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Attainment is rising. This is as a result of effective actions taken by leaders. Pupils now make good progress in all year groups.
• In 2017, results at the end of Year 6 were below the national average in mathematics. Leaders acted quickly to provide staff with extra training. This had a positive impact. Current pupils in all year groups are now making good progress. Skills in reasoning and problem solving are strong.
• School assessment information and evidence from work in books shows that most pupils are making good progress in writing. Pupils have strong descriptive skills. However, low proportions of pupils reach greater depth in their writing. One of the reasons for this is that teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in other subjects of the curriculum.
• The school encourages pupils to read regularly. Most develop the skills to read with fluency and expression. Pupils can talk with enthusiasm about their favourite books and authors. Attainment in reading is above the national average.
• In 2017, disadvantaged pupils attained less well than other pupils nationally. The school now uses pupil-premium funding more effectively. Current disadvantaged pupils are making good progress from their starting points. Attainment is rising and is closer to that of other pupils.
• Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities are making good progress. Some make exceptional progress. This is because they receive effective support from staff who provide work that is well matched to their abilities.
• In previous years the needs of the most able pupils have not always been well enough identified. The current most able pupils are now making strong progress, particularly in Years 3, 4 and 5. This is due to the work of senior leaders, who have ensured that staff plan clear learning targets for them.
• Pupils make good progress in developing their sporting skills. These include football, netball and cricket. Pupils make good use of the school’s on-site gymnasium. They have achieved success in a range of tournaments and competitions.
• Pupils in Year 6 are ready to embrace the challenge of secondary school. They have developed effective research and evaluative skills through the activities that this school has provided.

School details

Unique reference number 116217 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 10040724 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 358 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Talbot-New Headteacher Carina Jacobs Telephone number 02392 733784 Website www.wimborne-jun.portsmouth.sch.uk Email address admin1@wimborne-jun.portsmouth.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15–16 July 2014

Information about this school

• Wimborne Junior School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils with SEN and/or disabilities is below average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is similar to the national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The school makes use of one alternative provision, Harbour School in Portsmouth.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors and senior leaders observed learning across the school. In addition, they conducted a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about what it was like to be a pupil at this school. Some pupils also read to an inspector.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff and governors. There was a telephone conversation with the local authority’s commissioned school improvement partner. Inspectors considered the 25 responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire.
• The views of 47 parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered. Inspectors gathered the views of 35 parents who were meeting their children at the school gate.
• A range of documentation was examined, including the school’s development plan and its self-evaluation. Policies and records related to safeguarding and information about pupils’ behaviour and attendance were checked. Inspectors considered a range of evidence related to governance.

Inspection team

Liz Bowes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Kevin Parfoot Ofsted Inspector William James Ofsted Inspector