Bushy Hill Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ outcomes, by:
  • raising the standard of writing across the curriculum to match the high standards in English
  • accelerating the progress of disadvantaged pupils who also have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• At the time of the previous inspection, changes to leadership resulted in a period of instability for the school. Over the past two years, the headteacher has developed a cohesive, stable and ambitious leadership team. As a result, standards have risen rapidly. Pupils achieve well.
• Leaders evaluate accurately the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They check school performance regularly, using the information they gather to form secure judgements about the school’s effectiveness. Subsequent plans for improvement are, in turn, acted upon and evaluated well. Leaders’ pragmatic approach combined with their determination to achieve the highest standards means the school is well placed to improve further.
• Leaders check the quality of teaching regularly. Staff receive incisive feedback, which they act upon to improve their practice. Inadequate teaching has been challenged robustly and, as a consequence, has been eradicated completely. As a result, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good.
• Middle leaders’ expectations of teaching, feedback and tracking of pupils’ performance are consistent across the school. Consequently, teaching is of a consistently high quality, particularly in English and mathematics.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils has been utilised well for the most part. Leaders evaluate the impact of their work and adapt support for disadvantaged pupils if progress dips. Support given to pupils closely matches their needs. Consequently, the difference between the progress of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils in the school is diminishing. However, the small group of pupils who also have additional needs do not make the same strong progress as other disadvantaged pupils.
• The deputy headteacher is adept at supporting pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. She develops practical and focused support plans for pupils, using additional funding effectively to remove barriers to their learning. She facilitates close liaison between parents and teachers to build a supportive network within which pupils succeed. As a result, the majority of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders spend sports premium funding judiciously to improve sporting and exercise opportunities for pupils. A wide range of clubs are subsidised and offer pupils opportunities to develop new skills such as cycling, futsal, badminton, golf and athletics. Clubs are attended well, particularly by disadvantaged pupils. Additional training for teachers has improved the quality of physical education teaching. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the opportunities they have to partake in sport, and take pride in the skills they develop.
• Leaders and governors are united in their belief that the curriculum should prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils develop their independence through yearly residential trips. Year 3 camp overnight in the school grounds and, by the time pupils are in Year 6, they spend a week away in France learning about the language and culture. Consideration and celebration of differences further enhance pupils’ moral and cultural education.
• The local authority recognises the strengths of the school and offers helpful support to school leaders. Leaders have used local authority expertise to check their own evaluations are accurate. As a result, leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s performance and set effective plans for further improvement.

Governance of the school

• Governors are ambitious for the school and its pupils. They check the progress of pupils carefully and receive detailed reports and information from leaders. Governors have a clear and accurate view of the school’s performance. As a result, governors are able to challenge leaders to improve the few areas of weakness that still remain.
• Recent restructuring of the governing body has provided all governors with access to information on resourcing, staffing and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. As a result, governors make decisions with a good understanding of the whole school and a sharp focus on pupils’ learning.
• Governors reward the performance of staff, including the headteacher, appropriately. Staff are set challenging targets, which are checked by governors, and offered pay increases based on meeting leaders’ expectations of them.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Processes for checking staff, volunteers and governors are robust. The school completes statutory checks on adults diligently and keeps detailed records of these. Staff files show that new staff are inducted into the school effectively and do not start work until procedures for safeguarding pupils are understood. Governors make additional checks during their regular school visits and make useful improvements based on their findings.
• Staff know the families well and receive appropriate training to help them to keep pupils safe. Weekly staff briefings have ensured that staff have an understanding of current safeguarding issues both nationally and in the local area. As a result, all members of staff are vigilant and well placed to identify and support pupils who may be at risk.
• Effective collaboration with external agencies and liaison with families and carers keep leaders well informed of any concerns about pupils. An overwhelming majority of parents feel that their child is safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Relationships between teachers and pupils are excellent. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and encourage pupils to do their best. As a result, pupils respond well, showing great determination and enthusiasm in lessons.
• Pupils understand their tasks and work with purpose and industry. Teachers monitor pupils closely during lessons and adapt tasks discerningly if pupils are finding the work too hard or easy. As a result, pupils, including the most able and the least able, make good progress in lessons.
• Teachers work collaboratively to share ideas and plan effective lessons. The quality of teaching and opportunities for pupils to succeed are very similar between classes. While teachers’ individual talents are utilised well, pupils cover equally challenging work in all classes. Consequently, pupils make consistently good progress in all year groups.
• Teachers read with pupils regularly and are skilled at teaching pupils to locate and analyse information they read. In geography, for instance, pupils used encyclopaedias to research rivers, recording their findings and sharing them with the whole class. The ‘golden book challenge’ pits classes against each other to reward the class with the highest borrowing figures from the library. The ‘outdoor library’ encourages pupils to read books together in the playground at lunchtime. Pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress in reading.
• Teachers’ subject knowledge in English is a strength. Pupils learn the technical and grammatical features of a text and practise writing in the style of established authors. Standards in writing are high because pupils regularly write at length and for a range of purposes. In English lessons, pupils writing shows flair and a good awareness of the reader. As a result, the proportion of pupils writing at a greater depth of understanding is increasing across the school. Nevertheless, the improvements in writing seen in English books are not yet evident in other curriculum subjects.
• Mathematics teaching is a particular strength of the school. Pupils develop their calculation skills well and use these effectively to solve increasingly complex problems. Pupils are excited by mathematical investigations and often select their own methods to solve problems and record their ideas. Pupils discuss their thoughts and ideas fervently and listen attentively to others. Consequently, pupils of all abilities make rapid progress in mathematics. Furthermore, an increasing proportion attain above the standard expected for their age.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have secure subject knowledge and use this to deepen pupils’ understanding. Well-established methods of communication between staff ensure that pupils receive the support they need before they become bored or disengaged. In one example a teaching assistant supported a group of most-able pupils to plot and interpret line graphs, using appropriate vocabulary to identify axes and recognise trends.
• Pupils of all abilities are supported and challenged during lessons. As one pupil noted, ‘I like taking on challenging work because I know that adults will help me if I need it.’ Parents are also positive about the quality of teaching, as well as the guidance that their children receive. Clear and useful information is posted for parents on the website as well as helpful curriculum information that parents use to support their children at home.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The school values of respect, aspiration, perseverance, integrity and care are understood by pupils of all ages. These values are reinforced in assemblies, lessons and at breaktimes.
• Pupils uphold exceptional ethical standards and, as a consequence, they consider difficult subjects with sensitivity, maturity and respect. Year 6 pupils were able to discuss sensitively tragic events they had seen in the news, consider each other’s views and make considered contributions to discussion. Pupils are prepared extremely well to make a positive contribution to life in modern Britain because they have a strong moral compass. One pupil commented, ‘I need to show these values when I leave school in order to be successful.’
• Pupils are taught about, and encouraged to make, healthy lifestyle choices. Pupils learn about nutrition in science lessons, and the overwhelming majority of pupils attend extra-curricular sporting activities. Pupils have a superb understanding of the links between exercise, diet and health.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of how to stay safe online and are able to express their understanding of this aspect with exceptional confidence. In computing lessons, pupils learn about the dangers posed by careless use of the internet and mobile devices. Year 6 pupils explained how they had become more vigilant when checking emails and how to avoid contact with strangers online.
• Pupils throughout the school are mindful of their impact on the environment, both locally and globally. Pupils actively reduce their energy consumption by turning off lights when rooms are not in use. Paper is recycled and the school site is devoid of litter. Pupils show immense pride in maintaining and enhancing their environment.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well. Pupils reflect deeply on their learning in school. For example, they write leaflets to parents to explain and thoughtfully evaluate what they have learned. Lively, yet respectful, discussions promote understanding and celebration of different cultures and religions. Pupils discuss how to maintain good mental health with openness, honesty and respect for each other’s opinions.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils across the school are smart, polite and courteous. They go out of their way to help others and show respect for all adults and children in the school.
• Pupils show great resolve when completing their work in class. They treat feedback as an opportunity to learn more, and they work hard to improve. When work is difficult, pupils try their best and use helpful prompts on the walls to help them. As a result, pupils relish challenge and show enormous determination.
• At breaktimes, pupils make excellent use of the first-class space and equipment the school provides. They play with joy and enthusiasm. Disagreements are rare and, when they do occur, pupils are able to overcome their differences and ask adults for support when required.
• While serious behavioural incidents are rare, leaders and governors monitor them closely. Records show that when incidents do occur, leaders address these effectively to prevent them from reoccurring. Minor incidents are not monitored as closely, which holds back staff from identifying smaller problems before they might develop further.
• Pupils, teachers and the majority of parents say that bullying is rare and dealt with effectively by teachers. Pupils have a clear understanding of tolerance and respect, including for those from different backgrounds. As a result, pupils feel happy and safe in school.
• Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, attend school regularly. Persistent absence is challenged effectively by leaders. Close liaison with families and external agencies helps to guide the plans to raise attendance of pupils who are persistently absent. As a result, previously high attendance levels have been maintained.
• Behaviour in the breakfast and after-school provision is excellent. Pupils from Bushy Hill Junior School welcome and integrate with pupils from the local infant school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2016, the proportion of Year 6 pupils attaining the expected standard in reading and mathematics was above that of their peers nationally. Pupils’ attainment in writing was in line with the national average.
• The proportion of Year 6 pupils writing at a higher level was below the national average in 2016. Leaders and teachers have taken swift and decisive action to tackle this weakness. As a result, the proportion of pupils who are writing at a level above the standard expected has increased in every year group. Most pupils achieve the standard expected for their age in their writing assessments. However, pupils’ writing across a range of subjects is not as consistently strong as it now is in English.
• Pupils undertake tasks in mathematics that require them to think deeply. They tackle their tasks with tenacity and are able to analyse problems, find solutions and explain their reasoning. Pupils in all year groups, including the most able, are making rapid and sustained progress in mathematics and attaining well.
• Effective systems are in place to support pupils who fall behind in reading. Interventions are skilfully delivered and intensive, which ensures that pupils catch up with their peers quickly. Pupils, particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make strong progress in reading. As a result, pupils throughout the school are able to read well and often, both for pleasure and as part of their work in class.
• Disadvantaged pupils are given helpful support to accelerate their progress. For example, disadvantaged pupils receive additional opportunities to read aloud to adults. As a result, differences between the progress of disadvantaged pupils and others in the school are diminishing rapidly.
• Most-able disadvantaged pupils are supported well. For instance, a tutor from a local independent school works with the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, in Year 6 to develop their writing skills. As a result, a higher proportion of these pupils are writing at greater depth.
• Pupils show a clear understanding of scientific concepts and the skills required for scientific enquiry. Pupils in Year 3 investigated reflection, recording well-founded hypotheses, conducting a fair and accurate test, and discussing their conclusions using appropriate scientific vocabulary. However, standards of writing across the curriculum are not as high as those in English lessons.
• Disadvantaged pupils who also have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making less progress than other pupils in the school. Leaders recognise the additional needs of this group but their actions are not improving the progress of these pupils quickly enough.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125009 Surrey 10032888 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 Foundation 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 231 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Roger Meadowcroft Louisa Dormer 01483 598544 www.bushy-hill.surrey.sch.uk mrs.dormer@bushyhilljs.net Date of previous inspection 19 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a smaller-than-average-sized junior school.
• The school meets the current government floor standards.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 19 parts of lessons and three assemblies, some with senior leaders.
• Meetings were held with school leaders.
• In addition to discussions with parents, 94 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were taken into account, including 92 written comments.
• A range of school documentation was scrutinised to gather information on leaders’ evaluation of school performance, systems for managing the performance of teachers, behaviour and safety of pupils, safeguarding, the progress and attainment of pupils, and curriculum leadership.
• Inspectors scrutinised the website to evaluate the quality of information for parents and whether the school meets statutory publishing requirements.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils to gather their views and heard pupils read.
• Inspectors met with representatives from the governing body, including the chair. They also met an officer from the local authority.

Inspection team

Daniel Lambert, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Matthew Haynes Her Majesty’s Inspector