Pound Hill Junior School, Crawley Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • making sure that leaders provide clearer information to governors about pupils’ progress
  • checking that all pupil premium funding is spent appropriately.
• Improve the quality of teaching and improve pupils’ progress by:
  • ensuring that pupils in Years 5 and 6 have greater opportunities to problem solve and reason in mathematics
  • making sure that pupils in Years 3 and 4 build the necessary stamina to write longer pieces of work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• School leadership is effective; it has a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Leaders have high aspirations for the pupils. Staff work as a cohesive team. They ensure that pupils develop an appreciation of the school’s core values, such as independence, resilience and a sense of fairness.
• All staff who responded to the Ofsted survey consider that the school is well led and managed. They echo the high ambitions of leaders. Staff say that they feel well supported in their role.
• Parents and carers are pleased with the school. They praise the warm and friendly atmosphere. A typical comment was, ‘This is a great school. It is well led. Staff go above and beyond and provide good support and care to my son.’
• The quality of teaching is good. Staff are well trained. Senior leaders visit classrooms regularly and provide appropriate feedback to help staff improve. Leaders hold teachers to account for pupils’ progress.
• Leaders and staff have created an interesting and vibrant curriculum. It prepares pupils well for their future lives. Pupils study a wide range of subjects, including the humanities, art and technology. Core skills in English and mathematics are well developed.
• Pupils benefit from exceptional provision in French. They learn how to speak simple sentences and use the correct verbs. Pupils enjoy using French in different situations. For example, they learn the right vocabulary to use when buying food. Pupils in Year 6 enjoy a five-day trip to France, where they have the opportunity to practise their skills of pronunciation.
• Pupils’ scientific thinking is well developed. Themed weeks, such as space week, help to increase pupils’ understanding of planets and the universe. Pupils conduct experiments in subjects such as botany. These help them to develop their understanding of important facts, such as how water travels up from a plant’s roots.
• The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn to respect and value cultural diversity. They know about the major festivals of the different world religions. Social and moral development is effective. Parents report how pleased they are with the range of trips and extra-curricular activities. One said, ‘The trips and extra-curricular activities add so much value to my child’s experiences.’
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively in most cases. It ensures that disadvantaged pupils make the same strong progress as their peers. However, leaders advised the inspectors during the inspection that there has been a small oversight. Some of the funding has not been spent on the academic and pastoral support of disadvantaged pupils. The oversight has now been remedied.

Governance of the school

• Many members of the governing body are new. The current chair of governors took up his role two months after becoming a governor. Governors have the appropriate skills to perform their role effectively. They offer expertise in areas such as education and the law. Governors share the headteacher’s high ambitions and aspirations. They have a good understanding of what the school does well and the improvements still needed.
• Governors have a clear understanding of pupils’ attainment. However, the information provided by the school is not clear enough for them to hold leaders to account for pupils’ progress.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils say that they feel safe. All pupils who were asked during the inspection said that they feel happy and secure at the school.
• There are clear systems in place to ensure the well-being of pupils. Staff are well trained and vigilant about pupils’ safety. They know how to recognise pupils who are potentially at risk. The majority of staff and parents who responded to the Ofsted questionnaires consider that pupils are safe and well looked after in this school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The school has an effective system for teachers to track pupils’ attainment and progress. Teachers make good use of it to ensure that they identify and help any pupil who is falling behind. As a result, pupils make good progress from their starting points.
• Teachers use careful questioning to develop pupils’ understanding. For example, pupils answered probing questions about the characters in a book. Staff encourage pupils to develop a love of reading. Pupils enjoy writing reviews about the books they have read.
• Staff work hard to ensure that pupils present their work with care. Books are neat and tidy. Pupils develop their handwriting skills carefully.
• Teachers usually have high expectations of pupils’ learning. For example, in mathematics, especially in Years 3 and 4, work is challenging. In addition to learning skills of calculation, pupils have many opportunities to reason and problem solve. As a result, all pupils, including the most able, move forward rapidly in their learning. In Years 5 and 6, although work is still challenging, there are fewer opportunities to reason and problem solve.
• Learning support assistants work well to support those pupils who need to catch up. They are sensitive to pupils’ needs. Work provided for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is challenging and presented in an interesting way.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils develop a sense of self-confidence due to the caring support from staff. There are many opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles, such as house captains. Those on the school council enjoy contributing their views about the forthcoming school building project.
• Pupils develop a good understanding about enterprise. This prepares them well for their future lives. For example, pupils learn how to order goods and sell them in the tuck shop and school shop.
• Pupils are very caring. They told inspectors how much they enjoy looking after the school rabbits. Pupils understand about values such as fairness and respect. During sports day, they cheered on pupils who were on opposing teams.
• Those who attend the alternative provision make good progress and attend well. Their well-being is the priority of staff. Pupils have clear plans for their futures.
• The school runs a range of residential trips from Year 3 to Year 6. These trips help pupils to develop their sense of independence.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Around the school and in the playground, pupils behave well. When asked, pupils said that incidents of inappropriate behaviour were rare. Pupil playleaders fulfil a valuable role. They ensure that all pupils have someone to play with.
• There is a clear system of rewards and sanctions, which pupils say are fair. In lessons, pupils listen attentively and work well. They appreciate the help that their teachers give them. One pupil said, ‘Our teachers help us to get better in our work.’
• Pupils told inspectors that there are very few incidents of bullying. They said that staff are always available to sort out minor disagreements. Pupils understand about the different forms of bullying, such as cyber bullying. They say that staff tell them what to do if they ever have any concerns when using the internet.
• Pupils’ attendance is similar to the national average.

Outcomes for pupils

• Pupils make good progress from their starting points. In Year 6 in 2017, the

Good

percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard was similar to the national average.

• In reading, current pupils make good progress. Pupils are skilled at making inferences from the text and discussing plots. Pupils read many different types of book. Most have clear views about why they like particular authors.
• Pupils develop their writing skills across a range of subjects. Those in Years 5 and 6 write extensive fictional and non-fictional accounts. They develop strong poetical skills. For example, one pupil wrote, when describing springtime, ‘the delicate aromatic smell of unusual blossoms’. In Years 3 and 4, some pupils are still developing the necessary stamina to write longer pieces of work.
• In mathematics, teachers develop pupils’ skills well. Most pupils are very good at knowing their multiplication tables. They said that one of the reasons for this is that they see the tables every day, as they are painted on the school’s stairs. Pupils considerably improve their understanding of fractions.
• The most able pupils do well. Work in books and current school data show that in a range of subjects they are making good progress. This is because teachers ensure that they are given challenging work.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils typically make good progress. This is because teachers and learning support assistants focus additional time and support to meet their needs effectively.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125905 West Sussex 10040720 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 385 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Stephen Unwins Anthony White 01293 447000 www.poundhilljunior.org.uk office@poundhilljunior.org.uk Date of previous inspection 27−28 March 2014

Information about this school

• Pound Hill Junior School is a larger than average-sized junior school.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below 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, called West Sussex Alternative Provision College in Burgess Hill.
• Many members of the governing body are new.
• The school is shortly to be rebuilt.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors and senior leaders observed learning in all classes. In addition, inspectors conducted a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about what it is 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 two members of the local authority. Inspectors considered the 28 responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire.
• The views of 63 parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered. Inspectors gathered the views of 20 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 relating to safeguarding and information about pupils’ behaviour and attendance were checked. Inspectors considered a range of evidence relating to governance.

Inspection team

Liz Bowes, lead inspector Stephanie Scutter Timothy Rome

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector