Herne Junior School

Unique Reference Number 115940 Local Authority Hampshire Inspection number 357849 Inspection dates 10–11 February 2011 Reporting inspector Janet Sinclair

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 397 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Maureen Page Headteacher Mr Anthony Markham Date of previous school inspection 10 June 2008 School address Love Lane Petersfield Hampshire GU31 4BP Telephone number 01730 263746 Fax number 01730 268448 Email address admin@herne.hants.sch.uk

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Age group 7–11 Inspection dates 10–11 February 2011 Inspection number 357849 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The inspectors visited 29 lessons or part-lessons, observing 14 teachers and several teaching assistants. Inspectors also held meetings with representatives of the governing body, senior staff and groups of pupils. They scrutinised samples of pupils' work, and looked at a wide range of documentation, including policies, the school development plan and records of pupils' progress. They considered the 148 responses from questionnaires returned by parents and carers. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.  Attainment and rates of progress for all groups of pupils, but particularly in writing and for more-able pupils.  The impact of teaching, the curriculum and pupils' involvement in their own learning on raising attainment and accelerating progress.  The rigour of leaders at all levels in embedding new initiatives and the resulting

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Information about the school

Herne is larger than the average-sized junior school. There is a below average proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups, some of whom are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average; these are mainly moderate learning difficulties. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is average. There has been a large staff turnover since the previous inspection.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

Herne is a satisfactory school. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have ensured a strong caring ethos and supportive learning environment for all pupils. Relationships are good, staff work well together and a friendly, relaxed and purposeful atmosphere permeates the school. Consequently, pupils enjoy coming to school, behave well and attend regularly. Parents and carers are mainly happy with the school and consider that their children are safe and well cared for and enjoy all that is on offer. Pupils make satisfactory progress across the school to reach broadly average attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Writing has been weaker over time and the school has worked hard to improve it through regular opportunities for extended writing and involvement in the Every Child a Writer project; these initiatives are accelerating progress. Teachers organise and manage lessons well and provide interesting tasks to

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Main findings

engage pupils in their learning. Most involve pupils well in improving their work through marking, assessing how well they are doing and knowledge of their targets. This has a good impact on learning. However, there are some inconsistencies, evident from lessons and pupils' books, which hamper overall progress. Also, insufficient match of work to pupils' needs and a lack of challenging questioning, particularly for the more able, mean that pupils sometimes lose interest and do not make the progress of which they are capable. The new themed approach to the curriculum provides interesting topics that engage pupils in their learning and supports their personal development well. Teachers work hard to make effective cross-curricular links and do this particularly well in linking English and history. For example, pupils wrote a persuasive letter from Anne Boleyn to Henry V111 asking not to be beheaded! Rigorous tracking is ensuring a good level of consistency in

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Main findings

pupils' progress, while effective steps, such as one-to-one support or booster classes, are taken to help any pupil not doing well enough. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those at an early stage of learning English get specific support to meet their needs. Teaching assistants are particularly helpful in this respect. Leaders have an accurate view of the school and know what needs to be done to ensure further improvement. They monitor teaching and learning regularly but do not always ensure that key areas of weakness are addressed and improved. The school has had many teaching staff changes since the previous inspection, but there is a stable staff team now in place and systems to support further development are sufficiently embedded. There is a clear focus on raising attainment and accelerating progress, and good attention to pupils' personal development. Consequently, the school demonstrates a satisfactory capacity to

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and accelerate pupils' rates of progress through: providing a better match of work to pupils' needs, particularly for more-able pupils ensuring that teachers' questioning is thought-provoking, enabling pupils to express their ideas and develop their thinking skills involving pupils more fully in assessing their learning and improving their work.  Improve the monitoring of teaching and learning by ensuring a clearer focus on the key areas that will improve its quality and accelerate pupils' learning.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Progress is accelerating due to careful tracking and improving provision. Pupils enjoy their learning and this was particularly noticeable when pupils in Year 3 were developing a musical story based on the sphinx of ancient Egypt. They were fully engaged and made good progress. Pupils work well in pairs, for example, when discussing how they are going to recount Robin Hood's experience in an archery competition. In a mathematics lesson in Year 6, there was a high level of concentration and intense discussion as pupils worked out which payment option would realise the greatest income. This involved them in careful calculation. In some lessons, pupils make good progress in developing subject-specific vocabulary. For example, in English they learn and use vocabulary such as similes, complex sentences and causal connectives. Gifted and talented pupils enjoy the small group work which supports and develops their particular talents. Pupils with special

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from small group work that focuses on their needs and this helps them to feel confident to ask questions. As a result, they make progress at a similar rate to their peers. Pupils behave well and are polite and friendly to each other and all adults. They say they feel safe in school because there is good security. They are confident of adult support should they need it and are pleased that there is the rainbow room they can go to if they are upset. School councillors are proud of the role they play in the school, particularly the money they raise for charity and the improvements they have made to the school playground. Pupils enjoy all the physical activities, such as 'Activate' and after-school sports clubs, which help them to have a healthy lifestyle. Pupils have good relationships with each other and a clear understanding of right and wrong. In assemblies, pupils enjoy the opportunities for reflection and discussions about

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

their lifestyles or religion and those of children in their own and other countries.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

Teachers use resources well to enliven lessons. Examples seen during the inspection include a memo from a film executive wanting their ideas for superheroes, interactive whiteboards used for demonstration and staff in roles as characters from history. Teachers mainly ensure that learning intentions and success criteria are shared with pupils so they are clear about what they are expected to learn. Although lessons are generally well planned, there is sometimes not enough attention to ensuring a good match to pupils' needs, especially for more-able pupils, and so they are not challenged and this slows their progress. Teachers make good use of opportunities for extended writing to ensure pupils improve their skills but marking is not detailed enough to show the levels pupils have reached or the next steps in their learning; this limits its effectiveness as a tool for improvement. Teachers question pupils about their work, but questioning sometimes lacks

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How effective is the provision?

the challenge to develop their higher order thinking skills or fully involve them in a dialogue that enables them to express their ideas. For example, in a mathematics lesson, pupils were excited about the emerging pattern that their calculations had shown but did not get the opportunity to explain this to the whole class or respond to questions that would have given them a greater understanding. Pupils know their targets and use them appropriately to improve their work, but they do not always have enough opportunities to assess how well they are doing or respond to marking, and this prevents them from knowing how well they are doing or how they can improve.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The curriculum is broad and balanced and the recent move to a topic approach is beginning to engage pupils' interest and enhance their enjoyment. However, the recent changes have not yet had time to make a strong impact upon pupils' achievement. There is useful enrichment through visits, such as the Year 6 residential trip, the geography field trip to Selborne and extra-curricular activities such as in sport, music, poetry and allotment clubs. The school takes good care of those pupils facing challenging circumstances and uses outside agencies well to ensure they get the support they need. This ensures close attention to their personal development. Pupils at an early stage of learning English have their needs assessed effectively and a programme put in place to ensure they develop their skills in spoken English. However, there is not always a clear reference to the needs of different groups within teachers' planning and this lessens the impact of the provision.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

There are good transition arrangements between the infant and junior school which enable pupils to settle well. Parents and carers spoken to endorse this view.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

Senior leaders have a clear vision for the school. This is shared by year group leaders and subject managers who are beginning to develop their roles well. They are enthusiastic and have consistency within their year groups and subjects in order to secure improvement. Examples are the recent drive to improve mathematics that raised attainment last year and the current focus on improving writing that is accelerating progress. The school improvement plan is the key driver for securing improvement and involves all senior staff in its implementation. Senior staff monitor teaching and learning but are not yet sufficiently measuring their impact on raising the quality of teaching and consequently pupils' learning. Careful tracking ensures all groups of pupils are making enough progress. This shows the school's satisfactory and improving commitment to promoting equality of opportunity; discrimination is also tackled appropriately.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The governing body is supportive of the school and fulfils its statutory duties well. Committees are used effectively to ensure the strengths and weaknesses of the school are known, but they are not fully effective in holding the school to account for its actions. The partnership with parents and carers is good. The school ensures they are well informed through newsletters and regular pupil progress meetings. They also seek their views and involve them in initiatives such as improving site safety. There are good systems for safeguarding pupils and policies, and procedures are fully in place. The school ensures pupils' safety awareness through, for example, road safety training. Good partnerships enrich provision and benefit pupils, particularly in their personal development. For

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

example, there is a high level of pupil participation in a wide range of physical activities through the sports partnership. Additionally, the English manager provides support for other schools involved in the writing project. The school is cohesive and has good links with its local community. It has audited and evaluated its provision effectively and acknowledges that although there are good links with communities globally, developing further links with schools within the United Kingdom would strengthen its contribution to community cohesion further.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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3

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Views of parents and carers

The response to the parental questionnaire shows that most parents and carers who responded are happy with the school and what it provides. They consider that their children enjoy all that the school has to offer and are safe and well looked after; inspectors endorse this view. The main concerns expressed were about the way the school deals with unacceptable behaviour, information on their children's progress and whether they are making enough progress. The team could find no evidence of unacceptable behaviour during the inspection and the school has a consistent approach to behaviour management. The inspection team found that progress was satisfactory and there are regular meetings for parents and carers to discuss their child's progress with the staff.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Herne Junior School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 148 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 397 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 77 52 66 45 2 1 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 72 49 74 50 2 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 50 34 80 54 14 9 3 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 50 34 75 51 16 11 2 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 63 43 75 51 6 4 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 54 36 81 55 10 7 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 63 43 81 55 3 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 69 47 64 43 4 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 55 37 77 52 8 5 2 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 48 32 76 51 13 9 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 43 29 90 61 6 4 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 79 53 61 41 5 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 84 57 54 35 5 3 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspec tion outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Herne Junior School, Petersfield GU31 4BP

I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed our visit to your school. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful. We enjoyed talking to you in lessons and meeting with the school council. We were pleased to learn that you enjoy school and the many after-school clubs and activities provided. We judged that your school is giving you a satisfactory education. This means that it does some things well but some things still need to be improved. Here are some other things we particularly liked about your school.  You are friendly, well behaved and work hard in lessons.  Your headteacher and all the staff take good care of you and you in turn feel safe and well supported.  You enjoy the interesting activities that are part of the new curriculum. These are the things we have asked your school to do to help you learn even more.  Ensure that the work you are set and teachers' questions always challenge you and

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Inspection of Herne Junior School, Petersfield GU31 4BP

that you are more involved in improving your work so that you make the best possible progress.  Ensure that teaching is checked carefully to make it even better. You can help by checking your work to see if you can improve it. We enjoyed talking to you and wish you every success for the future.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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