Sandwich Junior School

PROTECT – INSPECTION

Age group 7–11 Inspection date(s) 27–28 June 2012 Inspection number 379636 Sandwich Junior School Inspection report

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

Unique reference number 118548 Local authority Kent Inspection number 379636 Inspection dates 27–28 June 2012 Lead inspector Jackie Krafft HMI

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

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

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 183 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julia Humphrey-Woodward Headteacher Sheilagh Roberts Date of previous school inspection 29–30 January 2008 School address St Bartholomew's Road Sandwich Kent CT13 0AS Telephone number 01304 612227 Fax number 01304 614755 Email address Sheilagh.Roberts@sandwich-junior.kent.sch.uk 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

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 . 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 information 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’.

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 14 lessons taught by eight teachers. Half of the observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors also observed two assemblies and small group support programmes delivered by teaching assistants. Meetings were held with staff, pupils and three representatives of the governing body. Inspectors observed the school’s work, heard pupils reading and looked at a wide range of documentation including the school improvement plan, information about pupils’ progress and the monitoring of teaching. They also looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors scrutinised 87 questionnaires returned by parents and carers, and those returned by staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Sandwich Junior is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The number of pupils on roll has fallen since the previous inspection. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average and falling. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported by school action plus or with a statement is also below average. The most prevalent needs of these pupils relate to behavioural, emotional, social and moderated learning difficulties. There have been a number of staff changes since the previous inspection, including a new headteacher and senior leadership team. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

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

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Key findings

 Sandwich Junior is a good school. It is a vibrant learning community where pupils feel safe and achieve well. Explicit, shared values and an interesting curriculum contribute significantly to pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school is improving but not outstanding because the progress that pupils make and the quality of teaching in Years 3 and 4 are not as strong as in Years 5 and 6.

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Key findings

 Achievement is good. Expectations are high, standards are rising and all groups of pupils make good progress by the time they leave the school. They make more consistent and faster progress in Years 5 and 6. Pupils attain standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are above average. Achievement in mathematics is particularly good and writing has improved since the last inspection.

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Key findings

 The quality of teaching is good. Teachers know their pupils well and match work carefully to their different abilities. Lessons are well structured and a good pace is maintained. Teachers monitor pupils’ learning and provide them with useful feedback but not consistently so for groups working independently in some guided reading lessons. There are examples of outstanding teaching but some lesson introductions are too long and teaching assistants are not always engaged well in all parts of the lesson.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour and safety are outstanding. They have excellent attitudes to learning, join in enthusiastically and are sensitive to the needs of others. They take pride in their work, thoroughly enjoy school and are keenly aware of how to keep safe.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is driving improvements in teaching and achievement, supported by knowledgeable governors. She has built a capable senior leadership team and is developing the skills of subject leaders to contribute to further improvement. 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?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding, by:  ensuring introductions to lessons are not overly long  using teaching assistants more effectively during whole-class activities to support learning  continuing to share the best practice in the school  monitoring pupils’ learning during unsupported guided reading activities  providing pupils with feedback on these activities by marking their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress in Years 3 and 4 to match that which pupils make in Years 5 and 6, by:  ensuring teaching in Years 3 and 4 is as consistently good or better than that in other year groups  developing subject leaders’ skills further so that they have a greater impact on improving teaching and learning.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils join the school with attainment that is broadly in line with that expected for their age, although the school has identified from its own assessments that some arrive with gaps in their understanding of letters and sounds. They make good progress as they move through the school, with progress accelerating in Years 5 and 6. Attainment has improved year on year and is above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the time pupils leave to move on to secondary education.

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Achievement of pupils

Systematic, thorough analysis of pupils’ progress data identifies any pupils who are not meeting the high expectations set for them. The information is used effectively to plan lessons, provide support for pupils who need additional help and target specific intervention programmes for those who have gaps in their understanding and development. As a result all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good learning gains. Pupils with emotional, social and behavioural needs gain confidence so participate fully in lessons. One parent wrote, ‘My daughter has gained a huge amount of confidence during her time at the school and made steady progress despite her additional needs.’

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ writing has improved since the last inspection so that achievement in writing is now better than in reading, but the gap is closing. Actions to improve pupils’ understanding of letters and sounds in Years 3 and 4 are helping those who do not have the necessary early reading skills for their age to catch up. Pupils enjoy poetry, fiction and non-fiction books and are competent, confident readers by the end of Year 6. 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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Achievement of pupils

All pupils who responded to the questionnaire or spoke with inspectors said that they learn a lot and almost all parents and carers agree with them. Pupils are enthusiastic and motivated learners. They develop a good range of communication, mathematical, social and enterprise skills. For example, they speak with confidence and articulate clearly when talking about the books they enjoy reading. They write interesting articles on a range of issues and use their good information and communication technology skills to produce the eye-catching school magazine each term. Their enterprise and mathematical skills are honed by selling copies and managing the costs and profit. Older pupils are keen to leave a legacy to the school by designing areas such as the totem garden and labyrinth for others to enjoy in the future.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers have high expectations of all pupils and good subject knowledge. Assessment information is used effectively to plan lessons and varied, interesting tasks which are well matched to pupils’ diverse needs and abilities. Teachers build systematically on pupils’ previous learning and make good links with pupils’ targets for improvement which are readily accessible on their tables. Typically, at the start of each lesson teachers explain what the focus will be and what the pupils are expected to achieve. Skilful questioning and good opportunities for pupils to discuss and share their ideas keep learning moving at a brisk pace and ensure all pupils are fully engaged and so make equally good progress. Activities enable pupils to work collaboratively and independently, developing their concentration, confidence and social skills.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers make learning fun and meaningful by linking subjects and providing a good range of practical tasks, a point which the pupils who spoke with inspectors were keen to point out. In an excellent lesson on ratio in Year 6, mathematics was brought alive by linking it to the history theme of the Second World War. Pupils were challenged to increase ingredients in wartime recipes proportionately to feed different numbers of people. Questions and prompts encouraged them to explain their strategies and apply their previous knowledge when solving problems. Misconceptions were spotted and corrected quickly and mathematical language was used well to develop pupils’ understanding further. In another outstanding mathematics lesson in Year 5, pupils were equally challenged to use Pythagoras’s Theorem when calculating area. However, teaching is not as consistently strong in Years 3 and 4. In some lessons the pace of learning slows when introductions are

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Quality of teaching

overly long. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, in small groups both inside and outside the classroom. They are particularly effective at supporting those pupils who are following specific programmes to support their physical development and reading skills. However, they are not used consistently well to support learning during parts of lessons when pupils are working together as a whole class.

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Quality of teaching

The teaching of reading is planned systematically throughout the school. Literacy- 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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Quality of teaching

rich displays and a variety of good-quality texts of different genres are used to develop pupils’ enjoyment of reading, enhance their vocabulary and stimulate their writing. Daily guided reading lessons are taught throughout the school. Adults focus their support on small groups but do not consistently monitor the quality of learning of those working independently and the work they produce is not marked. High- quality feedback and detailed marking are consistently provided in other lessons, including literacy. Pupils value the teacher’s comments in their books which they regularly respond to. One told inspectors, ‘I take note of what is written on the bottom of my work and the teacher acknowledges that.’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ excellent behaviour seen during the inspection is reflected as typical in the highly positive responses of pupils, staff, parents and carers. The overwhelming majority say that pupils are very safe and well cared for and that behaviour is good. Pupils agree. The school’s strong core values, exemplified in the totem animals, permeate every aspect of the school’s work. A parent wrote, ‘The school has helped, by way of its core values, to teach my child empathy and teamwork. It has changed his rather bossy nature into one of patience and leadership. It has also tackled his lack of interest in literacy. He now loves books, words and poetry in particular.’ Pupils are excited by school and attend regularly.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are courteous, considerate and sensitive to the needs of others. They say they feel very safe and free from bullying of any kind. If any does occur they are very clear what they need to do and are confident it will be dealt with. Most parents and carers agree and one wrote, ‘My child has been bullied and it was dealt with immediately upon notice, discreetly and effectively.’ Pupils have an in-depth understanding of different types of bullying, including isolation, verbal and cyber- bullying. They are proud of their involvement in developing the school’s anti-bullying charter.

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Leadership and management

Governors describe the headteacher’s ‘contagious enthusiasm’ as the driving force behind the school’s trend of improvement and pupils’ outstanding behaviour. Her high expectations of all pupils and staff are shared and teamwork is promoted. The potential of staff to improve their teaching, learn new skills or assume leadership responsibilities is developed effectively. Senior leaders are contributing to improving teaching and learning well and subject leaders are building their skills to do the same. Performance is managed effectively, professional development is linked to school priorities and underperformance tackled robustly to ensure pupils achieve well. Equality is promoted and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Where gaps in performance between groups emerge, effective action is taken to address these. Consequently, the school has demonstrated that it has good capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

Well-informed governors understand the school’s strengths and what needs to 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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Leadership and management

improve because information is shared and their regular visits have a clear focus. They provide robust professional challenge as well as good support, holding leaders to account effectively. A manageable school improvement plan guides their work although quantifiable targets and success measures against which to evaluate improvement are not explicit. Safeguarding is given a high priority and meets statutory requirements.

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Leadership and management

An exciting, meaningful curriculum is a strength and contributes strongly to pupils’ positive views, reflected in the comment of one who said, ‘This school is wicked!’ It fosters an enjoyment of learning, promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness well through cross-curricular themes and makes learning relevant. It is enriched by art, music, visits and good quality resources. Most parents and carers feel well informed by the school. Achievements are celebrated and information is shared with them through the school’s informative website, workshops and the use of mobile technologies.

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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. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. 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

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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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

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and 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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and 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.

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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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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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 Sandwich Junior School, Sandwich CT13 0AS

Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school recently. We especially enjoyed talking with you, listening to some of you read, discussing your books, looking at your work and seeing you in lessons.

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Inspection of Sandwich Junior School, Sandwich CT13 0AS

Your school is providing you with a good education and you achieve well. It is a safe and attractive place to learn. You told us that you enjoy school very much and feel extremely safe. Your parents and carers agree. Your teachers make your lessons interesting and fun so you learn a lot. You have plenty of opportunities to practise your reading, writing and mathematics and to talk about your work together in lessons. We were very impressed with the school magazine that you produce, the greenhouse you have made out of bottles and the labyrinth that some of you are designing for other pupils to enjoy in the future. You are keen to learn and enthusiastic. Your behaviour is excellent and you really do apply the school’s core values displayed on the totem poles. You are polite, considerate and help each other. You take a lot of pride in your work, take notice of the advice your teachers give you when they mark your work and are keen to achieve your targets.

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Inspection of Sandwich Junior School, Sandwich CT13 0AS

To help make your school even better we have asked the staff to:

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Inspection of Sandwich Junior School, Sandwich CT13 0AS

 make all your lessons as good as the very best in the school  help those of you in Years 3 and 4 make as much progress in your learning as the older pupils.

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Inspection of Sandwich Junior School, Sandwich CT13 0AS

You can all help too by continuing to behave so well and trying your very best.

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Inspection of Sandwich Junior School, Sandwich CT13 0AS

Thank you again for such a warm welcome.

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Inspection of Sandwich Junior School, Sandwich CT13 0AS

Jackie Krafft Her Majesty's Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: 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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