Chalfont St Giles Junior School

Age group 7–11 Inspection date(s) 27–28 June 2012 Inspection number 395304 Chalfont St Giles Junior School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 110287 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 395304 Inspection dates 27–28 June 2012 Lead inspector Jane Chesterfield

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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 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Eleanor O'Connor Headteacher Elen Peal Date of previous school inspection 1–2 July 2009 School address Parsonage Road Chalfont St Giles Buckinghamshire HP8 4JW Telephone number 01494873090 Fax number 01494874949 Email address office@cgsjunior.org 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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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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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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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. The inspectors observed 18 lessons taught by 12 different teachers and spent nine hours in classes. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, governors and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online Parent View survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation including data on attainment, tracking and monitoring records, school self-evaluation and development planning, pupils’ books and safeguarding records. They analysed questionnaires returned by 87 parents and carers, 100 pupils and 16 members of staff.

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Information about the school

Chalfont St Giles Junior is an average-sized school with two classes per year group. The proportions of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, who come from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language are below the national average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average. These needs relate mainly to moderate learning difficulties or behavioural difficulties. The school meets the current floor standards, which are the minimum standards expected by the government. Since the previous inspection, the school has become part of a hard federation with the village infant school, and with effect from September 2011 the headteacher of the infants also became headteacher of the juniors. The acting- deputy headteacher has been appointed to the substantive post, and there has been

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Information about the school

significant turnover of teaching staff. 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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Key findings

 Chalfont St Giles Junior is a good school where pupils achieve well. It is not yet outstanding because achievement in writing is not as good as that in reading or mathematics, and because the quality of teaching is not consistent across all classes.

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Key findings

 Pupils enter the school reaching standards which are broadly average. They leave reaching above average standards in reading and mathematics, and average but improving standards in writing. They make good progress from their starting points.

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Key findings

 Teaching is good across the school. There are particular strengths in teachers’ relationships with and management of their classes, their planning to meet the needs of all pupils, and their use of resources. However, they do not always check and clarify pupils’ understanding closely enough during lessons, nor give them enough opportunities to work independently. This means that pupils are not always learning as quickly as they might.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good. They are friendly and supportive of others, and socialise happily together in the playground. In class, they are eager to please their teachers and keen to learn.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are good. Senior staff monitor teaching and learning carefully in order to identify strengths and weaknesses and manage performance effectively. The creation of the hard federation has meant that senior staff have been able to start sharing expertise and best practice across both schools. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well promoted through a lively and varied curriculum with many enrichment opportunities. 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?

In order to become outstanding, the school should take the following action.  Raise pupils’ achievement in writing throughout the school by:  improving their skills in grammar, sentence structure and use of vocabulary  offering them more opportunities to write at length across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the consistency in the quality of teaching by:  using challenging questioning to test pupils’ understanding of what they are learning, and making better use of pupils’ responses to develop their learning further  giving pupils more opportunities to take responsibility for their learning and work independently.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enter the school with broadly average attainment and leave Year 6 with attainment that is above average in reading and mathematics, and although it is average in writing, it is improving. Evidence from inspection observations, school data and pupils’ books shows that pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, though they reach higher standards in reading and mathematics than in writing. By the time they leave the school, pupils read fluently and confidently, and talk with enjoyment about the books they have read at home and at school. Those who were heard to read have already discovered the genres they prefer, and are working their way through series of spy thrillers, for example, or the novels of prominent authors. Pupils are developing good mathematical skills and know how to apply these to problem solving. In a Year 5 numeracy lesson, for example, most were able to use mental arithmetic strategies to estimate the answers

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Achievement of pupils

to calculations, and then use calculators to check their reasoning. Pupils are happy to have a go at writing for a range of different purposes and in different styles, not only in their literacy but also in other subjects such as history, geography and science. However, they do not always write at great length, vary their sentence structure and vocabulary, or ensure that their grammar is accurate.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs learn well because of the good quality support they receive. The use of setting for mathematics and additional adult support for literacy means that they receive high levels of adult attention and work which offers the right level of challenge. In a Year 5 literacy set, for example, lower attaining pupils applied themselves wholeheartedly producing captions to illustrate a poem, while higher attaining pupils worked elsewhere on rewriting the poem as prose, which they too found challenging. The needs of those with behavioural difficulties are well known to staff, so they can be supported to learn effectively and not distract others in their class. Most parents and carers responding 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

to the inspection questionnaire felt that their children make good progress, though some thought that this could be improved. Pupils were very certain that the school helps them to do as well as they can, and that they are developing good skills in English and mathematics.

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Quality of teaching

Most teaching observed during the inspection, and by the school staff over the year, has been good, and the work in pupils’ books confirms that this is the case over time. There are many common strengths in teaching, and a few inconsistencies. In all classes, relationships between staff and pupils are very positive, and there are high expectations for behaviour. Lessons are lively with a good pace, and teachers explain learning objectives and steps to success very clearly. Planning pays close attention to the different needs of different groups of pupils, and disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well catered for. Marking is of a consistently high quality. Pupils are expected to make corrections to their work, and to enter into a dialogue with their teachers in their books about what they found easy or hard, and what they need to do to improve their work.

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Quality of teaching

During the introductions to lessons, teachers ask pupils questions and give them opportunities to discuss points with one another. In the better lessons, teachers use the information they gain from pupils to move the lesson on. In a Year 3 mathematics lesson, for example, feedback from pupils indicated that some had not understood how to apply their knowledge of times tables to answer problems. As a result, these pupils were given extra opportunities to practise with the teacher until they were confident about what to do, while the rest went to work independently on their tasks. However, this does not always happen. Sometimes pupils are taught together as a whole class for too long, so that a number are waiting to get on with their work. This often reduces the amount of work they can produce in the time left in the lesson.

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Quality of teaching

Reading is well taught, and pupils have plenty of opportunities to practise their technical and analytical skills through reading to adults and discussion in guided reading sessions. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well promoted through a strong focus on personal, social and health education (PSHE) in the curriculum. During the inspection, Year 6 pupils were given good opportunities to talk frankly about how to cope if they had a problem with bullying at secondary school, while Year 5 pupils reflected on being part of a community and what they would miss if they were on a desert island. Pupils are very happy about the quality of teaching and most parents and carers feel the same.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The behaviour of pupils during the inspection was good, and school data, discussions with pupils and questionnaire responses indicate that this is true over time. Exclusions and racist incidents are rare and are handled appropriately. Pupils behave well in class, in the playground and around the school, and treat others with respect 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

and consideration. They value diversity, although they have limited contact with different cultures. Pupils say they feel safe in school and parents and carers are confident that their children are well looked after. Pupils have a very clear awareness of bullying, including cyber-bullying, racist and sexist bullying. During their personal, social and health education lesson on this, Year 6 pupils showed that they knew how to react to incidents. One boy suggested to the class, ‘If you get a cyber-bullying message, copy and paste it, print it out and show it to your parents.’ Parents and carers are particularly pleased with how behaviour and bullying are managed, and most pupils agree.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils across the school enjoy learning, but they are not yet all independent self- starters in class. Sometimes they have to be reminded to settle to their written tasks by adults, rather than focusing and getting on irrespective of whether their group is being directly supervised. The school has introduced its ‘Learning Gems’ project to help address this. Pupils are happy to come to school and their attendance rates are high.

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Leadership and management

The creation of the hard federation is proving to be of benefit to the school. The senior leaders, governors and staff team share a common vision for future success which is already having an impact. Identified weaknesses in mathematics last year, for example, have been swiftly addressed so that achievement is now good in all year groups. The response of staff to the inspection questionnaire shows that all are fully in support of what the school is trying to achieve. Robust self-evaluation, systematic monitoring and tracking of the school’s performance and efficient management of the performance of staff across the federation have meant that strengths and weaknesses have been accurately highlighted. As a result, new subject leaders have been appointed to work across the infant and junior schools next year, and staff deployed in their areas of expertise. Governors have an insightful and perceptive knowledge of the school and carry out their duties well. Safeguarding is

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Leadership and management

robust, equality is well promoted and discrimination tackled rigorously. Thanks to these strengths in leadership, the school has a good capacity for further improvement.

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Leadership and management

Pupils enjoy a rich and varied curriculum, which is currently being revised to provide continuity and progression in skills and knowledge across the infant and junior schools. This revision includes more opportunities for pupils to write at length across the different subjects of the curriculum. The school makes the most of its partnerships, particularly with other schools and sports providers. Parents and carers have high expectations of the school, and many are fulsome in their praise of what it offers their children. 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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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 Chalfont St Giles Junior School, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JW

Thank you for welcoming the inspection team to your school recently, and for helping us with the inspection. We very much enjoyed talking to you, visiting your lessons and looking at your work. Thanks also to those of you who completed a questionnaire for us.

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Inspection of Chalfont St Giles Junior School, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JW

We found that your school is giving you a good education and that you are making good progress in your learning. These are some of the things we particularly liked about your school.

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Inspection of Chalfont St Giles Junior School, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JW

 We agreed with you that the school helps you to do as well you can, and that you are developing good skills in your work.  We also agreed with you that you are well taught. Teachers make sure that they plan work which is lively and interesting and meets your needs well.  Although some of you felt that other children did not always behave well, we found that behaviour in class and in the playground is usually good, and that you all get on well together.  You told us that you feel safe at school and that bullying is handled well, and we agree that you are well cared for and protected from harm.  Your school is well led and managed, and the senior staff are keen to improve it even further.

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Inspection of Chalfont St Giles Junior School, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JW

To help them do this, this is what we have asked them to do.

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Inspection of Chalfont St Giles Junior School, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JW

 Make sure that you have as many opportunities as possible to produce long pieces of written work, and to improve your writing skills.  Give you more opportunities to discuss what you are learning in class, and to work on your own.

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Inspection of Chalfont St Giles Junior School, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JW

You can help by trying to use correct grammar, adventurous vocabulary and varied sentence structures when you write.

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Inspection of Chalfont St Giles Junior School, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JW

Jane Chesterfield Lead 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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