Eastern Green Junior School

Eastern Green Junior School Sutton Avenue, Coventry, CV5 7EG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ skills in English and mathematics are above average. They make good progress in reading and writing.  The proportion of pupils reaching high standards in mathematics is above average.  Pupils show outstanding attitudes to learning and want to succeed. Their behaviour is exemplary both in lessons and around the school. They feel very safe at school.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher are bringing about improvements with enthusiasm and determination. Their actions to improve teaching have been successful.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils. Most lessons interest the pupils and help them to learn well.  Governors are very knowledgeable about all aspects of the school. They are clear about what is needed to continue to improve the school.  Attendance is high.  Parents are extremely positive about the school. They praise the quality of teaching and care that the school provides.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is still a small minority of teaching that requires improvement. For example, at times pupils spend too much time listening to teachers and this limits the time they have to take an active part in the lesson.  The quality of feedback in lessons and of marking in books is not always clear enough.  Pupils who need extra help in mathematics do not always make as much progress as they should. This is because their work is not always set at the right level.  Leaders and managers do not yet effectively check or manage the performance of those staff without qualified teacher status who support learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons, of which eight were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition the inspectors listened to pupils read.  Inspectors also observed the headteacher reporting back to teachers on the quality of their teaching.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation including the school improvement plan, the school’s own assessment data, minutes of governing body meetings and the school’s safeguarding documentation.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and a parent governor, other staff including senior leaders, two groups of pupils and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 41 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), and met some parents informally at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Marilyn Mottram, Lead Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Anthony O'Malley Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 This junior school is of similar size to an average sized primary school.  Since the last inspection almost all members of the governing body have changed and there is a new Chair of Governors.  The proportions of disabled pupils, those with a statement of special educational needs or those who need extra support at school action plus, are above the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority, for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium), is below average.  The large majority of pupils are White British.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is always at least good and more often outstanding by ensuring: - there is a better balance in all lessons between the time pupils spend listening to teachers and the time they spend practising and applying their skills so that pupils learn effectively - the quality of all teachers’ feedback in lessons and marking matches that of the very best.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the progress of pupils who need additional help in mathematics by: - providing training and support to staff who are not confident teachers of mathematics so that they can teach the subject well - setting work for pupils who need extra help in mathematics that is not too easy or too hard.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact of leadership and management by using the arrangements to manage teachers’ performance, particularly lesson observations, to improve the effectiveness of non- teaching staff who support pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress from their starting points. Their standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above average when they leave the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is a particular strength because staff are highly skilled at helping weaker readers and at challenging confident readers to enjoy a wide range of books. Pupils who were falling behind in their reading are now making rapid progress due to well-planned additional reading sessions. This reflects the school’s strong commitment to ensuring that all pupils succeed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Writing skills are above average because the school provides exciting and meaningful opportunities for pupils to write across different subjects. For example, pupils write newspaper articles linked to topic work and recipes and instructions linked to projects. All groups make good progress and pupils are rightly proud of the quality of written work in all of their books and on display around the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able pupils in mathematics thrive because of the opportunities provided for them to use their knowledge and skills to carry out investigations and solve problems. Pupils enjoy these challenges and have very positive attitudes towards mathematics. They talk enthusiastically about the headteacher award for achievement in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Middle-ability and lower-ability pupils do not make the same outstanding progress as others in mathematics. This is because the staff teaching them do not always teach the subject confidently or explain clearly what pupils are going to learn.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are disabled, or who have special educational needs, are successfully meeting the challenging targets set. The school has high expectations of pupils regardless of any barriers they have to overcome. Parents and carers talk very positively about the support and care their children receive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are eligible for support through pupil premium funding are making good progress. The school has used its funding to provide these pupils with extra support outside of lessons and by purchasing a range of reading books and resources to support learning in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well in a wide range of subjects. Work in art and music is particularly strong and the outdoor area is used well to teach the pupils about science, the environment and to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is mostly good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan lessons that excite and interest pupils and help them to learn well. Topic work, such as ‘Britain since 1930’, is presented imaginatively so that it engages the pupils’ interest and curiosity about life in Coventry during and after the Second World War

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of literacy is very well planned with plenty of opportunities for pupils to use drama and discussions with their classmates before beginning writing activities. Boys as well as girls enjoy the wide range of opportunities for writing that are planned throughout each school term.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good links between subjects. For example, pupils practised their mathematics, geographical and information and communication technology (ICT) skills when learning about world trade, and pupils in Year 6 are able recite First World War Poetry off by heart because they enjoy their topic work so much.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of the pupils’ abilities to work without too much adult support. They give pupils plenty of opportunities to work in groups. This promotes outstanding social skills and contributes well to the pupils’ good speaking and listening skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Adults working with pupils who have special educational needs are usually clear about the skills the pupils have mastered and plan lessons that build on these skills. Occasionally, however, in mathematics lessons, a few non-teaching staff lead activities that are either too hard or too easy for the lower ability pupils they are supporting. They do not always give clear explanations of the mathematical rules being taught.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a few lessons, teachers do not make the most of pupils’ outstanding behaviour. Too much time is spent introducing the lesson and explaining things rather than allowing pupils to start working on their own or in groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teachers’ marking varies across the school. Some marking does not help pupils to improve as much as it should. The best examples give clear feedback to pupils and pupils have the chance to respond and improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is high. There is a purposeful buzz at the start of the school day. Pupils arrive promptly and take responsibility for moving into the daily routines and settling to their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong and show outstanding respect for one another and for the adults in the school. They take pride in their school and are delighted to show the different areas in and around the school to visitors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils state that they feel very safe in school. Parents and carers who responded to the Parent View questionnaire, and those who spoke with inspectors, agree. They commented that staff deal promptly with any issues raised about behaviour or safety. Pupils talk confidently about how to keep safe when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Instances of bullying and poor behaviour are very rare. Pupils told inspectors that they all get on well and that they know it is wrong to hurt others by calling them names that will offend or upset them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 A particular feature of this school is the care pupils have for one another. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are included in every aspect of the school life. They respond well to the encouragement and kindness of other pupils. This commitment to respectful relationships is set and modelled by leadership and staff at all levels.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All parents and carers who responded to Parent View agreed pupils are well behaved and safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are strong leaders. Parents and carers value their readiness to listen to any concerns and to meet with them when required. Staff judge that they provide clear leadership and this helps them to teach effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders check how well pupils are learning each half term. They observe lessons, look in books and analyse carefully the results of assessments. This gives them a good understanding of how to improve standards in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 Training is provided when results and observations of teaching identify areas for improvement. Good support from the local authority has helped improve the teaching of reading and writing. There is a clear sense of purpose in the school and staff work well as a team.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher acts promptly if she identifies practice that requires improvement. Any weaknesses, particularly if these are in achievement or teaching, are followed up with support and close monitoring and quickly resolved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The arrangements to ensure the effectiveness of teaching staff are very good. Teachers have performance targets linked to the progress of pupils they teach. Decisions about pay are closely linked to how successfully teachers meet the targets set. However, the performance management of non-teaching staff and checking of the quality of their work is not as rigorous as it is for other staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is helping pupils at risk of underachieving to succeed. Pupils who need extra support have benefited from the appointment of additional staff. Small group work and 1:1 tuition is carefully planned and targeted to improve pupil progress in specific areas of need. These actions are helping pupils who were behind in their learning to catch up.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes the pupils’ personal development exceptionally well because pupils have an exciting range of lessons and experiences throughout each week. For example, during the inspection a famous children’s author visited the school as part of their work on poetry. There is a range of very well attended before-and-after-school clubs and activities that meet the interests of almost all pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body has benefited from effective training by the local authority and has a good level of professional expertise. Governors have a sharp awareness of the school’s performance data and know how it compares to that of other schools. This enables them to discuss areas of relative weakness with the headteacher and set her challenging targets for further improvement. Governors visit classrooms regularly. They know about the quality of teaching and what is being done to tackle any areas of underperformance. Governors are fully aware of their responsibilities regarding teachers’ pay and the systems for setting targets for teachers. They evaluate their own performance and actively seek ways to improve their effectiveness. Governors ensure that all the school’s funds, including the pupil premium, are spent wisely, and help all pupils achieve well. They ensure the procedures for keeping pupils

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103665 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 402923

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 226 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs P Reid Headteacher Mrs N Aston Date of previous school inspection 16 April 2008 Telephone number 024 76465077 Fax number 024 76473619 Email address admin@easterngreen.coventry.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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