Shaftesbury Junior School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Achievement requires improvement to be good. Progress is broadly in line with the national average and attainment remains low.  Teaching is inconsistent. Leaders and managers have driven some improvement but do not always identify or address weaknesses quickly or ensure that improvements are sustained.  Whole-class introductions to, and activities in, lessons are sometimes too difficult for some pupils and too easy for others.  Teaching assistants are not always deployed effectively throughout lessons, especially in whole-class introductions.  Marking varies and does not always show pupils how to improve.  The pace of some lessons is too slow and time for pupils’ active learning is limited.  Several members of the governing body are new. Governors have helped leaders write a clear, well-focused school development plan but are not yet challenging the school, particularly regarding the quality of teaching

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

and pupils’ achievement, with sufficient rigour.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils behave well, enjoy school and are keen to learn.  Attendance has improved and is now above the national average.  Pupils’ safety and well-being are a high priority. Systems for safeguarding are securely in place.  Relationships within this highly diverse school are positive and supportive.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, taught by nine teachers and one higher level teaching assistant. Twenty of these observations were joint visits with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Discussions were held with pupils, governors, senior and middle managers, as well as parents and carers.  Inspectors received the views of parents and carers through five online responses to the Parent View questionnaire, the school’s analysis of 51 responses to a school questionnaire and informal discussions.  Inspectors received the views of staff through 23 responses to the inspection questionnaire and discussions, as well as those of pupils, through both informal and pre-arranged discussions.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s data on pupils’ current progress, leaders’ reports on lesson observations, the school’s improvement plan, planning and monitoring documents, documents relating to safeguarding,

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Information about this inspection

and records relating to behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Jo Curd, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sue Rath Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Shaftesbury Junior School is slightly smaller than most other primary schools.  It is situated in very densely populated, inner city Leicester.  Almost three quarters of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups and almost half speak English as an additional language. These pupils are from a diversity of backgrounds. About a quarter of the pupils have Eastern European heritage.  About a quarter of the pupils start or leave the school at times other than the beginning of Year 3 or end of Year 6. This is much higher than in most other schools. A high proportion of those who start at the school are very new to England and to speaking English.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional money given to schools by the government) is higher than the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at the level of school action is slightly lower than the national average, although the proportion

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Information about this school

supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is slightly higher. The majority of these pupils have moderate learning difficulties.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Several members of the governing body, including the chair, who has been involved in school improvement through his work as a local authority officer, took up their roles in September 2012. There has been a high turnover of staff over the past two years. Four of the eight teachers have been at the school for less than four terms, one of whom is on long-term supply.  The school runs a breakfast and an after-school club each day.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to accelerate progress and raise levels of attainment by:  ensuring teachers use their knowledge of pupils more effectively to match work and activities to their different abilities  ensuring that marking and guidance consistently and clearly show pupils how they can improve and develop their work  giving more time for pupils to work actively, both on their own and with partners  ensuring that teaching assistants are used well throughout lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  checking on teaching and learning more frequently and rigorously and acting quickly to make and sustain improvements  ensuring that governors challenge leaders sufficiently thoroughly so that improvements, especially in the quality of teaching and the progress made by groups of pupils, are consistent and sustained.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils generally start at the school with attainment lower than the national average. Progress across the school is broadly in line with the national average. Attainment at the end of Year 6 remains lower than in most other schools in English and mathematics. Pupils’ progress is linked with the quality of teaching, which is inconsistent across the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Rates of progress vary over time, and between classes. In 2010 and 2012 progress across the whole school was broadly in line with the national average. Pupils who finished Year 6 in 2011 had made slower progress than this.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The proportion of pupils reaching nationally expected levels at the end of Year 6 are broadly in line with the national average but a smaller proportion than in most other schools reach the higher levels in English or mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of different groups, including those from various minority ethnic groups, varies. Although some pupils progress well, none of the groups achieve consistently well over time.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who learn more quickly or easily are not always challenged sufficiently and spend too much time repeating tasks they can already do.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Money from the pupil premium is beginning to have an impact on achievement but is not yet narrowing the gap between the attainment of pupils, whose circumstances make them more vulnerable, and that of other pupils in the school. The funding is being spent on additional teaching assistants for small support groups, other support staff, training, including that in reading, and to subsidise the breakfast and after school clubs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs varies and requires improvement overall. Work and whole-class introductions within classes are sometimes too difficult for them. However, these pupils benefit from some effective support in small groups and some make particularly good progress during their time at the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress of new arrivals to the school also varies between classes. They are welcomed by pupils and adults. They settle quickly but work is not always matched to their individual needs sufficiently well to help them achieve well.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who have English as an additional language make good progress in learning English because they are supported well and are keen to learn. Their achievement varies and requires improvement because the quality of teaching in lessons is not always as good as it should be.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most of the parents and carers who responded to the online or school questionnaire are happy with the progress, which their children make. A few felt that this was not as good as it could be.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching varies considerably between classes in the school. The quality of teaching, as reflected in the majority of pupils’ books and seen in lessons during the inspection, required improvement. This slows progress and means that pupils do not always achieve as well as they could.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Whole-class introductions are often too long; pupils do not always have sufficient time actively to use and extend their skills. These introductions are sometimes too difficult for some pupils and too easy for others. For example, in one mathematics lesson, more-able pupils spent considerable time listening to a whole-class introduction to concepts with which they were already familiar, while examples given in this were too difficult for others.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading is developing. All the pupils in Years 3 and 4 have lessons in the sounds and names of letters, in small groups each day. The quality of teaching in these varies. Some staff clearly and consistently explain sounds, letters and the way they combine to form words. Others use poor letter sounds and move on without giving pupils opportunities to use letters and words in meaningful ways.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is usually up to date but does not always clearly show pupils how they can improve.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are generally skilled and well trained. They are not always used effectively, particularly in whole-class introductions.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in some lessons is good. For example, in one science lesson, older pupils were excitedly engaged in exploring the properties of water. The activity was suitable for all the pupils and the teacher ensured that they all understood and spelt terms correctly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Small support groups for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, or others who find learning more difficult, are effective because specialist teaching assistants have been trained well and work is well-matched to these pupils’ needs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils who are at early stages of learning English are taught well in small support groups. Teaching assistants in these ensure pupils understand, extend and use English vocabulary well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are friendly, considerate and keen to learn. Positive behaviour and attitudes contribute well to pupils’ positive spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils continue to try hard even when introductions are too long or activities are slightly too easy or difficult.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Relationships are good. Pupils in this highly diverse community are interested in and respectful to each other. They are positive about the wide range of pupils’ backgrounds and the fact that so many pupils start at times other than the beginning of Year 3.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Additional staff, paid for from pupil premium funding, successfully help the emotional well-being and confidence of pupils who are new or whose circumstances make them more vulnerable than others, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. Attendance has risen and is currently above the national average. Attendance rates in the term of the inspection were higher than in the same period the previous year.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The breakfast and after school clubs, subsidised by pupil premium funding, provide interesting activities, and a relaxed and fun social time for those who attend.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils take a full part in increasing safety around the school community; for example, they made postcards for parents and carers about parking safely outside the school which are given to drivers who contravene this.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying including ‘cyber bullying on computers or phones’, ‘name-calling’ and ‘physical’ incidents and know how to keep themselves and others safe. They value ethnic diversity and are aware that even though pupils may occasionally use unacceptable terms when they are angry ‘there is little or no racism at this school’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are well aware of rewards and sanctions for good and inappropriate behaviour. They know the school’s clear steps for controlling behaviour and are aware that staff do not always follow these consistently.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Procedures to check on the quality of teaching are clear. These have been used effectively over the past year and have successfully raised the quality of teaching in some instances. The frequency and rigour of monitoring and evaluation have dropped recently however and not all the improvements have been sustained. A good quality of teaching from staff on higher pay scales is usually, but not always, sustained.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers give high priority to pupils’ safety and well-being. Procedures for safeguarding are securely in place. Pupils enjoy a range of clubs and activities, including sports, music and drama, which foster good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A recent ‘anti-bullying week’ successfully helped pupils understand bullying and how to keep themselves safe.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils’ experiences and successes, such as raising money for charity and drama productions, for example, the very recent Nativity play, are well publicised. This contributes to the pupils’ positive attitudes to school and promotes the school’s role in its local community.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents, carers, pupils and staff are all positive about the school. Parents and carers particularly appreciate the strong, supportive relationships of staff with pupils and themselves. Parents and carers of pupils who have English as an additional language are grateful that ‘every day they are learning new words’. Pupils enjoy ‘friends, learning and all the fun activities which staff arrange for us’.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Strong emphasis, effective rewards, good links with parents, carers and other agencies, as well as provision of the breakfast club, have all contributed positively to raising attendance.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 There have been several changes in the local authority officers linked with the school recently. This has reduced continuity, support and challenge. The new school improvement adviser, who started in September, has a good understanding of the school and is working closely and successfully with leaders and managers to focus and drive improvements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The Chair of the Governing Body is highly experienced, has a very good understanding of the school and is beginning to drive improvements in governance. Members are using their growing knowledge well to help drive some improvements; for example, they have helped school leaders to form a clear, well-focused school development plan. However, governors are at the early stages of challenging the school. They are clear about how the pupil premium is being spent. They know that this spending is having a positive effect on behaviour, well-being and attendance. However, they have not gauged the effect of the funding on closing the gaps in attainment between groups of pupils. Their understanding of the quality of teaching does not permit them to challenge leaders sufficiently as to how it is being improved.

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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 120026 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 405903

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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 236 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michel Laurent-Regisse Headteacher Karl Stewart Date of previous school inspection 25 October 2010 Telephone number 0116 2549203 Fax number 0116 275 6512 Email address office@shaftesbury.leicester.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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