Greenfields Junior School

Greenfields Junior School Green Lane, Hartney Wintney, Hook, RG27 8DQ

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Since the last inspection the leadership team’s ambitious drive to further improve the quality of teaching has resulted in pupils making better progress. Consequently, the attainment of pupils by the time they leave school has risen and pupils achieve well.  Governance of the school is also good.  Teaching is good with some that is outstanding. This helps pupils build their skills and knowledge, as well as their confidence.  Pupils are enthusiastic about learning because lessons are interesting. They know how to improve because they are informed by the regular marking of their work.  The interesting topics and themes that pupils study inspire them to improve their skills in English and mathematics. Similarly, topics strongly support the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils.  Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school because they are confident that there is always

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

someone to help them if they need it. Consequently, attendance is above average.  Pupils behave well and show respect to one another. They have a high regard for the expectations for their attitudes and behaviour.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Senior leaders are not making enough use of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning to monitor precisely the progress that pupils’ make.  Lessons do not always provide enough opportunities for pupils to take the lead and experiment with their own ideas or to improve their work after it has been marked.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 12 lessons. These included joint observations with the headteacher and another member of the leadership team. In addition, the inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and other members, the headteacher and teachers with areas of responsibility. A discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the 55 responses to the on-line Parent View survey and parents spoken to during the inspection, as well as the responses to the school governors’ own questionnaire. Inspectors also took account of the 10 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents including the school’s self-evaluation, the plans for improvement and how the school keeps pupils safe. Minutes of governing body meetings and

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Information about this inspection

records relating to behavior and attendance were also examined.  Inspectors analysed the school’s data on pupils’ current progress and evaluated work in pupils’ books. They also examined teachers’ plans for lessons and how the leadership team monitors teaching and staff performance.

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Inspection team

David Howley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jill Thewlis Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Greenfield Junior School is similar in size to an average primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British. There are very few pupils who speak English as an additional language.  An average proportion of pupils is eligible for the pupil premium funding, including those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus and those with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the current floor standard, which sets the government’s minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is no alternative provision for pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve senior leaders’ use of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning, so that teachers can identify more precisely where progress needs to improve.  Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by ensuring that teachers provide more opportunities for pupils to:  experiment with their own ideas and take the lead in their own learning  consolidate their understanding by revisiting and improving their work after it has been marked.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enter Year 3 with above average skills. Evidence from national data shows that the progress that pupils make is improving and pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 is consistently above the national average. It showed also that in 2012 the attainment of Year 6 pupils was the highest in recent years and that the progress of these pupils was significantly better than that typically seen nationally.  The school’s own data show that rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics are consistently good in Year 5 and Year 6. Progress in Year 3 and Year 4 is improving rapidly, as it is for all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, because of the rapid improvement in the quality of teaching over the last year.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding make progress similar to that of other pupils. Their progress in English by the end of Year 6 in 2012 was particularly good; the gap in their overall

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The achievement of pupils is good

attainment, as evidenced by their average point scores compared against other pupils, is closing swiftly. This is because the funding is being used successfully to provide good quality support for these pupils.  The progress for the small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language matches that of other pupils in school.  Progress in reading is good because pupils enjoy reading and are constantly encouraged to do so. Pupils who find reading more difficult described how they are improving because they value the support that they get and like to read every day; one pupil stating enthusiastically, ‘I enjoy reading everywhere.’  Pupils’ attainment in writing is high because in lessons teachers enable pupils to systematically develop different writing skills through interesting topics. In a Year 6 English lesson, pupils enthusiastically planned a statement that would persuade people to oppose child labour in

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The achievement of pupils is good

Victorian England.  Pupils’ progress in mathematics has accelerated and their attainment has risen since the last inspection because pupils rely less on the use of text books and have more practical opportunities to develop their mathematical skills. Similarly, pupils are encouraged to build their confidence by trying the next harder step.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because teachers consistently set clear expectations for pupils’ learning in lessons, resulting in pupils making good progress.  Lessons are well planned because teachers have good subject knowledge and ensure that pupils are clear about what they have to learn and how to achieve this. Teachers also regularly question pupils to check understanding. Consequently, pupils are enthusiastic about using the skills and knowledge they have recently learnt when faced with a new challenge. Nevertheless, they are not always given enough time to do this independently and take more responsibility for their own learning.  Teachers plan to ensure that pupils of different abilities are challenged through appropriate tasks. Teaching assistants effectively support individuals or groups of pupils that find learning more difficult. For example, a teaching assistant skilfully and patiently questioned a pupil to help

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The quality of teaching is good

that pupil formulate their own ideas and overcome their initial lack of confidence.  Regular and informative marking by teachers enables pupils to know how they can improve their work. This is most effective where teachers encourage pupils to respond to their comments. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to consolidate their understanding by revisiting and improving work after it has been marked by the teacher.  Teachers plan a range of activities that contributes greatly to pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. This is because topics are interesting and engage pupils through varied and enriched activities. Year 6 pupils explained enthusiastically how the curriculum had become ‘more exciting because there are lots of different things to do’.  Pupils’ communication skills in reading, writing and mathematics are developed well because topics are used to stimulate pupils’ interest in English and mathematics lessons. As a result,

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils regularly practise their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects because of the strong links within the curriculum. Similarly, prompts to support pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are prominently displayed on classroom walls and used by pupils. For example, a small group of pupils was seen pointing at different words on a display and energetically debating which ones would be most appropriate to use in their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are happy, polite and courteous in lessons, around the school and in the playground. They enjoy coming to school to learn and, consequently, attendance is above average.  Pupils say they feel safe and have a very high regard for their school because ‘there is always someone there to help us if we need it’. Similarly, the very large majority of parents who responded to Parent View indicated that they believe their child feels safe and is well looked after. Parents at the school gate stressed that they are listened to and that the school will always be helpful in addressing any concerns.  Behaviour in lessons is good because lessons are interesting. Pupils collaborate well in their learning and automatically help one another. On the few occasions that lessons lack pace, some pupils disengage. Pupils state that only occasionally do pupils misbehave and that this is dealt with quickly. They have a high regard for the consistent way in which teachers manage

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

behaviour. A group of pupils explained how they think it is ‘really good’ that any pupil who persistently misbehaves is asked to work with another year group so that they can clearly see how good behaviour helps their learning.  Pupils say that there is no bullying and they have a very good understanding of how to keep safe. They can talk widely about personal safety and state that they ‘do lots’ about e-safety. Consequently, they are knowledgeable about the dangers of social media sites on the internet and what they should and should not do.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors, senior leaders, teachers and other adults in the school share the headteacher’s ambition and high expectations for the school. This has contributed to the recent, more rapid improvement in the quality of teaching and the high level of additional progress that pupils had made by the end of Year 6 in 2012.  The school has an accurate view of its strengths and a clear understanding of the priorities for improvement. Effective procedures are in place for evaluating teaching. These procedures place a strong emphasis on continually improving the quality of teaching and senior leaders accurately identify how lessons can be improved further. The professional development of teachers has led to consistency with which lessons are planned and structured.  Senior leaders regularly discuss individual pupils with class teachers in order to set high expectations for pupils’ progress. However, due to the reliance upon tests to measure and report

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The leadership and management are good

on progress, teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning are not always being used rigorously enough to monitor more precisely the progress that pupils make over time.  The dynamic leadership of English and mathematics has further improved the quality of teaching in these areas, especially in mathematics. This is because leaders have scrutinised pupils’ work, identified strengths and weaknesses in teachers’ planning and sought the opinions of pupils on how they like to learn. As a result, pupils benefit from having sharper learning tasks in English lessons and more practical and interesting ways to learn mathematical skills.  Themes and topics are used to link different subjects and make learning interesting. They are planned to meet the wide variety of pupils’ needs and this contributes very effectively to the school’s promotion of equal opportunities and ensuring that any form of discrimination is never

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The leadership and management are good

tolerated. For example, all pupils are able to participate in a wide range of visits and activities, such as learning how to make a profit, in Young Enterprise week. Pupils with special educational needs enthuse about homework because it is interesting and always marked.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well and there are many examples of this in pupils’ work displayed around the school, including a link with a school in Morocco. Similarly, an assembly, based on relationships, very effectively reinforced why it is wrong to do nothing if someone is being unkind to someone else.  The school endeavours to keep good communication with parents, for example through a regular newsletter, and most parents feel they are well informed about their child’s progress. Similarly, governors have sought the views of parents through a questionnaire and responded to a number of negative perceptions that are now no longer evident in Parent View.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides light touch support for this good school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is effective in holding the school to account. Governors benefit from regular training and the new Chair is leading initiatives to further improve governors’ effectiveness, for example the setting up of a parents’ forum. Similarly, governors have improved how they monitor pupils’ progress and have a good awareness of the quality of teaching across the school. They now ask more searching questions and have identified the need for more refined information. They ensure that pupil premium funding is used wisely, for example providing additional teaching assistant support in the classroom. Governors monitor spending effectively and make sure that the school works within its budget. They are aware that procedures for performance management influence teachers’ progression through the

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The leadership and management are good

salary scale, and that there is scope for them to become more closely involved in this process. The headteacher performance management process is robust and one of the ways in which governors set challenging targets for the school. The governing body ensures that all statutory requirements are met, particularly those related to safeguarding.

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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 116071 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 403288

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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 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tracy Savill Headteacher Linda Platt Date of previous school inspection 1 May 2008 Telephone number 01252 843822 Fax number 01252 849921 Email address admin@greenfields-jun.hants.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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