Grange Junior School

Grange Junior School Franklin Road, Rowner, Gosport, PO13 9TS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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 make good progress in English and mathematics, which enables them to reach national standards of attainment by the time they leave the school.  Teaching is consistently good across the school and there is some that is outstanding.  The school’s outstanding care and support systems enable pupils in danger of underachieving to overcome difficulties and learn well.  Pupils’ behaviour both in class and around the school is outstanding. They feel safe, enjoy coming to school and help each other to learn extremely well.  The strong senior leadership team, with the support of governors, have ensured that teaching and achievement have improved. They have the support of all the staff, parents and pupils. Pupils’ well-being and their learning develop very well alongside each other, resulting in them being well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not make outstanding progress in enough lessons. They do not have enough opportunities to apply and deepen their learning through writing extended pieces and in tackling activities which really stretch them, especially more able pupils in mathematics.  Marking is not consistently precise enough so some pupils do not understand what they need to do to improve their work.  Governors do not have a significant enough role in decision making and in making plans for the future.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons, of which six were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons and observed an assembly. They also looked at pupils’ books with senior leaders and observed other aspects of the school’s work.  Meetings were held with the vice-chair of the governing body and school staff. Groups of pupils were interveiwed about their learning and well-being. Pupils also gave inspectors a tour of the school and inspectors spoke to them about their reading and listened to them read. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the eight responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s own survey of parental views, and spoke to parents at the school gate. Inspectors reviewed 20 questionnaire responses from staff.  A number of documents were looked at, including the school’s own data relating to pupils’

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Information about this inspection

achievement in the school year 2011/12 and since Septermber 2012, the school’s self-evaluation summary and school development plan, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, policy documents and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Martin Marsh, Lead inspector Additional inspector Jill Thewlis Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Grange Junior School is an average-sized primary school in an area of above-average social deprivation.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for specific groups), of whom well over half have parents in the armed forces, is above average.  The proportions of pupils identified as at school action or school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are higher than found nationally.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who do not have English as their first langauge is lower than found nationally.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  Since the previous inspection there have been changes in the senior leadership and in the teaching staff. In September 2012 the school appointed two teachers who are new to the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so pupils make outstanding progress in a greater proportion of lessons by:  giving pupils regular opportunities to practise their writing in a range of different contexts  giving mathematically able pupils more opportunities to really stretch their thinking by attempting more challenging problems  improving the quality of marking so that it shows more precisely what the pupils need to do to improve their work.  Develop the role of governors so that they have a greater involvement in decisions and in making plans for the future.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enter the school with attainment below that expected nationally. They make good progress as a result of good and improving teaching and the excellent systems to check on pupils’ progress. As a result, pupils who are at risk of falling behind are quickly identified and given additional help so they catch up. Good support in class and in small groups out of class enables disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to participate fully in lessons and make similarly good progress.  Standards of attainment in English and mathematics when pupils leave the school improved in 2012 to be in line with those nationally. Pupils make consistently good progress in all year groups in school.  Pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding receive individual support and small group tuition. These pupils make good and often rapid progress because of this excellent targeting of the funding to support their needs. As a result they catch up and attain virtually in line with all

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils nationally by the time they leave the school.  Pupils read widely and with enjoyment. Their grammar, punctuation and spelling are average. Calculation skills are well developed, with pupils in Year 6 able to multiply decimals and compare fractions. The handwriting of some pupils is untidy and not well formed, and in some classes they do not get enough opportunity to write for extended lengths of time or to apply their writing skills in a wide enough range of contexts. Recent work to help teachers to understand how to improve pupils’ writing is quickening the rate of progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Excellent relationships between teachers and pupils and between the pupils themselves are typical of all lessons. As a result, pupils listen to their teachers and learn well from each other in the many opportunities they get to work in pairs or groups. They concentrate hard when asked to work on their own.  Teachers use extra adults well, making sure they have a clear role in all parts of the lesson. Provision for pupils for whom English is not their first language is good, with well-managed programmes that combine support in the classroom with additional individual work.  Lessons are well planned, with a lot of thought given to work for pupils of different levels of ability. This enables all pupils to learn skills well but they do not spend enough time in some classes on doing sustained pieces of writing to enable them to apply their skills in a range of contexts. In some mathematics lessons pupils are not given enough opportunity to apply their

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The quality of teaching is good

skills to solve problems and do investigations. The most able sometimes practice skills they are already confident in and are not given challenging activities to really stretch their thinking often enough.  One parent said, ‘They always find interesting things for the children to do.’ This comment sums up how the teachers strive to present material to pupils in an interesting way so that they are engaged and motivated. The curriculum is enhanced by a good range of visitors to school and by day and residential trips.  Teachers check learning in lessons well and give good indications to pupils about what they need to do to be successful in a lesson. In a Year 3 lesson, pupils each had a very clear checklist of what they were expected to include in a poem and were checking to see if they had included it. As a result they were continually focused on what the teacher wanted them to learn. Marking is done regularly but often does not identify precisely enough what pupils need to do to improve

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 ‘Grange is great!’: one pupil’s description of his school, and typical of the pride that pupils feel. Pupils really enjoy coming to school and have total confidence in their teachers to support them, keep them safe and help them to learn well.  Around the school and in the playground, pupils’ behaviour is typically excellent. Year 6 pupils spoke proudly about being in ‘Grange Guardians’, a group which looks out for any pupils who may be unhappy in the playground and tries to help them. They take every opportunity to be involved in the school community, such as by serving on the school council or being an ‘eco- warrior’.  The school manages pupils’ behaviour extremely well. The school makes a remarkable difference to pupils who have found it difficult in other schools, and is extremely effective in settling them into school and helping them to learn. Pupils commented on how effectively the school makes

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

this happen: ‘One boy has changed his behaviour completely. He can now play properly and is really nice.’  Pupils spoke highly of a ‘story group’ programme run by the school’s well-trained home–school link worker specifically targeted at pupils from forces families which is successful in helping these pupils deal with feeling unhappy, especially when one of their parents may be away on active duty. This is very effective because it gives pupils opportunities to write about their feelings and discuss them with a trained adult so they are able to cope better with their learning in class.  Pupils are extremely welcoming and polite. Pupils delighted in showing inspectors their work and explaining what they were learning. Pupils have excellent social skills and a highly developed understanding of right and wrong which enables them to respect each other’s differences. This shows the school is effective in promoting equality of opportunity, fostering good relations and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

tackling discrimination.  Attendance has risen and is above average. The school has rigorous processes in place that include visits to pupils’ homes on the first morning of absence.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s senior leadership team communicate high aspirations for the school. They fully understand the need to develop pupils’ well-being alongside their learning. The range of skills of the headteacher and two assistant headteachers complement each other well to enable this to happen.  Parents, staff and pupils are fully behind the school. The school’s care and support systems for all the pupils and their families are very strong. ‘If I have a problem I can get help’ and ‘I can’t fault it in any way’ were typical comments from parents.  The use of data to check on pupils’ progress is thorough and is used to hold teachers to account and inform the school’s judgement on the quality of teaching. There are rigorous processes to check on teaching and regular reviews to assess teachers’ progress against targets set to improve their teaching. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress are both

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The leadership and management are good

improving.  Self-evaluation is accurate and results in plans for the future which are appropriate.  The local authority has provided excellent support to the school since the previous inspection. It has successfully helped leaders at all levels to develop in their roles, particularly the senior leaders. As a result, the school is now rightly a low priority for additional support.  Integrated well within all areas of the well-designed and balanced curriculum are opportunities for pupils to learn about different forms of bullying such as cyber-bullying, and for social, moral, spiritual and cultural development, such as in the school’s links with a school in the Caribbean, ‘Help for Heroes’ day and displays of pupils’ artwork at Southampton Gallery.  The governance of the school:  The governors are very supportive of the school and have an accurate understanding of the school’s current position. They understand data and how the school compares with other

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The leadership and management are good

schools. Financial management is effective and they are aware of how the pupil premium funding is being spent and the difference this is making for pupils. Governors know about the quality of teaching in the school and how teachers are rewarded for their performance. They understand the need for training and are accessing the local authority’s training packages for governor development. They are beginning to challenge the school more but do not have enough say in decision making or in making plans for the future development of the school. The governing body helps the school in meeting safeguarding responsibilities, particularly regarding the safety of pupils and the appointment of staff.

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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 116170 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 401569

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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 220 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Kirkland Headteacher David Jones Date of previous school inspection 25–26 May 2010 Telephone number 023 9258 1172 Fax number 023 9252 3714 Email address adminoffice@grange-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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