Prospect Hill Junior School

Prospect Hill Junior School Maple Drive, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S81 0LR

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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.  Generally, the pupils make at least the progress that is expected nationally and attainment has been, typically, above the national averages in the period since the previous inspection. As a result, when combined with the good provision for their social, moral, spiritual, and cultural development, the pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The pupils’ progress is secured by consistently good teaching. Lessons capture the interest and attention of the pupils, often through imaginative and creative activities.  The school helps the pupils to become mature and confident young people. They show much respect for one another and adults. They respond promptly to the teachers’ instructions and develop positive attitudes to learning.  The headteacher has imbued the school with a strong sense of teamwork. The school is orderly and well organised.  Leaders and governors are clearly committed

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

to the progressive development of and improvement to the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement, which, allied to well- conceived and creative ways of working, has secured a high level of consistency of good practice.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not sufficient teaching that is outstanding to ensure that the pupils make rapid progress and exceed the expected levels.  The level of persistent absence has been too high recently.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 15 lessons taught by eight members of staff, including three carried out jointly with the headteacher, small-group sessions taken by different members of staff, assemblies, and carried out a series of short visits to classrooms to check on the pupils’ learning and behaviour. They listened to pupils reading and looked at a sample of the pupils’ work.  The inspectors held meetings with leaders and managers, representatives of the governing body, and spoke with a representative of the local authority. They spoke with many pupils in lessons and around the school.  The inspectors checked the 19 responses on Parent View and discussed with the school the evidence it had available about the views of parents and carers. They spoke with and took account of information sent to the inspectors by parents. They analysed questionnaires completed by 25 members of staff.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including: the school development plan,

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Information about this inspection

policies, records relating to the support provided by the school to individual pupils, records relating to the pupils’ behaviour, the school’s data on the pupils’ achievement and attendance, safeguarding, and surveys of the pupils’ views.

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Inspection team

Clive Moss, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Aileen King Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This junior school is smaller than the average primary school, but has increased by 25% since the previous inspection.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well-below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average, but has more than doubled since the previous inspection. The school receives additional government funding for those pupils, known as the pupil premium.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at the school action stage is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards for the attainment and progress of pupils.  The school has achieved several awards, including the Dyslexia Friendly Schools Quality Mark, the International Schools award, the Investors in Pupils award, the Healthy Schools Gold award,

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Information about this school

and the Eco-Schools award. It is also part of the Bassetlaw Sport and Physical Activity Partnership.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of teaching that is outstanding by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to work autonomously sometimes, pursuing their learning in ways that interest them and of their own choosing  questioning pupils more systematically in lessons to challenge and extend their thinking and to identify and correct misconceptions  ensuring marking routinely gives pupils a clear understanding of what specifically has been done well, what needs to be improved, and how they can improve their work  ensuring that there is always work available to extend and challenge the pupils, particularly those who finish tasks quickly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Work with parents and carers and pupils to ensure good rates of attendance.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Usually, a greater proportion of the pupils make at least the progress that is expected than is the case nationally. Different groups of pupils make similar amounts of progress, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, the most able, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium have usually made similar progress to and reached similar levels to those of other pupils at the school in the period since the previous inspection. In the 2012 national tests, the average points scores for those pupils meant that they were approximately one third of a level below other pupils in both English and mathematics. The proportion reaching level 4 or better in English was the same as for other pupils at the school, however, and above the national average for all pupils. The school’s data on the pupils’ progress in 2013 indicate that these pupils are making similar amounts of progress to other groups in all year groups and differences in attainment are reducing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Usually, the pupils’ attainment has been similar in both English and mathematics. Attainment in mathematics fell sharply in 2012, as a result of a small number of pupils who, very narrowly, missed reaching the expected standard. The school’s data indicate that attainment in mathematics improved in 2013 and was more typical of that seen previously.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school promotes reading well. In reading, the proportions of pupils making at least the progress expected and of those exceeding it are greater than is found nationally. When heard by the inspectors, weaker readers could use their knowledge of the sounds that letters make to read accurately, but read rather hesitantly. The school ensures that those pupils read regularly, but not sufficiently frequently to speed up their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching engages and motivates the pupils very well. The teachers are careful to involve the full range of pupils in lessons and to provide additional support for those who need it. Lessons are carefully structured and well organised, but there was very little evidence of opportunities for the pupils to pursue their own interests, or to work out for themselves how best to do the work required of them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In an example of some of the most-effective teaching seen during the inspection, some Year 6 pupils were asked to teach others about the use of punctuation. The teacher organised the class into groups, based upon careful analysis of which pupils needed to learn particular things.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Often, the teachers use imaginative approaches to teaching that make potentially dry topics fun to learn about. A prime example of that was seen in two Year 6 literacy lessons, when all of the pupils, manifestly, enjoyed using ‘Kung Fu’-style movements to learn about punctuation. The combination of actions and sounds reinforced the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of how to use punctuation. That was evident particularly when one pupil was able, without assistance or prompting from the teacher, to identify and correct errors that she had made by reflecting on a performance of her work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The inspectors saw many examples of effective questioning of the pupils. Sometimes, though not routinely, the teachers devise questions to make the pupils think more deeply about something, or to test how well the pupils have understood something, or not and then adapt the lesson accordingly. There were few examples of the pupils having the opportunity to ask their own questions.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teachers are mindful of the pupils’ different levels of attainment and individual needs when planning lessons. Tasks are devised to promote interaction and cooperation, to challenge the pupils and take them progressively to higher levels, and older pupils in particular become very familiar with what is needed to reach higher levels in national tests.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Occasionally, a minority of more-able pupils were left without work to do, having completed that which had been set quickly, including higher-level, extension work, or spent time unnecessarily on initial activities that were well within their capabilities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported well, so that they are able to take part in whole-class learning, but benefit also from additional support in a range of ways, including small groups and individually.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants provide effective support. In a numeracy session observed by an inspector, the teaching assistant monitored the progress of each pupil in a small group carefully and used good knowledge of the topic to challenge each pupil progressively and move them on to increasingly difficult work. The pace of the pupils’ progress was steady, consistent and secure.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of marking seen by the inspectors varied. Comments written by the teachers gave praise and offered encouragement and, sometimes, referred to particular things that had been done well, or could be better. Overall, there was not enough marking that provided the pupils with clear advice, so that they understood precisely what they had done well, or what to do to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The pupils are willing learners. They take part in lessons and assemblies readily.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 They are very approachable, engaging in conversations and discussions readily, well mannered, cooperate and play well together. They exhibit patience towards and tolerance of people’s differences, but with a strong sense of the commonalities between people from different backgrounds.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Members of staff manage the pupils’ behaviour very effectively. The pupils respond positively and promptly to instructions. The quality of the relationships between the staff and the pupils and between the pupils themselves has a positive impact on the pupils’ learning and progress. One visitor to the school from a theatre group commented on the, ‘fantastic atmosphere, enthusiastic children and helpful, friendly staff’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All groups of pupils say they feel safe at school. They acquire a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet, a topic that is covered regularly at the school. They move around the corridors and classrooms sensibly, even at busy times and in crowded areas.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The pupils say that there is little misbehaviour at the school and such as there is tends to be silliness in the playground. They say that bullying is rare and the school’s records confirm that. The pupils have a good understanding of some forms of bullying and of what constitutes racist behaviour and express sensible and thoughtful views on such matters, but are less aware of others, such as homophobia.  Exclusions are very rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has typically been above average, but fell markedly between 2011 and 2012, due to a significant increase in persistent absence among a very small minority of the pupils. It has improved since to be broadly average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has brought about a collective determination among the staff to develop the quality of teaching continually. She has established ways of working at the school that ensure responsibility is shared and that improvement does not rely on a few people only. As a result, there have been incremental improvements in teaching, leading to the currently high level of consistently good teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leaders and managers are astute in identifying aspects of teaching that could be more effective, making full use of data on the pupils’ achievement in reaching their conclusions. Their observations and evaluations always lead to action and carefully planned professional development. Actions to bring about improvements are agreed with the teachers, including, but not exclusively, as part of the appraisal of teachers’ performance, and the leaders and managers, always, check that the required improvements have been made.

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The leadership and management are good

 As an example of the impact of the school’s approach to improvement, the causes of a sudden and significant decline in the pupils’ achievement in mathematics in 2012 were identified quickly and appropriate action taken to bring about improvement. As a result, the school’s data for 2013, though provisional and unvalidated nationally, suggest that the problem has been rectified and the pupils’ achievement has returned to more-typical levels.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum provides a broad and rich range of often-exciting and memorable opportunities. They include: performance poetry, links with a local food company, and work during a ‘creativity week’ on the question ‘How multicultural is London?’ – which makes a significant contribution to the pupils’ successful social, moral, spiritual and cultural development and their enjoyment of learning. For example, one pupil wrote in response to a ‘science day’ event, ‘I never thought science could be so much fun.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum includes a good variety of opportunities for physical education and sport, including clubs for ‘boxercise’, table tennis and trips to sporting events, such as the Ashes. Although it has not yet received the additional government funding for primary schools’ sport, the school has made appropriate plans to extend the range, once the funding is available.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school takes care to ensure that the full range of pupils takes part in the opportunities it provides. For example, pupils with special educational needs are members of the school council and play a full role in leading school assemblies. Pupil premium funding has been used to ensure eligible pupils can take part in opportunities such as the Children’s University.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school gives high priority to working with parents and carers. The impact of that is apparent in the very positive views of the school expressed by parents and carers in comments and surveys and directly to the inspectors. Seventy parents and carers attended a recent ‘parents’ activity morning’; when asked about the things the school did best, one Year 6 pupil referred straightaway and unprompted to the these events and the opportunities for parents and carers to work with their children in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 One parent of a child with special educational needs wrote to the inspectors to describe the support not only for the pupil, but also for the whole family as ‘first class’ and the efforts of the staff involved as ‘over and beyond the call of duty’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has maintained a ‘light touch’ approach to the school, understandably in view of the school’s performance in recent years. Nevertheless, it, rightly, maintains an overview of the data about the pupils’ achievement and attendance, in order to determine whether a higher level of support is needed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body demonstrates strong commitment to the school, meeting frequently to ensure that its business can be completed effectively. It oversees the work of the school conscientiously, receiving regular reports on the pupils’ achievement, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and on the quality of teaching. Governors know about the quality of teaching and the pupils’ achievement throughout the school.  The governing body ensures that relevant policies are reviewed and updated regularly and that the performance management of the headteacher and of the staff are carried out properly. It receives external advice and training in order to develop members’ skills and understanding.  It keeps careful oversight of the school’s finances and discusses frequently matters related to the use of the pupil premium. It has ensured that the pupil premium funding has been spent

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The leadership and management are good

on things that support pupils’ learning directly. Governors have a general sense of how well the pupils are doing, but the evaluation is not currently very rigorous.  Arrangements for safeguarding meet requirements.

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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 122730 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 427379

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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 203 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stewart Hutchinson Headteacher Susan Osborn Date of previous school inspection 23 November 2009 Telephone number 01909 472465 Fax number 01909 472465 Email address head@prospecthill-jun.notts.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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