Meath Green Junior School

Meath Green Junior School Greenfields Road, Horley, Surrey, RH6 8HW

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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 Requires improvement 3 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 over time. While current achievement data indicate signs of improvement, too many pupils have made only adequate progress.  Leaders do not collect information about pupils’ progress regularly enough. This makes it hard for teachers to properly plan for those falling behind.  The system for monitoring the quality of teaching is not yet consistently carried out across the school. Not all leaders are effectively engaged in monitoring teaching within their areas of responsibility.  The pace of some lessons is too slow. This is because pupils’ work is not always well matched to their needs. As a result they become unfocused and disengage in learning.  The use of teaching assistants and others who support pupils’ learning is variable. Their work is not always well targeted, resulting in a too variable impact on pupils’ learning and progress.  Pupils do not always receive enough

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

information about how to improve their work so that they can make fast progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Attendance is above average.  Pupils say they feel safe at school and parents agree.  There is effective provision to support pupils’ spiritual and cultural development.  Senior leaders have recently introduced programmes to improve teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 25 lessons, some of which were joint observations with the leadership team, and visited a school assembly.  Meetings were held with pupils, school leaders and staff, as well as representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including those that show the school checks on pupils, plans for future development, and pupils’ progress data. They scrutinised pupils’ work, information about how the school cares for and protects pupils, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspection team took account of 92 responses to the online Parent View survey, together with 26 questionnaires completed by staff

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Inspection team

Emma Merva, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Raminder Arora Additional Inspector Maureen Coleman Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Meath Green Junior School is a larger than average-sized junior school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which is the minimum level expected for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils entitled to support from pupil premium funding is below average. There are no pupils looked after by the local authority or children of service families currently attending the school.  The very large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  There is a daily breakfast club managed by the governing body.  The school has recently been awarded with a bronze sports kite mark and International School

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the proportion of consistently good or better lessons so that pupils make faster progress than previously by ensuring that:  additional adults are consistently deployed effectively in lessons  work for all pupils is well matched to their abilities  lessons move at a brisk pace so that pupils’ learning does not slow  pupils are given consistent advice about how to improve their work.  Strengthen leadership and management by making sure that:  all school leaders and managers consistently monitor teaching within their areas of responsibility  achievement data are analysed more frequently in order to make sure this is well used to track pupils’ progress accurately  effective systems are developed to share good practice.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 From their starting points, pupils’ achievement by the end of Year 6 requires improvement. The school’s internal data suggest that pupils’ achievement is currently improving. However, progress is not good because there is too much variation in the quality of teaching and the effective use of progress information. Occasionally, lessons do not move along sufficiently briskly. As a result, pupils do not make consistently good enough progress across the school in mathematics, reading and writing.  Pupils have a wide selection of reading books and many can read well. However, in 2013, not all pupils made consistently good progress especially the more able. As a result, pupils’ achievement in reading by the end of Year 6 requires improvement.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make adequate progress from their starting points. However, this rate of progress varies too much across the school. Disabled

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

pupils and those who have special educational needs are given support in lessons, but sometimes this support is not targeted well enough.  The progress of the very small number of those who speak English as an additional language requires improvement. Effective use of well-targeted activities, such as one-to-one support, helps their learning.  By the end of Year 6, in 2013, the gap between those entitled to pupil premium funding and others is closing. In 2013 pupils eligible for pupil premium support were two terms behind their peers in mathematics and reading. In writing, they were one term behind their peers. Leaders have used the pupil premium to provide additional learning strategies such as small group support so the gap between these pupils and their peers is closing.  The sports funding has helped to give physical education a high priority in the curriculum. Pupils are able to engage in a wide variety of sporting activities and enhance their well-being.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality teaching overtime requires improvement. New systems have been introduced to improve the quality of teaching and they are currently showing some impact. However, they have not yet sufficiently embedded to have a marked impact across the school.  In a range of lessons, the work is not challenging enough to fully engage all pupils and meet their needs. As a result, pupils become unfocused and make insufficient progress. Teaching assistants and others who support pupils are not provided with sufficient guidance and direction and consequently pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable.  Recent innovations are starting to demonstrate an improvement in the quality of teaching. For example, good practice is beginning to be shared, and improved marking and assessment are evident. The sharing of this good practice requires further developments as do procedures to help pupils understand their current progress and the guidance on how to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the best lessons teachers engage pupils well through exciting and appropriate activities. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson on the application of percentages to real-life situations, the pupils were given challenging problems to solve for themselves. They worked eagerly and made effective use of practical resources to help them to make good progress in working out their answers. In a Year 6 English lesson, pupils made good progress and worked well on their extended writing skills about the Second World War. They excitedly shared their stories with the rest of the class.  Parents in their responses to the online questionnaire ‘Parent View’ felt that their children are generally well taught at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour and safety require improvement because sometimes pupils do not always demonstrate positive attitudes to learning in all lessons. This is especially true when lesson tasks do not offer sufficient challenge or activities do not completely engage them.  General behaviour around the school is usually good although sometimes behaviour in the playground becomes boisterous. Overall, relationships are effective and pupils are able to work together productively when required. Parents say they are happy with behaviour.  Pupils are aware of what constitutes bullying and its different forms including cyber bullying and safe use of the internet. Pupils say bullying is rare and if it does happen they know how to get help. They also believe it will be dealt with effectively. Pupils say they feel safe at the school. One pupil said, ‘Our school is very safe and we enjoyed the activities in anti-bullying week.’ This

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

view is supported by parents who completed the online questionnaire. Pupils say that they enjoy being ‘play time buddies’ to help pupils get along in the playground. Attendance is above average and has been sustained over time. The school monitors punctuality closely and works well with parents to ensure that pupils come to school on time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement. The quality of teaching remains inconsistent and achievement over time is not good enough. School leaders are aware of the strengths and areas for development and have implemented recent strategies to address these. This demonstrates a capacity to improve.  The headteacher provides clear leadership and she is well supported by senior leaders. The school’s self-evaluation process has correctly identified areas for improvement. These are included in the school development plan, involve middle leaders and are shared with governors. However, tracking and the use of pupils’ progress data, especially in terms of its frequency and rigour, still require improvement.  Secure actions have been taken to improve the quality of teaching. During the inspection joint observations showed that leaders are able to judge the quality of lessons accurately. However, the relatively new tracking of the quality of teaching and the scrutiny of documentation over

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The leadership and management requires improvement

time indicate that teaching judgments and self-evaluation are overgenerous when compared to pupils’ progress.  Some of the middle leaders are new to their roles and have only been in post since September 2013. They demonstrate enthusiasm and a keenness to perform their roles well. However, they require time in order to completely settle into their roles and support the school’s recent improvement plans.  Performance management procedures are in place and meet the national guidelines, including the use of Teachers’ Standards. Targets are set and reviewed appropriately. They are linked to the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance.  Safeguarding meets statutory requirements.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. It offers many opportunities for pupils to develop a range of knowledge and skills. For example, there is effective use of personal, social and health education to enable pupils to develop wider skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Opportunities are now in place to help pupils strengthen their literacy, numeracy and communication skills. Pupils said that they enjoyed using the library for reading. They were also pleased with their access to computers to help them with their work. The breakfast club provides a calm and purposeful start to the day. There are many opportunities to participate in sporting events and the school is active in local competitions. All pupils benefit from the additional sports funding which has allowed pupils to take part in a wide range of sporting activities such as netball, football and cross-country. There are also a variety of clubs and activities such as the choir and the school orchestra which encourage pupils to augment their knowledge of music. International links with Eastern Europe and Africa for the ‘shoe box appeal’ help to develop pupils’ understanding of wider cultures.  Pupils’ spiritual and cultural understanding is a strength of the school. Pupils are active in the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

community, helping, for example, to raise money for the local ‘Macmillan Nurses’.  The local authority provides support for the school. For example, it provides whole-school reviews to support self-evaluation.  The school has effective strategies to ensure positive relationship with parents; for example, there is an active parent committee and those who responded to Parent View are very positive about the work of the school.  The school’s welcoming environment and ethos based on respect for all support equality of opportunity.  The governance of the school:  Governors have the required documentation to provide appropriate challenge and support. For example, they receive updates from the headteacher on pupils’ progress. This has enabled them to have an understanding about pupils’ achievement and that it has not been fast enough. They are also aware that current data indicates some improvement. They have

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The leadership and management requires improvement

sufficient knowledge to understand the school’s strengths and areas for development and are able to hold senior leaders to account. They are now able to provide greater challenge and support to improve pupils’ progress. Governors monitor the school’s performance management processes and understand the link between teachers’ pay increases and classroom performance. They have an effective understanding of the funding of the pupil premium, its use and impact on pupils’ achievement. The governing body ensures that safeguarding meets statutory requirements. It makes sure that risk assessments are in place and reviews all policies at appropriate intervals. Governors have undertaken a range of professional development to support them in their roles. Examples include training in performance management, safeguarding, safer recruitment and finance. The governors are aware how the published data compare with schools nationally.

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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 125012 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 426508

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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 364 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Sutton Headteacher Alison Hilton-Childs Date of previous school inspection 9−10 November 2011 Telephone number 01293784298 Fax number 01293822359 Email address head@meath-green-junior.sch.surrey.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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