Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Downend

Christ Church C of E Junior School Pendennis Road, Downend, Bristol, BS16 5JJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 Good 2

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

 Teaching requires improvement because over time it has not been good enough to help pupils make consistently good progress.  Sometimes pupils struggle in their understanding because teachers do not check often enough in some lessons on how well they are doing.  Pupils are not clear how to improve their work, especially in mathematics, because teachers do not consistently give them the guidance they need.  Over time pupils’ achievement requires improvement because they do not make good progress across the school, particularly in mathematics.  As a result there has been a fall in the attainment and progress made by pupils in reading, writing and mathematics since 2011 but particularly in 2013.  Subject leaders do not regularly observe pupils learning in lessons and help teachers improve by providing feedback and sharing good practice.

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The school has the following strengths:

 The headteacher, along with senior staff, is successfully raising pupils’ attainment and progress and improving the quality of teaching. Pupils are now making accelerated progress particularly in reading and writing. For example pupils in Years 5 and 6 are on track to significantly raise attainment from the 2013 results in the national tests.  The governing body provides a good level of support and questions effectively senior leaders about the work of the school.  Behaviour and the school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure are good. As a result, pupils feel safe and are keen to learn.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 21 lessons and part lessons and observed 10 teachers. All classroom teachers were observed and the lead inspector observed eight part lessons with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority and a group of pupils.  Inspectors examined pupils’ work, analysed the school’s records of pupils’ progress, took account of the school’s own judgements about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement, and plans to improve the school.  Inspectors analysed 47 responses made by parents and carers who completed the Parent View survey on the Ofsted website.

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Inspection team

James Henry, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sue Hornell Additional Inspector Matthew Cottrell Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Christ Church Junior School is larger than the average size junior school.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and those from service families.  The school meets the current government floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2.  The school has experienced staffing difficulties over the past two years with key members of staff, including the headteacher, absent from school for extended periods of time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it has a consistently positive impact on pupils’ learning by making sure that:  pupils understand what they are learning and how to extend it  pupils know how to improve their work, particularly in mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement in mathematics by:  improving pupils’ mental and written calculation skills, making sure they can apply them in a range of different situations  giving pupils mathematical problems to solve that are not too easy for them.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the role of subject leaders by enabling them to regularly observe teaching across the school and provide feedback and share good practice that will help teachers improve their teaching.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because pupils do not make good progress over time across the school in reading, writing and particularly in mathematics.  Pupils join the school with attainment that is broadly average.  The attainment and progress of pupils have been falling since the good standards achieved in 2011. There was a particular dip in 2013 when attainment, particularly in mathematics, fell to below the national average.  Over time different groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics and leave the school in Year 6 with attainment that is broadly average.  Pupils’ progress is inconsistent in different classes and across different year groups. While school assessments show no particular trends, over time pupils make better progress in writing and mathematics in Year 6 than in other year groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 However, progress made by all groups of pupils, including White British pupils and the more able, is slower in mathematics than in reading and writing across the school. This is partly because the pace at which pupils learn mental and written calculation skills is not consistent and pupils do not always have the chance to apply them in different situations.  At times the work is too easy for some pupils in mathematics and this prevents them from making rapid progress in their understanding.  Although there was a fall in attainment in 2013, accurate school assessments, pupils’ work and observations of pupils’ progress in lessons show that pupils are now beginning to make accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics across the different year groups.  This is partly due to the extra support given to different groups of pupils. For example more-able pupils are being taught well and given difficult work in a small group to help them achieve the

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

higher National Curriculum levels of attainment in reading and writing.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium make broadly expected progress in line with other groups in the school. The school’s own information shows that the gap in attainment between eligible pupils and the others is closing in all year groups. This is the gap shown in 2013, when eligible pupils left Year 6 approximately one term behind the other pupils in reading, half a term in writing and one and a half terms in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because teaching has not been consistently good enough over time to ensure pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics across the school. Teachers sometimes set tasks that are too easy or too hard for pupils, who struggle to understand what they are learning.  Teachers mark pupils’ work carefully and regularly. However, feedback given in writing is better than in mathematics. This is because pupils are not consistently given clear advice about how to improve their work in mathematics.  The quality of teaching is improving strongly with some good teaching seen during the inspection. For example, pupils learn well when teachers use questioning and discussions effectively. In science the teacher was using an interactive whiteboard to demonstrate an experiment about changing a solid into a liquid and questioning pupils to think about why and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

when it happened.  Teaching assistants often support small groups of pupils who may need extra help. They are generally used well by teachers, particularly in helping disabled pupils and those with special educational needs with their learning. This means that all groups of pupils have an equal opportunity to learn and be involved in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. There are good relationships between pupils and adults in the school with staff being good role models for pupils.  Pupils are normally polite and courteous to one another with appropriate respect for different staff, such as teaching assistants and dinner supervisors.  Behaviour in the playground, dinner hall and corridors is generally good but not exemplary. For example pupils will run the short distance from the cloakrooms to the dinner hall if not supervised by an adult. However, normally, pupils do as they are told when corrected.  Behaviour in lessons is generally good and there was no poor behaviour observed during the inspection that interfered with pupils’ learning.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe in school. They understand the difference between bullying of different kinds and squabbles and say that

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

although a ‘few people can be unkind’ there is very little bullying in school. Pupils have the confidence in staff to deal with bullying if it does occur.  The school helps pupils keep themselves safe through activities such as talks about ‘stranger danger’, e-safety training and visits to the ‘Life Skills’ centre where pupils learn how to stay safe out of school.  Pupils value their school and are keen to learn. This is reflected in pupils’ good attendance rates which are above the national average.  Pupils’ work is generally neatly presented with pupils respecting the resources they are given such as books, felt-tip pens and art materials.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other leaders, including the governing body, set high expectations and have a clear vision for the school.  The school now has more stable leadership following periods of staff absence. Leaders and the governing body identified the decline in standards and have acted quickly and successfully this year to tackle the fall in the attainment and progress of pupils.  However initiatives have been introduced by leaders across the school over the past two years, particularly in reading and writing, that have accelerated pupils’ learning across the school. As a result pupils in Years 5 and 6 are on track to significantly raise attainment in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly in the number of more-able pupils achieving the higher levels in the national tests at the end of Key Stage 2. Also school assessments and pupils’ work show that more-able pupils and those of average ability in Years 3 and 4 are working at levels above those

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The leadership and management are good

expected for their age.  Actions taken include more accurate tracking and assessing of pupils’ progress across the school to identify and provide extra help for pupils who may be falling behind. There has also been more rigorous checking of teachers’ planning and the quality of pupils’ work and the headteacher has been checking effectively the quality of teaching.  This has resulted in teaching improving strongly and pupils’ achievement across the school improving quickly. However, this has yet to be seen in pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6.  Subject leaders consistently examine pupils’ books to check they are making good progress and check teachers’ planning and observe each other’s lessons. However they do not regularly observe teaching across the school. As a result opportunities are missed for good experienced teachers to provide feedback to other teachers and share good practice that would help them

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The leadership and management are good

improve their lessons.  The headteacher manages the performance of staff well and there are clear targets for teachers about improving their teaching and increasing the progress of the pupils they teach.  The school works closely with other local schools to provide professional training for staff. For example subject leaders from the different schools have met to share good ideas about how best to introduce the new National Curriculum.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils’ social and cultural development is promoted through a wide range of sporting and musical activities and visits to different places, such as the Slavery Museum in Bristol..  The school has strong links with the local church and the vicar, along with the headteacher, leads assemblies talking about different values that foster pupils’ spiritual and moral development.  Good relationships are fostered in the local community through activities such as the choir

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The leadership and management are good

singing in the church and at various events and places, including the nursing home for local elderly residents.  The school is using the primary sports funding to support activities such as football, netball and mixed tag rugby for pupils of all levels of abilities. However the school has yet to check on the difference this is making to pupils’ health and well-being.  The local authority provides a light touch for the school with leaders requesting support when necessary.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school well. Through undertaking appropriate training, governors have a good understanding of school data which they use well to question school leaders about pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching, especially when standards fall. They understand how the money from the pupil premium is being spent and use their questioning of senior leaders about the progress of eligible pupils to confirm it is improving their

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The leadership and management are good

achievement. Governors effectively manage the performance of the headteacher and there are appropriate systems to hold staff to account, especially in ensuring any salary increases are suitably earned. Governors check well that safeguarding requirements are met and appropriately monitor the spending of the school budget.

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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 109165 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 431483

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 295 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Nee Headteacher Alex Wilkinson Date of previous school inspection 28 January 2009 Telephone number 01454 866516 Fax number 01454 866518 Email address christchurchjuniordownend@southglos.gov.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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