Iver Heath Junior School

Iver Heath Junior School St Margaret’s Close, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, SL0 0DA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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.  This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (HMCI) the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same act.  Senior leaders, led effectively by the headteacher, rigorously monitor teaching and track pupils’ progress thoroughly.  The school has improved significantly since it was judged to require special measures and is now a good school.  Teaching has improved steadily and is now consistently good.  Pupils are now making good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics, with attainment rising particularly in Years 5 and 6.  Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school.  The school works well to help pupils understand how to keep themselves safe.  Pupils enjoy school and are keen to learn. They

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

say there is very little bullying and if necessary it is dealt with effectively.  The governing body knows the school well and regularly checks that the headteacher and other senior leaders are maintaining and improving teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not outstanding. Teachers sometimes misjudge when to move pupils on in lessons and there are occasions when less able pupils are not fully stretched according to their abilities.  Progress in mathematics is not as rapid as in reading and writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 20 lessons and part lessons and observed eight teachers. The headteacher and lead inspector visited eight part lessons together.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, members of the governing body, a group of pupils and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors examined pupils work; scrutinised information on pupils’ progress; and looked at the school’s own judgements about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement and the sports premium action plan.  Inspectors examined school assessments showing pupils’ abilities on entry to the school in Year 3 that had been checked by the local authority.  Inspectors checked school arrangements for safeguarding pupils.  Inspectors took in to account responses from 21 parents and carers who completed the Parent View survey on the Ofsted website.  As this inspection began as a monitoring inspection, questionnaires were not circulated to staff

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Information about this inspection

and so their views of the provision were collected during conversations held during the course of the inspection.  When the school was inspected in November 2011, it was judged to require special measures. Subsequently, the school received four monitoring visits. On the occasion of this, the fifth monitoring visit, the school was no longer deemed to require special measures.

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Inspection team

James Henry, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Velia Hartland Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this school

 Iver Heath is slightly smaller than schools of a similar type.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are in receipt of the pupil premium (those eligible for free school meals, those in care and those with a parent or carer in the armed services) is below the national average. However, there are no pupils in the school with a parent or carer in the armed forces.  The school meets the current government floor standards which set the minimum requirements for pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2.  A full governing body has now taken over responsibility for the school from the temporary interim executive board that was established when the school was judged to require special

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently outstanding by:  ensuring teachers accurately judge when to move pupils on quickly or to give them more time to fully understand what they are learning  ensuring less able pupils are more regularly challenged in lessons according to their ability  providing more opportunities for middle leaders to observe teaching in different subjects and provide feedback and share good practice that will help teachers improve their lessons.  Increase pupils’ progress in mathematics, particularly for the less able, by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to practise and use their mathematical knowledge and understanding in different ways and in different subjects  ensuring teachers are clearer in their comments to pupils about how to improve their work in mathematics and consistently check that pupils have responded correctly to the guidance given.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As the school required special measures at the last inspection in November 2011, past national data show that pupils did not make good enough progress.  However, during the past year the school has been constantly inspected and, as a result, has improved significantly. Now in pupils’ work, accurate teacher assessments and observations in lessons show that all groups of pupils currently at the school, including White British pupils, are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The most able pupils are making good progress because they are being consistently stretched and challenged in lessons.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are making good progress because teachers plan tasks well to meet their abilities and extra support is provided by teaching assistants in lessons.  Progress in reading and writing is more rapid than in mathematics. This is partly because pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

are not given enough opportunities to practise and use their knowledge and understanding in different ways and in different subjects. For example, in one lesson, pupils missed the opportunity to use their prior knowledge about symmetry when investigating different shapes with the same perimeter.  There are occasions when less able pupils’ progress slows because these pupils are sometimes given tasks that do not match and stretch their abilities, particularly in mathematics.  The school has accurate information, independently checked and verified by the local authority, to correctly measure pupils’ starting points when the pupils enter the school in Year 3. This enables teachers to track carefully pupils’ progress from their starting points and provide extra support in small groups for those who may be falling behind. This helps pupils catch up quickly and continue to make good progress.  The school has a very effective system for teaching early reading skills (phonics). This helps

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils, especially in Year 3, who have not passed the phonics screening check, to catch up in their reading. It is one of the main reasons why progress in reading is rapid.  Due to pupils currently at the school making good progress, attainment has risen. School assessments shows that pupils in Years 5 and 6 are on track to raise attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 to above the 2012 national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils in receipt of the pupil premium are making good progress in line with other groups in the school. The achievement gap is closing in the different year groups across the school. In 2013, pupils in receipt of the pupil premium left the school approximately two terms behind those pupils who were not eligible for the funding, in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with over four terms in 2012. The school information shows that this gap will continue to close by the

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is now consistently good, with examples of some outstanding teaching in phonics lessons. This is because teachers plan tasks that match the abilities of most groups of pupils, especially the most able.  Teachers use their good subject knowledge and enthusiasm to make lessons interesting for most pupils. As a result, all groups of pupils make good progress in lessons.  Teachers use question and answer sessions effectively to help pupils understand what they are learning in lessons.  However, there are occasions when teachers do not judge accurately when to move pupils on quickly or when to allow pupils more time to grasp fully what they are learning, especially those who are less able.  Teaching assistants are deployed well by teachers to help pupils in lessons and in small groups, particularly disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those who may be falling behind, to catch up on their learning. This is a clear example of how the school ensures

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The quality of teaching is good

all pupils have an equal opportunity to learn and none are discriminated against.  In marking, teachers provide regular feedback to pupils with opportunities for pupils to respond to the guidance given.  However, teaching is not yet outstanding because there are occasions when teachers’ comments in pupils’ mathematics books are not clear enough to help pupils understand how to improve their work. As a result, sometimes, pupils get their corrections wrong.  There is a consistent approach to setting homework that includes good guidance for parents and pupils to judge how well the homework has been done. There are opportunities for pupils to use their investigation skills and complete longer individual projects such as one seen on Nelson Mandela.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good. Pupils are polite and courteous to each other and adults in the school and readily open and hold doors open for adults.  Pupils enjoy school and are keen to learn. There was no disruption to learning in lessons seen during the inspection. School records over time show that this is normally the case.  Behaviour is good in the dinner hall and in the playground. Pupils are cared for well, with dinner supervisors organising and leading games at dinner time.  Pupils say that they now feel safe in the playground. This is a significant improvement from the inspection in November 2011. As one pupil said, ‘It wasn’t always like this.’ The school’s work to keep pupils safe is good.  To help pupils keep themselves safe, the school organises activities such as cycling proficiency, visits from fire and police officers to talk about staying safe at home and in different situations, and training for pupils on how to use the internet safely.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe because there is little bullying and pupils say staff deal effectively with any instances if necessary.  Most parents who completed the Parent View survey on the Ofsted website felt that their child felt safe at school and dealt with any instances of bullying effectively.  Pupils are normally on time for school and attendance is broadly in line with the national average.  Behaviour and safety are not outstanding because, whilst adults ensure pupils behave well, pupils are not given enough opportunities to show they can behave in an exemplary way when not supervised.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, supported by the deputy headteacher and senior staff, has high expectations for the school and a clear vision of how the school can improve further. Nevertheless, leadership and management are not yet outstanding because teaching is not outstanding and some pupils, particularly the less able, do not make the progress they are capable of, especially in mathematics.  There is now an effective leadership team in the school who has clear roles and responsibilities that focus strongly and successfully on improving teaching and pupils’ achievement. This is one of the main reasons why the school has improved significantly, with all the areas for improvement identified at the inspection in November 2011 being addressed. This shows the school has the capability to continue to improve.  Senior leaders accurately know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and, led effectively by the headteacher, rigorously check on the quality of teaching and constantly track pupils’

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The leadership and management are good

progress. This helps senior leaders manage the performance of staff well through setting them appropriate targets linked to the progress of the pupils they teach and ensuring any promotion or pay increases are warranted.  Middle leaders observe some teaching in subjects for which they are responsible. However, opportunities are missed for middle leaders to observe a wider variety of lessons in order to help teachers improve and share the good, and sometimes outstanding, practice that exists in the school.  The range of subjects promotes effectively pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, the school has strong links with the local church and the vicar regularly leads assemblies.  Music and singing are strengths of the school, with the choir and African drumming group singing and playing at a variety of events and venues. This is also how the school helps to foster good relationships within the local and wider community.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school organises weeks based on specific themes, such as Black History, and has strong links with the local Romany Gypsy community to promote pupils’ cultural development.  The additional sports funding is being used to employ sports coaches who are working alongside and training teachers in how to develop pupils’ physical and games skills and improve the physical education curriculum. The school has developed links with local sports clubs, such as the local tennis club, and these are used to provide pupils with out of school activities.  While the school has asked pupils about the success of these initiatives, there has, as yet, been no formal monitoring of the difference this is making to pupils’ health and well-being.  The school has effective safeguarding procedures. Staff undertake regular child protection training and are checked to make sure they are suitable to work with children.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority is now providing light touch support for the school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body knows the school well. The governors visit classrooms with the headteacher and have regular meetings with senior and middle leaders to discuss different areas in the school improvement plan and, as a result, they have a good understanding of the quality of teaching. Governors undertake regular training to help them fulfil their roles, such as training on the use of data, and this helps them to both support senior leaders, and question them about standards in the school and how they compare with schools nationally. There are systems to manage the performance of teachers effectively, including the headteacher, in order to make sure that any promotion or salary increase is deserved. Governors have a good grasp on the financial running of the school, including how the pupil and sports premium

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The leadership and management are good

money is spent and the difference this is making to pupils’ achievement. The governing body fulfils its legal duties, including ensuring all procedures to safeguard pupils are regularly reviewed.

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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 110279 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 423890

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Denise Parslow Headteacher Daniel Knuckey Date of previous school inspection 10 November 2011 Telephone number 01753 651382 Fax number 01753 655135 Email address office@iverheath-jun.bucks.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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