Jericho Primary School

Jericho Primary School Windsor Court, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 6UX

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The perceptive, balanced and highly skilled leadership of the headteacher commands the respect of pupils, parents and staff alike. He has, with full support from all staff, been instrumental in bringing about improvements in teaching and securing pupils’ good achievement at Jericho School.  From broadly average starting points, pupils make better than expected progress and achieve significantly above average standards in reading and mathematics when they leave at the end of Year 6.  Teaching is good. Well-planned learning opportunities, clear explanations, varied and exciting activities and helpful marking all contribute to the good progress pupils’ make.  Good leadership and management by governors and talented senior and middle leaders has ensured that any weaknesses in the school’s work are identified and strategies put in place to tackle them. Consequently the school is well placed to improve further.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ behaviour and the school’s work to keep them safe and secure are both outstanding. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning, are extremely courteous and friendly and show great respect for each other, staff and visitors.  Pupils’ social moral, spiritual and cultural awareness is very well developed in lessons through links with schools overseas, exciting residential visits and a wealth of sporting activities.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Levels of attainment and rates of progress in writing are not as strong as those in reading and mathematics.  Not enough teaching is outstanding. Pupils, particularly the most able, are not always fully challenged to achieve their very best.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons and part-lessons. The headteacher and lead inspector made several shorter visits to classrooms. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Discussions were held with parents, pupils, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ books, progress data, safeguarding information and other documentation.  Seventy-four responses to the on-line questionnaire, (Parent View), were considered as well as those from the school’s own parental surveys and from school staff.

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Inspection team

Ann Ashdown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Ellwood Additional Inspector Alastair Younger Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Only a very small number of pupils is supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families.  A well below average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and a similar proportion speaks English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action is above average whilst 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, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The headteacher is a National Leader of Education and provides advice on leadership and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards and speed up pupils’ progress in writing by;  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length in all subjects  providing exciting stimuli for writing, based where possible on pupils’ own experiences and real life situations  monitoring and evaluating the success of recently introduced initiatives to improve writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve teaching so that more is outstanding by;  ensuring questions are sufficiently probing to challenge pupils to think deeply and give extended answers  ensuring pupils’ understanding is always checked while they work and tasks are adjusted to ensure the level of challenge remains high, particularly for the most able pupils and especially in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From their starting points, pupils achieve well as they move through the school. Work displayed on classroom walls and that seen in pupils’ books and the school’s own tracking data all confirm the good progress pupils make over time.  Children enter the Reception classes with skills typical for their age. Classrooms provide an exciting learning environment. As a result, children quickly settle into school routines, make good progress and become confident learners. Learning is made fun and captures children’s interest. For example, children quickly learn to count confidently as they fish numbered ducks out of the ‘pond’ or pin their numbers in the correct order to an outdoor washing line.  Pupils’ good progress continues throughout Key Stages 1 and 2. Pupils have made better than expected progress, and by the end of Year 6 they have achieved significantly above average standards in tests in reading and mathematics for the last three years. Throughout the school

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils read confidently and use their mathematical skills well to solve a range of practical problems.  Standards in writing had been lower than that in reading and mathematics and progress not as strong. The school has recognised the relative weakness and has put in place a raft of new strategies to improve pupils’ writing. New resources and approaches to the teaching of writing are already beginning to have an impact on raising standards and speeding up progress, especially for younger pupils. However the school recognises the need to constantly check that these new initiatives are working well.  In this school the pupil premium funding is used well to provide one-to one and small group tuition to support individual pupils. Although there are insufficient numbers to identify attainment of these pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, they make similar progress to their peers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in line with their classmates because they receive skilled and sensitive support from teachers and teaching assistants. The small but growing number of younger pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language receive good support in developing their language skills.  The most able pupils make particularly good progress in reading. Specialist teaching for the highest attainers in mathematics is providing them with increasingly challenging work to help them reach the higher Level 6. However, in writing the proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels is lower than that found nationally and providing consistently challenging work for these able pupils remains an area for improvement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good overall and pupils respond very well by working extremely hard and showing a real thirst for learning and a desire to succeed.  Pupils’ books are marked regularly and consistently so pupils are clear about how well they are doing and how to improve their work further. Their books reflect the pride they take in their work which is well-presented. Pupils act on the good advice provided by correcting and improving their work.  Good opportunities are planned carefully for pupils to learn, for example, varied tasks and a variety of interesting resources engage their interest. In the Reception class, for instance, progress was good because children enjoyed making banana milkshakes and clearly understood how to follow instructions and why, for example, the milk should be kept in the fridge.  Pupils understand what is expected of them because explanations are clear and expectations are

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The quality of teaching is good

usually high. In an English lesson pupils made particularly good progress as the teacher encouraged them to ‘dig deep’ and ‘drill into the text’ to extend their understanding of literature.  Some questioning is very perceptive and work is adjusted and adapted as the lesson progresses so pupils’ learning moves on quickly and they are fully challenged to achieve their best. The pace of learning is slower when questioning is not as demanding and some pupils, particularly the most able and especially in writing, have already understood the work and are not moved on as quickly to the next task.  All groups of pupils including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive constructive individual help when this is needed. Skilled one-to-one support for autistic pupils and small group teaching in phonics (the sounds that letters make) enable these pupils to enjoy learning and make the same good progress as their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ social and moral development is promoted very successfully in lessons. Pupils are always willing to help each other and are very generous in sharing resources and discussing their ideas and opinions in an extremely mature and well-balanced way.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. This is particularly evident in the highly sensible way they move around the school, in corridors, in the dining hall and between classrooms. As the headteacher rightly commented, ‘this is a big school in a small building’. It is because of the excellent behaviour of the pupils that in this small building the atmosphere is completely calm, very orderly and extremely safe.  Pupils are proud of their smart purple uniforms. They are courteous, considerate and kind in the way they look after each other, all staff and visitors. They treat the school with great respect so classrooms are tidy and well-kept.  Attitudes to learning are excellent. Pupils’ real keenness to learn and pride in their achievements is evident in what they do in lessons, in the work in their books and from the many displays of activities they enjoy.  Records show that there are very few incidents of challenging behaviour or bullying and any

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

that there are are dealt with very swiftly and effectively. There have been no exclusions.  Attendance has improved rapidly and is now above average.  Pupils relish the opportunities they are given to take responsibility. They feel that they are listened to and can make a difference to their school of which they are so proud. They talk enthusiastically about helping with the Fair Trade tuck shop, acting as buddies for younger pupils, improving the school garden and serving on the school council.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Governors, leaders and managers and all support staff see this as the highest priority. School security, child protection procedures and risk assessments are all of the highest order.  The vast majority of parents who responded to the on-line questionnaire said that their children feel safe in school and are well looked-after. Several parents, who took the time to speak and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

write at length to inspectors, were fulsome in their praise for all aspects of the school’s work and particularly for the care given to their children.  Pupils say how very safe they feel in school. They are extremely knowledgeable about different types of bullying, about the dangers of drug and alcohol miss-use and have a well developed and sensible approach to taking risks.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, very well supported by governors and senior leaders and managers, has created a culture where all staff feel valued and good teaching and excellent behaviour can flourish. Consequently morale is high.  Leaders know the schools strengths and weaknesses well and have identified the right priorities for further improvement. For example, new strategies to improve writing are now in place and, although they still require further checking and adjusting where necessary, are already beginning to have an impact on raising pupils’ achievement.  Senior and middle leaders monitor the work of their areas of responsibility effectively. They check pupils’ books and are now involved in observing lessons and checking the quality of teaching. Leaders of literacy have introduced new ways of teaching writing but recognise that pupils still need more opportunities to write at length in all subjects in order to speed up their

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The leadership and management are good

progress.  Teachers’ performance is managed rigorously. Lessons are observed regularly and staff are being given increasingly precise advice on how to improve their skills. All staff have suitable targets for improvement and are given good support and training to achieve them.  The progress of all groups of pupils is tracked carefully so that those who need it get exactly the right extra help if they are falling behind. Good use is made of extra funding, such as the pupil premium to ensure all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed. Additional funds for primary school sport are very well spent on, for example, a range of specialist coaches in rugby and gymnastics which promotes pupils’ healthy lifestyles and their physical well-being.  The excellent leadership skills of the headteacher are widely recognised and respected by parents, pupils, staff and the local authority. As a national leader of education he shares his

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The leadership and management are good

considerable expertise in leadership and management with a local school and with other leaders of education across the county.  The local authority provides very light touch support for the school. The school participates in some of the training which the local authority provides.  Safeguarding meets and exceeds requirements. Staff are very well trained, all policies and procedures are firmly in place and constantly refined and updated in the light of recent guidance.  The curriculum gives pupils a wide range of learning opportunities both in and out of school. It is reviewed regularly. The school recognises the need to provide even more exciting stimuli and opportunities across all curriculum subjects to promote pupils’ writing. A raft of exciting activities both within and outside the school day add much to pupils’ enjoyment of school and develops their social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness very well. They talk enthusiastically of

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The leadership and management are good

residential visits to outdoor centres, success in sporting competitions and links with schools as far afield as Cameroon and Tanzania.  The governance of the school:  Governors are knowledgeable about the school’s performance compared to other schools. They are led by a very experienced and knowledgeable Chair, whose expertise, particularly in safeguarding matters, is a great asset to the school. Governors are well informed about the quality of teaching, how staff performance is managed and how good teaching is rewarded. Governors provide both challenge and support for the headteacher and are closely involved in strategic planning. Finances are well managed. Governors monitor how pupil premium funding is spent and check that it has an impact on the progress pupils’ make.

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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 112175 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 426250

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 374 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jeanette Wright Headteacher Shaun Monaghan Date of previous school inspection 10 October 2008 Telephone number 01946 514545 Fax number 01946 514546 Email address admin@jericho.cumbria.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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