Bakewell Methodist Junior School

Bakewell Methodist Junior School Stoney Close, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1FR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  The headteacher, staff and governors have improved the quality of teaching and raised pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection.  Most pupils make at least good progress and achieve well. Standards at the end of Year 6 have improved over time in reading, writing and mathematics.  An increasing number of pupils achieve the higher levels of attainment at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is good, and some teaching is outstanding. Teachers and other adults have high expectations of pupils’ learning.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and around the school, and this contributes to the good progress they make. Pupils say they feel safe and the school provides them with good support and care.  The school is warm and welcoming and staff are proud to be part of it. They value and take an active part in the training opportunities made available to them.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership is good because senior leaders, including governors, know how well the school is doing and what it needs to do to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching and achievement are not yet outstanding. Some pupils do not write accurately or present their work as well as they should.  The quality of marking in pupils’ books is inconsistent. Pupils are not always given clear enough guidance on how they can improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, six of which were seen together with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector spoke to pupils about their views of the school, listened to them read and scrutinised the work in their books.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including the school’s own evaluation of its performance, plans for improvement, policies and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance, and information relating to safeguarding.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector considered the responses from 11 staff to Ofsted’s questionnaire.  The inspector analysed the views of 29 parents and carers who completed the Parent View survey on the Ofsted website and took account of the views of parents and carers who either spoke directly to or wrote to the inspector.

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Inspection team

Lucy Maughan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized school.  Nearly all pupils are White British. A very small proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals) is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.  The school runs an after-school club, which is managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and raise pupils’ achievement by ensuring that:  teachers’ marking is of a consistently high quality in the guidance it gives pupils to improve their work, particularly in relation to grammar, spelling and punctuation  all teachers have the same high expectations of how pupils present their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement has improved since the previous inspection in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 in 2013 was average overall, demonstrating an upward trend that continued in 2014: unconfirmed national test results and teacher assessments show that standards are now above average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s detailed tracking information and other inspection evidence shows that pupils are now making good progress throughout the school, whatever their starting point. The proportions of pupils making better than expected progress has improved year-on-year in reading, writing and mathematics. Some pupils are now making outstanding progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils are now making good progress because of the high expectations of their teachers. Many more pupils are now achieving the higher levels of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Past differences between the achievement of boys and girls have now largely been eliminated as a result of the specific actions taken by the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is a strength across the school. Pupils have a wide range of books to choose from and are given regular opportunities to read them, including effective guided reading sessions.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although standards of writing are good overall, sometimes pupils’ writing is inaccurate and some of their work is poorly presented, particularly in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The additional funding for the small number of pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium is used well and provides good extra help through small group sessions. The attainment of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is closing with their peers. Current data show that they are now less than one term behind their peers in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also make good progress because of the additional support provided, particularly the small-group learning sessions.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good, with some that is outstanding. As a result, all groups of pupils now make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan carefully to make sure that the work they set in lessons provides the right level of challenge for pupils of different abilities. Support and stretch for more-able pupils mean that these pupils make very good progress and achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan their lessons well. They are consistent in explaining to pupils what they are expected to learn in each lesson, and in giving them opportunities to think about their work and to assess for themselves how well they have done.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons build systematically on what pupils have learned previously. Questioning is used effectively to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding and to make them think hard. This was seen in a Year 4 mathematics lesson where pupils were enthusiastically engaged in activities linked to translation of two dimensional shapes. All pupils were making rapid progress due to the targeted questions asked by the class teacher and teaching assistant.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants form strong partnerships with teachers. They provide valuable additional support to individuals and small groups of pupils to enable them to make progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although teachers generally have high expectations, in some classes pupils’ work in mathematics in particular is untidy and this is not challenged in teachers’ comments or marking.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work is marked regularly, often with helpful and positive comments to which pupils are invited to respond. However, this level of high quality marking is not yet found consistently across the school, particularly in correcting pupils’ basic grammar, spelling and punctuation.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They have positive attitudes to each other and to learning. Year 6 pupils set a good example, acting as ‘guardian angels’ to Year 3 pupils. Pupils in all year groups behave well in lessons, around the school and in collective worship. They are typically polite and courteous to adults and to each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say behaviour is good in the school and the majority of parents who responded to the online survey (Parent View) and those parents who spoke to the inspector agreed with this view. The school is effective in promoting positive relationships and ensuring discrimination is not tolerated. The pupils who attend the after-school club also behave well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning support their good progress. Pupils respond well to teachers, listen carefully to their teacher’s questions in lessons and are helpful and supportive towards each other. Behaviour is not yet outstanding because work in pupils’ books can sometimes be untidy with pupils not taking enough pride in their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe in the school. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including on the internet. Pupils say bullying rarely happens in school and that staff will help them sort out any problems.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has remained above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has worked in partnership with staff and governors to bring about the improvements identified by the last inspection and to provide the pupils with rich and varied experiences.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders, including the governing body, know their school very well and identify accurately the priorities for improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has developed effective systems to check the quality of teaching and uses information well to ensure that teachers are provided with training they require to improve their practice. Targets are set clearly and reviewed regularly. As a result, pupils’ achievement has improved since the last inspection.  Teachers with specific responsibilities are now more active in checking the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in their subject. They have implemented recent initiatives to increase rates of progress further and are better placed to drive school improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equality of opportunity successfully. This is demonstrated by the way that all groups of pupils make good progress. The curriculum follows a thematic approach linking subjects to areas of study and is enriched by a variety of extra-curricular clubs and educational visits. All Year 5 pupils learn a musical instrument and there are opportunities to learn to play other instruments with visiting specialist teachers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary sports funding has been used to broaden opportunities and, as a result, more pupils are now participating in a diverse range of sporting activities. Pupils who spoke to the inspector commented that they enjoy participating in the sports competitions.

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The leadership and management are good

 The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength and helps pupils to make a good contribution to the positive atmosphere in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has worked closely with the headteacher and staff since the previous inspection. Advice, guidance and training from local authority representatives have supported the school’s improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are very supportive of the school. They are aware of the school’s strengths and development plans because they visit school frequently and receive accurate, detailed reports from school leaders. Since the previous inspection, the level of governor involvement has increased with their link to classes and subject areas. More efficient systems to record and share their observations from these visits have now been established.  Governors have a good understanding of data showing pupils’ achievement; this enables them to challenge the school more effectively. The governing body carefully checks the progress of the pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding to make sure that spending has a good impact on improving their achievement. The governing body has a clear overview of the quality of teaching and checks that pay is directly linked to how well staff carry out their

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The leadership and management are good

duties.  Safeguarding meets 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 112870 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 441872

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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 101 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Wright Headteacher Sarah Owens Date of previous school inspection 30 January 2013 Telephone number 01629 812389 Fax number 01629 812389 Email address info@bakewell-jun.derbyshire.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 and 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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