Oakley Church of England Junior School

Oakley Church of England Junior School Oakley Lane, Oakley, Basingstoke, RG23 7JZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Under the good leadership of the headteacher and senior leaders, there has been a successful drive to improve pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching throughout the school.  Senior leaders are well supported by other leaders and governors. Together, they have successfully addressed the dip in some areas of pupils’ performance since the previous inspection.  As a result of the good quality of teaching, pupils make good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education.  In tests of their spelling, punctuation and grammar, pupils consistently achieve standards above the national average. Their writing skills are in line with the national average.  The most able pupils reach high standards in reading, writing and particularly mathematics because of the school’s high expectations for their achievement.  Standards in reading and mathematics are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

consistently above national averages.  The school provides good support for the very small numbers of disadvantaged pupils, as well as for those who are disabled pupils or who have special educational needs. They make similar progress to other pupils.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are courteous and polite. As a result of strong relationships between adults and pupils, attitudes to learning are very positive.  Pupils learn to be safe in school, outside of school and on the internet, and so safety is good.  Pupils’ artistic and cultural development is very well promoted through lessons and activities, such as the school’s own orchestra.  The school has a strong commitment to sports and the physical well-being of all pupils. This also leads to many pupils successfully competing at an exceptionally high level.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 The longer writing tasks that teachers set do not always provide pupils with the opportunity to extend and develop their skills.  Parents and carers are not always clear how to find school information and how best to communicate any queries or concerns they may have.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 13 lessons across the school. Six of these were observed jointly with the headteacher or assistant headteacher. The inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in their books.  As well as conversations in lessons and at social times, discussions were held with two groups of pupils about the quality of their educational experience and the standard of behaviour in the school.  The inspectors held meetings with school leaders, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and parents and carers of pupils at the school.  The inspectors took account of the 85 responses to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View, and considered the 20 responses to a staff questionnaire. Inspectors also considered responses by parents and carers to recent questionnaires from the school.  The inspectors examined: the school’s information on pupils’ progress; its evaluation of how well it is

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Information about this inspection

doing; its records of the monitoring of the quality of teaching and those relating to behaviour and attendance; and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Richard Boswell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Oakley Church of England Junior School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The very large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. This proportion is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils in the care of the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school is a member of a partnership of local primary and secondary schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve still further the quality of teaching and so raise pupils’ achievement by teachers ensuring that longer writing tasks are always engaging and generate high levels of commitment from pupils as well as extending their skills.  Improve leadership and management by ensuring that all parents and carers know how to find information and how to communicate any concerns quickly and directly with the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 In the two years since the headteacher’s appointment, he has created a culture and ethos in which good teaching and good behaviour can flourish. Strong leadership of teaching has led to an improved focus on the progress of pupils in every year group, in addition to attainment at the end of Year 6.  Senior leaders, subject leaders and governors have all had an impact on improving the achievement of pupils in writing, following a dip since the previous inspection. Leaders acknowledge that there is more to be done to bring pupils’ writing to a similar standard to their reading and mathematics.  The improvements to teaching and achievement have been as a result of close monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching. School leaders, including governors, share an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.  In compliance with government guidelines, the school is currently reviewing the way in which it assesses

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The leadership and management are good

pupils’ progress. While parents and carers are clear how well their children are doing, they do not all find communication with the school as quick or direct as it might be.  The school is using the pupil premium funding to good effect for the small numbers of disadvantaged pupils in the school. Leaders check the achievement of different groups to ensure they all make equally good progress. Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good because of very effective leadership. The coordinator quickly identifies pupils’ needs and ensures the right support is in place. As a result, their progress is improving. The school’s effective work with these groups of pupils demonstrates the senior leaders’ commitment to equality of opportunity and to tackling discrimination.  The school offers a broad range of experiences through its curriculum. Teachers develop pupils’ mathematmatical and, more successfully, their literacy skills across all subjects. The regular use of weeks

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The leadership and management are good

in which there is a special focus on the arts or on mathematics, for example, are very popular with pupils. This helps to support their positive attitudes to their learning. Music is a strength and the school provides instrumental lessons for many pupils as well as participation in the popular school orchestra.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Pupils learn about a range of faiths and have quiet times and thoughtful debates when they contemplate spiritual and moral concerns. The pupils also learn about British values through the school’s own set of values that prepare them well for life in modern Britain. Through taking on responsible roles in the school community and collaborative work, they learn about democracy, tolerance and respect for the rule of law. Pupils are able to give and gain a great deal from the school’s close links with a local special school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Many pupils successfully compete at local, regional and even national level in a range of sports. The school makes excellent use of the primary physical education and sports funding to support the sports programme and to ensure all pupils are able to take full advantage of the opportunities on offer.  The school’s safeguarding arrangements fully meet statutory requirements. Staff are well trained and alert and this contributes to ensuring pupils feel safe.  The local authority has provided very good support and challenge to the headteacher and governors. Effective training has supported this where necessary. Partnership with local schools has also provided effective training opportunities and mutual support.  The governance of the school:  Governance is effective because of governors’ good levels of expertise and experience combined with a commitment to the happiness and success of all pupils. Increasingly close checking of the school’s

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The leadership and management are good

records and information about pupils’ progress ensure that senior leaders are fully accountable as well as being well supported. Governors understand the strengths and weaknesses in achievement from performance information and the quality of teaching. They have not been afraid to tackle any underperformance and are clear about the link between good teaching and progression in pay.  They are diligent in carrying out their statutory duties, particularly with regard to safeguarding. They ensure that the school promotes tolerance and respect for all faiths and cultures. Prudent management of the school’s finances means that the school can support its pupils in many additional activities. Governors are very clear about how the primary school sports funding and the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils are spent. They ensure that the impact of any actions is measured and checked. Governors recognise that the school could do more to ensure all parents and carers are clear about the

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The leadership and management are good

quickest and most appropriate channels of communication with the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This is because the school places a strong emphasis on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive and this helps them to make good progress in lessons.  Pupils show mature behaviour around the school. They are thoughtful and considerate to each other and to adults.  Pupils are adamant that there is very little low-level disruption of their lessons and any that occurs is dealt with swiftly by the teacher.  On some occasions, some pupils lose focus in their writing tasks because they do not find the activity fully engages them in their learning.  Parents and carers, staff and pupils are very positive in questionnaires about behaviour in the school. The school’s policies are applied consistently and pupils are clear about rewards and sanctions.  Pupils make a marked contribution to the culture of the school through taking on responsibilities such as

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Behaviour

being members of the school council, being ‘event managers’ or applying for a job, such as school bell ringer.  Pupils are quick to let visitors know how proud they are of their school. They show this pride in the neat presentation in their books, their smart uniforms and their respect for the school environment.  It is a mark of how much children enjoy being at school that attendance for all groups of pupils goes from strength to strength. It is above the national average and continues to improve still further.  No pupils have been permanently excluded and only one pupil has been temporarily excluded from the school since the previous inspection.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents and carers, staff and pupils all agree that this is a safe school.  Pupils know about different types of bullying, such as emotional or cyber bullying, but any occurrences are extremely rare and are dealt with quickly and effectively.  Pupils are kept safe in school and on educational visits. Visitors to the school are suitably checked and monitored.  Pupils are clear that discriminatory language is not heard at their school and they show sensitivity and consideration when discussing how words can be used hurtfully.  Pupils learn to keep themselves safe in practical lessons such as in physical education or science experiments.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There have been recent improvements in the quality of teaching, and particularly the focus of all teachers on pupils’ progress as well as their attainment. This has led to improvements in the achievement of pupils currently at the school.  A strong feature of teaching in the school is the high quality of teachers’ questioning. This is used very effectively to check pupils’ understanding and deepen their learning, particularly the most able.  Teaching assistants contribute positively to pupils’ learning. They are well trained and effective in helping selected pupils make good progress, including disadvantaged pupils. Together with teachers they make sure that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported.  The teaching of reading is a strength. There is support for struggling readers in understanding letters and the sounds they make (phonics) and they make fast progress. All pupils show a love of reading and enjoy

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The quality of teaching is good

their ‘reading roundabout’ every morning in which they read together and also choose their own favourite books. All school staff share their own reading with the pupils and this helps to create a culture in which books and reading are highly valued.  Pupils know how to make their work better because teachers clearly explain what they should do to improve it. Pupils say that they find teachers’ feedback useful and pupils’ work in books shows they follow suggestions and guidance carefully.  Teachers ensure that pupils develop their literacy and, to a lesser extent, their numeracy skills across a wide range of subjects and there is close attention to the correct use of spelling, punctuation and grammar. However, the longer writing tasks set for pupils are sometimes not engaging enough and therefore do not always have the desired impact in developing their writing skills.  Teachers’ expectations are high for the progress pupils can make. They take every opportunity to develop

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The quality of teaching is good

their skills and understanding, for example during the ‘five a day’ mathematics sessions every morning.

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The achievement of pupils

 Pupils arrive in Year 3 and leave in Year 6 with attainment that is consistently above the national average in reading and mathematics and in line with the average in writing.  In the last two years, there has been greater focus on the progress of pupils in each year group as well as the attainment of pupils at the end of Year 6. This has led to improvements in the quality of teaching, and pupils currently in the school are making at least good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Progress in writing is now improving. School leaders recognise that progress in writing has not always been as strong as that in reading and mathematics.  Pupils’ performance in reading is particularly strong and they enjoy a wide range of books for pleasure and information. They have a good understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling and standards are high in these aspects of their writing by the end of Year 6. However, they do not always do as well as they

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The achievement of pupils

should when writing at length.  The most able do better than similar pupils nationally, as reflected in the proportions reaching the higher level (Level 5) in reading, writing and mathematics. They do exceptionally well in mathematics and more than double the national proportion make rapid progress to reach the very highest level (Level 6) by the end of Year 6.  The achievement of disadvantaged pupils is improving due to the focused work of school leaders and carefully considered use of the pupil premium funding. They form a small part of the school population and insufficient numbers are represented in the results of national tests at the end of Year 6 to compare their attainment to that of other pupils. However, disadvantaged pupils are making good progress throughout the school as a result of well-targeted support in lessons, in small groups and one to one.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress alongside their

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The achievement of pupils

classmates. Their understanding of what is being taught is checked at an early stage to identify and tailor activities to their specific needs.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 116306 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 453263

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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 Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 250 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair David Sims Headteacher Steve Rich Date of previous school inspection 9 January 2008 Telephone number 01256 780433 Fax number 01256 782156 Email address admin@oakley-jun.hants.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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