Abbots Farm Junior School

Abbots Farm Junior School Abbotts Way, Rugby, CV21 4AP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This school has improved at a rapid pace since it was last inspected and continues to improve. The highly effective senior leadership team has secured substantial improvement in all key areas of the school’s work.  All groups of pupils make excellent progress in a wide range of subjects, and especially in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils supported through the pupil premium funds, the most able, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and pupils who speak English as an additional language all achieve exceptionally well.  Pupils’ knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling has improved rapidly this year, although they do not yet use this knowledge consistently well in all subjects to improve their writing even more.  Teachers make sure pupils develop and practise a wide range of learning skills. This helps pupils to become very competent learners.  Teachers expect a lot from pupils. They set

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

interesting and challenging tasks that move pupils on rapidly.  Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and courteous. Their positive attitudes and strong relationships make the school a very safe place in which to learn.  Pupils are skilled in working things out for themselves. They approach demanding tasks confidently and with enthusiasm. They know what makes a piece of work good and do their very best to constantly improve on their own personal best.  Attendance is above average and pupils are rarely late to school. Attendance is checked carefully.  Outstanding leadership from the headteacher, senior leadership team and governors has been the driving force behind the school’s rapid improvement over the last two years.  Leaders check teaching very carefully and any areas that could be improved are supported and dealt with straight away. Teaching has improved a great

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

deal.  Governors know the school exceptionally well. They are knowledgeable and ask important questions to challenge senior leaders. They play an important role in planning for future improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in eight lessons. Three of the observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors completed ‘learning walk’ observations to get an overview of one-to-one and small group support for focus groups of pupils and the quality of the school’s curriculum.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and looked at the work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s own judgements on its strengths and weaknesses, and the data it collects on pupils’ progress. Documents detailing the school’s arrangements for safeguarding were reviewed and discussed.  Meetings were held with governors, senior leaders, teaching assistants and pupils. A meeting was held with a representative of the local authority. Subject leaders of English and mathematics, and the curriculum leader, made presentations to the inspectors to point out the progress made by different

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Information about this inspection

groups of pupils across the school.  Questionnaire responses from 15 members of staff were analysed.  Inspectors took account of 49 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They also talked to parents on the phone and received letters from parents.

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Inspection team

David Speakman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in single-age classes, but in ability groups for mathematics, spelling and phonics (letters and the sounds they make).  The large majority of pupils are White British. Small groups of other pupils come from a range of minority ethnic groups.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority) is average.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is also average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Since the school was last inspected, a high proportion of the teaching staff have joined or taken on new

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Information about this school

responsibilities:  there is a new senior leadership team  the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher are both new to their roles  there are new subject leaders for English and mathematics  two other teachers have joined the school, both new to the teaching profession.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that pupils apply their improved knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling consistently well in all subjects to improve even further the quality of writing across the curriculum.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders make a highly effective team. They are exceptionally well skilled in what they do and set an example of high quality to staff. They have created an environment where staff and pupils of all abilities thrive.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders and subject leaders make very detailed checks on the progress of individuals and groups of pupils. They use this information exceptionally well to pioneer changes to strengthen the quality of education. As a result, the improvement in results in mathematics since the previous inspection has been considerable. This year has seen a massive increase in attainment in reading and writing due to changes made in the way these subjects are taught. Consequently, all groups of pupils are performing exceedingly well.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior and subject leaders make very careful checks on the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning. They observe lessons, check the work in pupils’ books and link this to teachers’ assessments of the progress that groups of pupils make. They use this information very well to help teachers and teaching assistants improve their work. Subject leaders lead by example, and ‘in-house’ training is highly effective, for example in the teaching of mathematics, reading and spelling. Teaching has improved a great deal since the last inspection through excellent support and coaching.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school treats all pupils equally fairly and there is no discrimination of any kind. Steps are taken to ensure all pupils are included in all activities. Pupils from all backgrounds and of all abilities make outstanding academic progress and develop very positive attitudes to learning, so they all are exceptionally well prepared for the next stages of their education.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors and senior staff spend extra funds with great care and check closely the impact of their spending. Excellent use of funding to support disadvantaged pupils has ensured that any gaps between the attainment of these pupils and other pupils nationally have closed. Qualifying pupils receive small group or one-to-one support to help them catch up. Their inclusion in all school events is supported very well.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders also spend the primary school sports funding exceptionally well. Staff training has improved the teaching of physical education, which is now of high quality. Pupils enjoy a wide range of sporting activities to develop their skills and enjoy taking part in activities such as rowing, cheerleading and street dance in addition to traditional sports. Staff have noted that pupils now have more positive attitudes to fitness and their collaboration in learning has improved. There has been a great increase in the number of pupils attending sports clubs.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school gives safeguarding a very high priority. Careful checks are made on all adults coming into contact with pupils and carefully recorded. Thorough and effective risk assessments and safety checks are ongoing.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority’s support has been effective. Its representatives have monitored the school’s progress since the previous inspection and report that they are very happy with the improvements made. They have checked that the school’s leaders are making accurate judgements on the quality of teaching and learning and that teachers’ assessment of standards are accurate.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well throughout the curriculum and through the daily life of the school. Academic, sporting, musical and personal achievements are celebrated. High standards are encouraged in everything the school does. Pupils learn to respect diversity and this is clear in the harmonious way pupils from different backgrounds work and play together.  The school ensures that pupils develop a strong awareness of living in a multicultural country and know all about British values. For example, pupils learn about democratic processes through the election of school council representatives and house captains, and elected ‘junior school improvement partners’ make a valued contribution to the quality of life in school by representing pupils’ perspectives to senior leaders and governors.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors work exceptionally well with senior leaders. They have made wise decisions about staff appointments and in checking the quality of their work so that the school now provides a high quality of education.  The governors have a detailed action plan to check the work of the school to ensure it continues to improve its level of performance. Governors are fully aware of how well teachers are doing their jobs through regular visits and headteacher’s detailed reports. They have a thorough understanding of assessment data and know how well the performance of pupils compares with other schools, and how much it has improved.  The governors have excellent levels of relevant expertise and use this to challenge senior leaders on school improvement through asking searching questions and looking for examples of impact. They are fully involved in strategic planning for development and their decisions are well informed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governing body sets challenging targets in managing the performance of the headteacher, making sure teachers’ pay increases are linked to their competence.  The governors ensure that all statutory requirements are met, including for safeguarding.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are exceptionally polite and considerate towards each other, adults and visitors to the school. They engage in intelligent conversation with adults. Parents, staff and pupils agree that behaviour in this school is of a high quality. The school has considerable success in helping pupils who have found it difficult to behave in an acceptable way in other schools.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are very considerate towards each other. A number of instances were observed during the inspection when pupils voluntarily helped others who were struggling with learning a new and challenging skill.

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Behaviour

 Pupils say they really enjoy school. They comment enthusiastically on the wide range of learning opportunities and find lessons very interesting. Pupils take the opportunities to contribute to school life very seriously. Junior learning partners, junior sports coaches, peer mediators, anti-bullying ambassadors and play leaders all add significantly to the high quality of life in this school. They are full of praise for the range of out-of-school clubs.

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Behaviour

 The pupils are very keen to do well. They concentrate really well in lessons and approach the challenging work set for them confidently and with enthusiasm. Work books show that pupils take a great deal of care in the quality and presentation of their work, although they do not yet consistently apply their improved knowledge of accurate spelling and grammar.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils are exceptionally safe in school. They regard school as a safe haven and say this is the place they would definitely come to for help if they ever feel worried about anything taking place in or out of school.

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Safety

 Pupils have a thorough and mature understanding of how to keep safe when using the internet or when they are out of school. Pupils are fully aware of the different ways young people can be bullied and are know what to do to avoid difficulties or if they ever need help. They say there is no bullying in school but they know it would be dealt with straight away should it ever happen. All parents who responded to the online survey feel their children are safe in school.  Attendance is above average and continues to improve. Pupils come to school punctually. The school is vigilant in dealing with any poor attendance or punctuality.

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Safety

 Staff are knowledgeable on child protection, are vigilant and intervene if they note that any child may be at risk. Safeguarding training for staff and governors is up to date. Child protection processes are applied thoroughly.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers show very high expectations of what pupils at all levels of attainment are capable of doing. They set challenging tasks, which are interesting and have a clear purpose. Teachers help and guide pupils very effectively when necessary, but mostly they encourage them to develop the skills to find things out for themselves and make their own decisions on how their work develops. Consequently, pupils at all levels of attainment learn exceptionally well and make rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Outstanding teaching of reading, writing and mathematics has resulted in a rapid improvement in the quality of learning and much improved attainment. Pupils are taught to understand deeply what they read so they become very capable readers. The school provides regular spelling and phonics lessons for all pupils to help improve their grammar, punctuation and spelling. Teachers provide numerous opportunities to write in different subjects so pupils become very competent writers. They get lots of opportunity to solve problems in mathematics to deepen understanding and use their learning very effectively.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers mark work regularly, using a consistent approach across all classes so pupils clearly understand how teachers are helping them to improve it. Comments are focused and give pupils precise feedback to improve their work. Pupils respond to the very valuable comments and learn from their mistakes.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers check pupils’ work very carefully through marking work and checking progress. They quickly identify any pupil in danger of falling behind. Prompt and effective support is provided, often from the knowledgeable and well-trained teaching assistants. This includes specific support for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils, who make the same exceptional progress as others.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers show that they have excellent subject knowledge. They are competent in providing accurate and clearly explained teaching at very high levels for pupils of this age. This is the case across the curriculum, but particularly so in English and mathematics. As a result, the number of the most able pupils achieving the very highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics has increased significantly.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are taught very well by class teachers and teaching assistants. Accurate identification of their special educational needs helps staff provide highly effective and targeted support to help these pupils achieve close to the nationally expected levels for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils achieve exceptionally well across the school. Attainment at the end of Year 6 and achievement throughout each year group have risen rapidly and steadily since the school was last inspected. Achievement in reading and writing has now caught up with that in mathematics. Standards in grammar, punctuation and spelling have improved sharply this year.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils achieve exceptionally well in a wide range of subjects. Topic work is of a high quality and pupils show a deep understanding of world issues. Pupils know how Britain has developed over time into what it is today and how understanding and valuing the beliefs and customs of different cultures is an important aspect of life in modern Britain. The artwork on display is exceptionally good. Pupils achieve well in learning to play musical instruments groups and many sing in the choir. They do very well in wide range of sporting activities.  The school has very effectively dealt with the difference in the rates of progress between boys and girls shown in the 2014 test results. This year, equal proportions of boys and girls are making expected and more than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The most able pupils make exceptional progress. The percentages of pupils reaching the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics have increased rapidly. High proportions of Year 6 pupils are already working at the higher levels: two-thirds are already at the higher levels in reading and over a half in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language make excellent progress. They rapidly learn enough English to benefit from the full range of subjects, and from this point they make excellent progress and their attainment at least matches that of other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics through effective and targeted support. This year, almost all of these pupils are on track to achieve the nationally expected end-of-key-stage level in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Overall progress for disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium was even better than that of other pupils in 2013 and 2014. It was faster in mathematics and reading but slightly slower in writing. Because progress has been rapid for all groups of pupils in the school, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and others in the school is only narrowing slowly due to their different starting points. However, disadvantaged pupils are quickly catching up with other pupils nationally and the gaps in attainment have closed significantly since the previous inspection. In 2014, those in Year 6 were two terms behind their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics, but only a term behind others pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The disadvantaged pupils currently in Year 6 have already passed nationally expected levels of attainment for their age. The latest school assessments show they are already a year ahead of where they are expected to be for their age in reading, two terms ahead in writing and a year ahead in mathematics.

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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 125580 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 462539

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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 Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 255 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Issitt Headteacher Sharon Farrell Date of previous school inspection 25 April 2013 Telephone number 01788 576 074 Fax number 01788 543 628 Email address admin2421@welearn365.com guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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