Chalfont St Giles Junior School

Chalfont St Giles Junior School Parsonage Road, Chalfont St Giles, HP8 4JW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 Leadership and management are good. The expertise and strong partnership of the headteacher and new senior leaders have effectively and quickly improved teaching.  Governors know the school well. They have an accurate view of the schools’ strengths and weaknesses through their regular visits and discussions with leaders.  Teaching is now good and sometimes outstanding. Standards have risen rapidly and are well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. All groups of pupils are making good progress.  By the end of Year 6, a significant number of the most able pupils reach standards that are much higher than other pupils nationally, especially in mathematics. Growing numbers are achieving well in reading and writing.  The gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and all other pupils has closed by Year 6 because funding is used well to support their needs.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

needs receive well-organised provision and skilled support. Their learning needs are well met; consequently, they too make good progress.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Their good attendance and eagerness to learn make a significant contribution to their good progress.  The school’s vision and aims are underpinned by the strong provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Excellent relationships exist between pupils and staff.  The care and welfare of pupils are strengths of the school.  Pupils benefit from an excellent range of clubs, regular visits and other activities which the school offers.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. This view is supported by parents. The school’s rigorous safeguarding procedures keep pupils safe and secure, ensuring that they are well looked after.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Achievement in writing, although good and improving, is not as strong as in reading or mathematics.  Some teachers do not always adjust tasks in lessons quickly enough to maximise progress.  Pupils do not always have time to respond to teachers’ comments in marking in order to improve their work in all subjects.  Some leaders are at an early stage of utilising their skills in analysing progress information.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons, of which three were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made a number of shorter visits to lessons.  The inspectors held discussions with school leaders, staff and governors.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at documentation, including improvement plans, the systems for tracking pupils’ progress, arrangements for safeguarding pupils, and samples of pupils’ work. They heard groups of pupils reading and spoke with pupils about behaviour and the safety arrangements at the school.  The views of 73 parents were analysed through the online questionnaire, ‘Parent View’. In addition, inspectors spoke with some parents during the inspection.  The views expressed by the 26 staff who responded to the staff questionnaire were also considered.

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Inspection team

Michael Bartleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized junior school, where most pupils are of White British heritage.  The school is in a ‘hard federation’ with a local infant school, which means the two schools have the same headteacher and governing body. The infant school was inspected separately in June 2013.  Since the previous inspection, there have been some staffing and leadership changes. In September 2014, a deputy headteacher was appointed and the senior leadership team was reorganised. A newly qualified teacher teaches in Year 5.  One pupil in seven is supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, and children who are looked after. This is below the national average.  One pupil in ten is disabled or has special educational needs. This is broadly in line with the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The headteacher supports leaders and managers in another school within the local authority.  A new Chair of the Governing Body was elected in September 2014.  The school provides a breakfast club for selected pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enable the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement to become outstanding by:  ensuring that teachers adjust tasks more quickly in lessons when work is either too easy or too hard so that all pupils make the best progress they can  giving pupils time to respond to teachers’ comments in marking in all subjects, and improve their work as a result  enabling pupils to make as much progress in writing as they do in reading and mathematics  further strengthening leaders’ and teachers’ skills of analysis of information about pupils’ progress to accelerate learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are good because the determined drive of the headteacher and the new senior leadership team has led to rapid improvements in teaching and learning, which in turn are leading to a rapid acceleration of pupils’ achievement.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher lead an uncompromising drive for improvement in pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. In this they are ably supported by governors and subject leaders. Staff are strongly committed to achieving a good quality of education for their pupils. The school is well placed to improve further.  The checking of, and support for, teaching quality by both leaders and governors are good. Leaders have raised expectations of the rate of pupils’ progress, and staff respond well to strategies for achieving this. Effective feedback and well-planned opportunities for professional development help improve the quality of teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are effective systems for tracking pupils’ progress. However, the analysis of the information is undertaken by the headteacher and deputy headteacher because subject leaders are at an early stage of understanding the data.  Procedures for checking other aspects of the school’s work, including behaviour and safety, are good. This ensures, for example, that behaviour continues to be good, and attendance levels continue to rise. Safeguarding arrangements are rigorous and effective. Staff and governors are well trained, for example, in the vetting of staff and child protection.  The school is strongly committed to promoting equality of opportunity and this is evident in the effective support in place for vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs. The school uses pupil premium funding to increase staffing to provide one-to-one and small group support for eligible pupils. Their good progress indicates that additional funding is used effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported well. Leaders and governors effectively promote British values, such as tolerance and respect, and foster good relationships. They strongly discourage discrimination. In this aspect pupils are well prepared for their future in a diverse British and global society.  Most parents who completed Parent View or who spoke or wrote to inspectors voiced their appreciation of the school and their strong support for its work.  The primary school sports funding is used to good effect to increase pupils’ participation in, and enjoyment of, a wide range of sports. This year, while maintaining pupils’ good participation in different sports, the funding is also being used wisely to enhance teachers’ skills in dance and gymnastics.  The local authority has an accurate understanding of the school’s performance, because the checks that it makes are robust. Effective support and training, including for governors and new leaders, have added to

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The leadership and management are good

the drive for rapid and sustainable school improvement.  Leaders have adopted a systematic approach to the review, development and coverage of the curriculum, ensuring that the new National Curriculum requirements are being fully met. However, staff are at an early stage of adapting assessment procedures to meet the new requirements. The curriculum is organised around various themes which provide good opportunities for improving pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills. It enables the pupils to benefit from a broad range of lessons, activities and opportunities that capture their interest and help them to develop positive attitudes to learning and life. It is enriched through a wide range of educational visits, visitors to the school, use of the outdoor areas and themed weeks.  The school further enhances pupils’ experiences by providing opportunities to play instruments, to sing and to perform. Strong links with the local area develop the community aspects of the school well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum themes provide a very positive climate in which pupils learn and in which good behaviour and eagerness flourish. The pleasure pupils show in learning is demonstrated by the high quality and quantity of their work.  The stronger links developed with parents and families since federation are having an increasingly positive influence in helping families to support their children’s achievement. An overwhelming majority of parents who responded to Parent View would recommend the school to others. Parents are pleased with the improvements in the school and how well their children are learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors fulfil their statutory duties effectively. They are well informed, including about pupils’ progress. Governors support the school and increasingly hold its leaders to account. They have established excellent relationships with school leaders to ensure a concerted and effective approach to school improvement. Governors clearly recognise that more could be done to raise pupils’ achievement further. They are highly ambitious for the school and their commitment to training is very good. Governors’ checks on the school’s work, including through a well-organised range of visits, help to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the quality of teaching. Consequently, they have accurate information to ensure that they only agree salary increases for good or better performance. Governors’ thorough monitoring of leaders’ use of additional funding such as the pupil premium and sports funding

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The leadership and management are good

helps to enhance pupils’ progress and well-being.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  In lessons, assemblies and around the school, pupils’ good behaviour contributes well to their learning and personal development. Relationships with staff and between pupils are very good. The school is a happy and harmonious place to be.  Pupils report that they enjoy learning, and want to please their teachers and work hard.  The older pupils are keen to take responsibility. They talk enthusiastically about the school council and the process of being elected. Pupils have a great pride in their school and are welcoming to visitors.  The well-established ‘gem system’, which links a gem to agreed learning behaviours, for example ‘amethyst’ is used to focus on ‘cooperation’, is fully understood by the pupils. Staff constantly refer to the ‘gems’ during learning activities.  A few pupils find consistently good behaviour difficult to achieve. However, the school provides them with

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Behaviour

good support. The work of the nurture groups, including the breakfast club, has helped these pupils to improve their self-esteem and behaviour. Success can be seen in the fact that a considerable number of pupils who attend these groups behave well in lessons.  Attendance is above average and pupils enjoy coming to school. They told the inspectors that they liked everything about the school, including the interesting lessons. They enjoy other activities such as sports, ‘Wake and Shake’, outdoor learning, and the many clubs and trips, including residential visits.  Parents confirm that behaviour is good most of the time.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils and most of their parents believe that the school is a safe place, and the inspectors agree. The school is a harmonious community in which pupils get on well with each other and with staff.  The school promotes e-safety well. Pupils who spoke to the inspectors understood what is meant by cyber bullying and knew how to keep safe when on line.  The school teaches pupils effectively about how to avoid risk and keep themselves safe.  Leaders ensure that school premises are safe and that staff trained in first aid are always available.  Pupils who spoke to the inspectors said that they felt safe in school and could approach staff if they had any worries. They understand about different types of bullying. They insist that bullying is not an issue in the school. On the rare occasions that it does happen staff follow the agreed procedures and do all they

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Safety

can to resolve the situation. The school reinforces messages about safety in lessons, assemblies and through visitors.  The school’s record keeping of any incidents and the follow-up with parents and external agencies are thorough. Leaders carefully monitor why pupils are absent from school. As a result, rates of attendance are currently above those found nationally. There are good links with outside services to meet the needs of vulnerable pupils when necessary.  Most parents who spoke to inspectors and who completed the online survey expressed confidence in the school. A small minority of parents said they would not recommend the school as they have concerns about the effectiveness and response of leaders. No evidence was found during the inspection to support this view.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although pupils’ progress has varied over time, the good progress of pupils currently in school confirms that teaching is consistently good. Some teaching is outstanding. Well-planned and stimulating teaching quickly engages pupils’ interest, deepening their knowledge and understanding, and ensuring that pupils develop a broad range of skills across many different subjects.  Teachers’ expectations are high and relationships are strong, creating a positive climate for learning in which pupils have high expectations of themselves.  Teachers explain tasks clearly. Pupils’ good behaviour and the interest they show during lessons mean that they pay attention and listen carefully. They know and understand what they are expected to learn and are keen and eager to start work without delay.  Tasks are usually matched closely to pupils’ abilities, and suitably challenging. As a result, pupils make good and sometimes rapid progress. This is especially true of the most able pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers emphasise basic literacy and numeracy skills well and demonstrate good subject knowledge. They reinforce subject vocabulary and give pupils good opportunities to use this vocabulary in their answers and group discussions. This was seen during the inspection where a Year 5 class were discussing their multiplication strategies in great detail.  Good questioning by teachers and teaching assistants probes pupils’ understanding and enables teachers to check how well their pupils are learning.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are taught well. The special educational needs coordinator, teachers and teaching assistants work well together to ensure that pupils receive the guidance and support that they need.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ progress by supporting particular ability groups and individuals to practise skills taught in the main lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use homework to give extra practice in reading, spelling and mathematical skills, and to extend pupils’ learning across the many subjects offered. Learning logs seen during the inspection show how enthusiastic pupils are, as are many of their families in supporting them, as they approach the tasks. These activities help them to make even faster progress.  Teachers successfully foster an enjoyment for reading. A dedicated daily allotment of time for pupils to study and understand different texts ensures pupils make good progress in their reading. For example, through careful questioning, pupils were observed clearly developing their comprehension skills and text knowledge.  Reading, writing and mathematics are taught well so that most pupils are able to apply what they have learned in investigations, research or in their homework.  Displays on classroom walls are consistently used throughout the school to support learning. Examples

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The quality of teaching is good

of calculation strategies, text and vocabulary allow pupils to support their own learning during given tasks.  The strengthened whole-school assessment and tracking system and regular meetings to discuss pupils’ progress ensure that teachers have a good understanding of how well pupils are doing. This enables them to decide the action they will take to support them effectively and to help them reach their challenging targets.  Weaknesses in the teaching of writing have been eliminated through effective training for teachers. Vocabulary and skills are developed well, enabling pupils to write at length in a range of subjects.  The marking of pupils’ work has strengthened. As a consequence, pupils know how well they are doing, and their teachers’ constructive comments help them to improve. However, not all pupils are given the time to follow-up the comments and improve their work in any subject  There are occasions when teachers do not adjust tasks quickly enough in lessons to extend learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

This means that pupils do not, at times, make the fastest progress of which they are capable.

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is good

 From broadly average levels of attainment at the last inspection there has been a sharp rise to well above national levels. This is largely due to the decisive action taken by senior leaders to raise the quality of teaching. Effective systems to track pupils’ progress help the headteacher and deputy headteacher to identify pupils who are not doing well enough and to ensure these pupils receive the support they need to help them catch up. This is a strong factor in accelerating progress across the school.  Initiatives to improve teaching have resulted in more secure development of pupils’ skills. This is particularly noticeable in the work in their books. As a result, pupils’ progress is accelerating quickly and attainment is rising throughout the school. This success includes those pupils who are disabled, those with special educational needs, and the most able pupils. The progress of pupils supported by additional

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is good

funding, which was a concern at the previous inspection, is accelerating and is now securely good.  In 2014 standards in Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics were well above national averages. School information for the current Year 6 pupils show further improvements. Since the previous inspection, the school has significantly increased the demands made on the most-able pupils in all subjects. They are given additional work to challenge them at the right level for their individual needs. This has resulted in an increase in the proportion of pupils who are on track to reach higher levels in the national tests at the end of Year 6.  All groups of pupils currently in the school make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is an improvement over previous years. However,progress in writing in some year groups is not as strong as in mathematics because improvements in teaching are more recent.

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is good

 Most parents who voiced an opinion thought that their children made good progress.  In 2014, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 was four terms behind other pupils in the school in mathematics, two and a half terms behind in reading, and four terms behind in writing. Compared with other pupils nationally, disadvantaged pupils were two terms behind in mathematics, three terms behind in writing, and one term behind in reading.  This year, school information shows that strategies to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils have been successful. This group of pupils is currently reaching the same above-average level of attainment in all three subjects as all other pupils in the school. Their attainment exceeds that of other pupils nationally. Throughout all year groups they are making accelerated progress from their various starting points, catching up quickly with other pupils and rapidly closing any gaps with their peers.

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is good

 Good provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs ensures that they make the same good progress as all other pupils.  Pupils achieve well in reading and writing because teaching is effective in developing key skills. It provides many opportunities for pupils to read widely and to practise their writing across different subjects. Daily reading workshop activities help pupils to read fluently and write imaginatively. Pupils also said they enjoy reading to ‘Doug the Pug’, for example, the school’s popular listening dog, and the many volunteers from the community.  Pupils’ competent basic skills and developing confidence and maturity prepare them well for transition to secondary education.

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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 110287 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 461932

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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 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Donna Westall Headteacher Elen Peal Date of previous school inspection 27–28 June 2012 Telephone number 01494873090 Fax number 01494874949 Email address junioroffice@csgvillageschool.org 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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