Field End Junior School

Field End Junior School Field End Road, Eastcote, Ruislip HA4 9PQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 The school’s effectiveness has declined since its previous inspection.  The proportions of pupils making expected and more than expected progress are too low compared with those seen nationally.  The gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others in reading, writing and mathematics, are too wide.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. This limits the progress they make from their starting points.  Since the previous inspection, leaders have not held teachers to account sufficiently for pupils’ performance.  Pupils have insufficient opportunity to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding in mathematics.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent. It has not led to pupils making sufficient progress from their starting points.  Pupils do not receive sufficiently focused feedback about how they can improve their work.  The governing body has not provided enough

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This is a school that requires improvement

challenge to leaders in the past. It has not received sufficiently detailed and accurate information about the school’s performance.

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The school has the following strengths

 The recently appointed headteacher has acted quickly to bring about the required improvement. The initiatives she has introduced are already demonstrating impact.  Recently commissioned reviews of teaching and learning, governance and pupil premium spending have resulted in improvements to each of these areas of the school’s work.  The governing body and staff are ambitious for the school.  Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They engage well in lessons and are keen to take on roles of responsibility.  The school is a well ordered community. The day runs smoothly as a result of the well-established routines combined with the mutual respect demonstrated by pupils and staff.  Pupils’ behaviour, personal development and well- being are good. Pupils feel safe in school. Safeguarding procedures are well-known throughout the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, and thereby, the rate of pupils’ progress, by ensuring that teachers: have high expectations of what pupils can achieve provide work which challenges pupils sharpen their use of information about what pupils know and can do, both in preparation for lessons, and during lessons provide precise feedback to pupils about how they can improve their work provide pupils with opportunities to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding in mathematics.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: leaders at all levels prioritise pupils’ progress in their evaluation of the quality of provision the governing body provides robust challenge for school leaders founded on up-to-date information about pupils’ performance the recommendations of the external review of pupil premium are implemented so that outcomes for disadvantaged pupils are at least as good as those of other pupils nationally

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

the recommendations of the external review of governance are implemented urgently.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher joined the school at the beginning of the academic year, ten weeks before this inspection. She has quickly and accurately identified the areas of the school’s work which require improvement. The number of well-targeted changes she has brought about are indicative of her determination to effect rapid improvement. Staff are proud to work at the school and value the support of the headteacher and senior leaders.  The headteacher has taken prompt action to commission reviews of teaching, the effectiveness of governance, and the spending of pupil premium funding. No time has been wasted in beginning to address the recommendations of these reviews.  Leaders’ judgements about the quality of teaching have been generous in the past. Joint observations of teaching and learning with the headteacher and senior leaders carried out during the inspection indicate that they now have a good awareness of what constitutes effective teaching.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Teachers speak highly of the feedback they receive from senior leaders to help them improve their practice. Senior leaders identify good teaching within the school which they use as a model for other teachers. Opportunities for teachers to visit other schools to observe good and outstanding teaching have begun to raise their expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Leaders do not have a detailed picture of the performance of groups of pupils. However, a new computerised system to collect information about pupils’ achievement has been introduced to allow the tracking of pupils’ progress. As a result of a lack of investment in training, middle leaders do not have the necessary skills for them to hold teachers to account for pupils’ progress in their subject. Support from the partner school is providing relevant training to address this.  The additional funding received by the school to support disadvantaged pupils has not been spent

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

effectively in recent years. It has been targeted at non-essential issues rather than being used to address the gaps between the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and others, both in school and nationally.  As a result of changes to teachers’ planning, the needs of disadvantaged pupils and those who need to catch up receive greater attention during lessons. These pupils no longer miss parts of lessons to attend catch-up groups led by teaching assistants. Instead, teaching assistants work with pupils within the classroom. This enables pupils to participate fully in lessons and engage in the whole curriculum.  A new curriculum has been introduced following a recent review of teaching and learning. Its design allows pupils to gain first hand experiences so they can grasp concepts more quickly. Planned opportunities allow pupils to learn about British values, democracy and the rule of law. For example, as

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

part of their ‘Yes Minister’ topic, Year 6 pupils discussed the differences between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A range of extra-curricular activities supports the curriculum well, providing opportunities for pupils to take part in sporting and musical activities in, and beyond, the school.  Spending of the physical education and sport premium is planned strategically. The grant is used to ensure that teachers are well trained to teach the physical education curriculum and that there are sufficient resources for pupils to use. The profile of physical education and its link to living a healthy life style have been raised. School teams took part in swimming and hockey competitions for the first time last year.  Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that they gain a broad understanding and appreciation of their community. Pupils relate well to one another and appreciate that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

those of different faiths may have differing views from their own. Pupils speak highly of the new spiritual room, a space set aside for reflection and prayer, containing artefacts representing a variety of religions.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are clear about their responsibilities because of the training they have received. This includes an awareness of issues relating to radicalisation and female genital mutilation. Staff have a good understanding of the procedures to follow in the event of them having concerns about safeguarding. The school’s website contains helpful information for parents in relation to the school’s approach to preventing extremism and to the Prevent programme in particular.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school The governing body has not held the school sufficiently to account in recent years because leaders have not provided suitable information about pupils’ performance. Governors have been quick to respond to the recommendations of the recent external review of governance. They have begun to restructure the governing body and to define the roles of governors more clearly. Governors’ visits to the school have become more structured. They focus on the current priorities for improvement. Governors now have a more realistic understanding of the quality of teaching in the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent throughout the school. It has not led to all pupils making good progress.  Pupils receive regular feedback from teachers about their work. However, sometimes it is not specific enough to give pupils clear guidance about how to improve. Often, teachers’ feedback is focused solely on the intended learning for a particular lesson rather than addressing any errors in fundamental aspects of writing, including spelling and grammar. This slows pupils’ progress and leads to pupils repeating similar errors in subsequent work.  While teachers sometimes ask questions which make pupils think more deeply about their learning, pupils have too few opportunities to explain their thinking and justify their views.  At its best, teaching identifies pupils’ misconceptions and addresses them promptly. In other cases, teachers do not notice quickly enough where pupils require support or when they are ready to move on.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

In mathematics, pupils often repeat numerous calculations of a similar nature and at a similar level of difficulty. This limits their opportunity to explore topics in greater depth and to apply what has been learnt to different contexts.  Pupils use coloured cups placed upside down on their tables to indicate their level of understanding. This is helping to improve pupils’ awareness of their own learning and to increase their independence. When used effectively, teachers gain real-time information about how well pupils understand. However, this is not always used effectively.  In most lessons, pupils choose from a set of challenges intended to stretch their level of understanding. However, teachers do not always use their assessment of what pupils are already able to do to make sure that their work is challenging enough. Too often, pupils are allowed to pursue mundane tasks when they have already demonstrated their proficiency.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Pupils who find reading difficult are not able to apply their phonics knowledge well enough to tackle unknown words. Weekly phonics lessons for pupils in Year 3 started recently but it is too early to assess the impact of this initiative.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils speak highly of their school. They have quickly become familiar with the recent changes which are firmly focused on their learning.  Pupils understand the need to eat healthily and are proud to explain that walking to school helps to keep them healthy. Numerous extra-curricular clubs broaden pupils’ interests, helping prepare them well for their roles in society.  Pupils feel safe. They say that bullying is extremely rare but that they are confident about approaching members of staff for support should they need to. School records and parental opinion support this view.  Pupils enjoy the many opportunities to develop and demonstrate responsibility. They go about their jobs sensibly and with enthusiasm, whether it be returning the register or lunch trolley at the beginning of the day, or carrying out their role as head girl or boy.

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Personal development and welfare

 Digital leaders led a recent assembly on the subject of cyber bullying. Their varied role includes offering support to their peers and ensuring that the subject of online safety retains a high profile.  Pupils gain a good understanding of democracy. They know about the similarities between being chosen to serve on the school council and the election of members of parliament.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils respond quickly to teachers’ instructions and requests. They say that they are able to ‘be themselves’ but that they understand the need for discipline and to abide by the school rules.  Pupils show respect for their peers and for staff. They are generally attentive in class, listening carefully to classmates’ contributions before making a considered response.  Teachers have raised their expectations of pupils’ written presentation. As a result, the majority of pupils take care with their work and were proud to share it with inspectors.  Expectations of the wearing of school uniform have recently been raised. This has resulted in greater consistency throughout the school. Pupils look smart and walk around school confidently with a sense of pride.  Pupils say, and school documentation supports the view, that disruption to lessons is extremely rare. Inspectors did not observe disruption to any of the lessons visited during the inspection.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has improved. After having fallen over recent years, attendance so far this term has risen and is above the national average for last year.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Pupils’ progress has been lower than that seen nationally for the past two years. In 2015, smaller proportions of Year 6 pupils than seen nationally made the expected progress in writing and mathematics. The percentages of pupils that made more than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics was lower than average.  Teachers’ assessments of the attainment of pupils currently in the school indicate that a significant proportion are working at a lower level than expected for their age. Pupils’ performance in reading is stronger than that in writing and mathematics. Leaders have little detail about the performance of groups of pupils. This is because a new system to track pupils’ progress has only recently been introduced. Staff have received training, with further sessions planned, to ensure that assessment information is used effectively to inform teachers’ planning.  The school’s information shows that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs currently in

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

school make similar progress to others.  In 2015, there were significant gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others in school and nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. This has been the case for the past three years. The school’s assessment information for pupils currently in the school shows that these gaps have narrowed although there are inconsistencies between subjects and year groups.  In 2015, a lower proportion of disadvantaged pupils than average made the expected progress in reading and writing from their starting points. A lower proportion of this group also made more than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics than average.  Similar proportions of pupils to those seen nationally have attained the higher levels for the past three years in reading, writing and mathematics.

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School details

Unique reference number 102378 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 10005689

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Maintained Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 373 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ruth Reynolds Headteacher Marie Halpin Telephone number 020 8866 8752 Website www.fieldend-jun.hillingdon.sch.uk Email address enquiries@fieldend-jun.hillingdon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection November 2011

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up her post in September 2015, shortly before this inspection.  Field End Junior School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is average. This is additional funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is average.  The school population reflects a wide range of ethnicities.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards (the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress).  The school receives support from a national leader of education, the headteacher of St Swithun Wells Catholic Primary School.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited all classrooms, in most cases jointly with senior leaders, to observe teaching and learning.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, middle leaders and groups of teaching and support staff. The lead inspector also met with three governors including the Chair of the Governing Body. He also held a meeting with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with parents in the playground at the start of the school day. They also met with a group of pupils, and spoke with others during visits to lessons and during break and lunchtimes.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including records relating to safeguarding, leaders’ views of the quality of teaching, and school improvement plans.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed them at play and during an assembly.  Inspectors took account of the 16 responses to Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire) and

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Information about this inspection

responses to the online staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Jeremy Loukes, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Martin Beale Ofsted Inspector Nicholas Cornell Ofsted Inspector Rajeshree Mehta Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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