Edge Hill Junior School

Edge Hill Junior School Sycamore Road, Stapenhill, Burton-on-Trent, DE15 9NX

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Since the last inspection, the school’s senior leaders, with effective support from an external adviser and the local authority, have tackled the areas previously identified for improvement successfully.  Standards reached by pupils at the end of Year 6 are now higher than the national averages. The proportions of pupils making expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics, and better than expected progress in reading, are now in line with national averages and improving.  This accelerated progress is as a result of improvements in teaching and the way in which teachers use the new school tracking system to plan work which is at the right level. It is also due to the rigour with which senior leaders check the progress that pupils make.  Governors are kept well informed by the headteacher and regularly attend training sessions to ensure that their knowledge is up to date. They hold key leaders to account for the progress that

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This is a good school

pupils make.  The personal development and welfare of the pupils are strengths of the school. The curriculum is broad and provides pupils with opportunities to grow in confidence and to treat each other with respect.  Teachers and governors have received the appropriate safeguarding training. Arrangements to keep pupils safe in school are effective.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportions of most-able pupils making better than expected progress in writing and mathematics are not as good as they could be. This is because teachers do not plan effectively enough to move them on more quickly to the next stage in their learning.  Changes introduced by school leaders have had insufficient time to impact fully on pupils’ achievement. As a result, rates of progress in writing and mathematics are not yet rapid enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the progress that pupils are making in writing and mathematics by: ensuring that the most-able pupils are moved on more quickly to the next stage in their learning ensuring that subject leaders carry out regular checks on the progress the pupils are making.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher make a strong team. They are determined to improve outcomes for pupils.  Since the last inspection, they have introduced changes which have improved the quality of teaching. As a result, there has been a rapid improvement in the progress that pupils make.  Working closely with an independent consultant, the local authority representative and the governors of the school, these senior leaders have worked with year group leaders, and those responsible for English and mathematics, to introduce robust systems to monitor the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes in order to drive up standards.  Carefully planned training has improved teachers’ subject knowledge and helped them to have a better understanding of how to raise outcomes for pupils. A new system to track the progress that pupils make is providing detailed information regarding the next stage in pupils’ learning. This allows teachers to plan

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

work which is at the right level for the pupils.  The teachers in charge of English and mathematics have correctly identified areas for improvement. They have organised and led additional training which has impacted on the way in which these subjects are taught in school.  As a result, the standards reached by the pupils leaving Year 6 are now much higher than the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils making expected progress in these subjects is now broadly in line with the national average. In addition, the proportion of pupils making better than expected progress in reading is also broadly in line with the national average.  However, the proportion of pupils making accelerated progress in writing and mathematics is not yet as high as in their reading. This is because there has not yet been sufficient time for the changes that have been introduced by these subject leaders, including more regular checking on pupils’ progress, to impact

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

fully on pupils’ outcomes in these areas.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and used effectively to practise and develop literacy and numeracy skills. The school has also enhanced the curriculum further by including a ‘difference and diversity’ element. Pupils follow a faith trail, exploring churches, beliefs and practices of other religions. They learn about typical British values, such as democracy, and study inspirational figures in British history like Winston Churchill. This prepares pupils very well for life in modern Britain.  In addition, outside learning, through the Forest School project, and singing assemblies promote tolerance and respect for each other. As a result, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is a real strength of the school.  The funding provided to the school to support the development of sport has been used effectively to provide staff training to improve teachers’ skills. Additional after-school and lunchtime sports clubs, such

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

as hockey, have encouraged a greater participation in extra-curricular activities and pupils have been successfully representing the school in sporting fixtures. In addition, pupils have received training to become young sports leaders. These pupils lead sports activities at lunchtime, which are very well supported and enjoyed by the other pupils.  Funding provided to the school to support disadvantaged pupils is used effectively and, as a result, the progress these pupils make is as good as that being made by other pupils in the school.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are well supported through careful monitoring of their progress. As a result, outcomes for these pupils are good.  Parents who met inspectors at the start of the school day, and who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View,, are extremely positive about the school and the experiences that are being

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

provided for the pupils. Behaviour is monitored closely and records are kept of reported incidents. Swift action is taken to ensure that pupils are protected from bullying, radicalisation or extremism. Staff receive regular training on how to keep pupils safe and know what to do if they have any concerns.  The governance of the school Governors have worked closely with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, a private consultant and the local authority representative to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to increase their positive impact on standards in school. They regularly accompany senior members of staff into lessons, look carefully at books and meet with the pupils to discuss their learning. As a result, they know how well the school is performing and what needs to be done next in order to improve. They have ensured that there are clear links between performance management and teachers’ pay

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and are kept fully informed regarding teachers who receive pay rises. They have attended training which is allowing them to hold senior leaders to account for the progress that pupils make. They speak knowledgeably about the amount of funding received by the school to support disadvantaged pupils and for the development of sport, and the positive impact that this funding is having on improving standards.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong and, for the most part, they use the new tracking system effectively to plan work which is at the right level and which enables most pupils to move on quickly to the next stage in their learning. As a result, the majority of pupils are focused on their learning and are making good progress over time.  Marking in pupils’ books follows the school’s marking policy, which has been agreed by the whole staff and is understood by the pupils. Pupils regularly respond to teachers’ comments and this is accelerating their learning.  Where learning is at its best, teachers’ questioning skills draw out higher-level thinking skills. For example, in one science lesson in Year 6, the teacher asked the pupils to predict what might happen if the material that the torch was being shined through was changed. They were then encouraged to conduct an experiment, in the dark, to check out their ideas. In this way, pupils learn to predict and test

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

outcomes, and their capacity to take risks and learn from their mistakes is developing as a result. The pupils very much enjoy this teaching approach, which encourages them to become keen learners and is accelerating their progress.  Teaching assistants are deployed well and are effective in moving learning forwards. For example, inspectors observed a small group of pupils with special educational needs in Year 4 working successfully on the same learning objective as their peers. Although quite complex, the pupils were able to understand the work because the teaching assistant responded quickly to their changing needs. She assessed their level of understanding and then adapted the material they were working on during the session. This maintained their attention and enthusiasm and allowed them to make accelerated progress.  However, in some lessons, the most-able pupils are expected to complete work which they can already do

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

before being allowed to move on to more challenging tasks. When this happens, pupils’ interest wanes and they lose their focus. As a result, these pupils can demonstrate low-level disruptive behaviour and they do not then make as much progress as they could.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding and is a significant strength of the school.  Each week all classes meet in the hall to share the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of individual pupils’ experiences. The singing of songs in this singing assembly is punctuated by pupils sharing their experiences. Individual pupils articulate their ‘lows’ confidently. The other pupils listen carefully and their level of understanding and tolerance for differences between individuals is supported through the excellent coaching that takes place by the member of staff leading the assembly. Individual pupils’ ‘highs’ are also listened to and celebrated. This experience is contributing to excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Furthermore, the impact of this is seen in the classroom where pupils, including those who have special educational needs or disability and those who are disadvantaged, all tackle their work confidently and

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Personal development and welfare

treat each other with respect.  The Forest School project supports pupils’ collaborative working and turn taking. Excellent attitudes towards learning and towards each other are instilled within the pupils. They speak to each other with genuine consideration for each other’s well-being as they work in family groups. During one Forest School session, a pupil commented to the inspector that, ‘We are working as a team’, and then went on to add, ‘Forest School is great because we learn to do things that we don’t do in the classroom and with real things… not plastic or paper!’  Pupils say that they know how to keep safe and that ‘In this school we don’t tolerate bullying.’ They talk confidently about the role that members of the internet safety committee play in supporting pupils in other classes when they are using the internet.  Pupils say that they know whom to go to if they have a problem. They say that the teachers deal with

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Personal development and welfare

any form of bullying very quickly. Parents who replied to Parent View agree that their children are kept safe in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good because the majority of pupils conduct themselves well in lessons. However, in some lessons, where pupils are not moved on to the next stage in their learning as quickly as they need to be, a small minority lose their focus. This can cause some low-level disruption, which is a barrier to their accelerated learning.  Behaviour in and around the school buildings is also good. Pupils play together well during breaktimes and are polite and courteous, holding doors open for visitors. They treat everyone around them with respect.  In the past, attendance has been below the national average. However, this has been tackled successfully by the school. As a result, the proportion of pupils who are now regularly absent is lower than the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils enter the school having reached high levels of attainment in their end of Year 2 assessments. Historically, pupils have not then made enough progress from these starting points in Years 3 to 6 and standards reached by pupils at the end of Year 6 have been lower than the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  However, as a result of the changes introduced by school leaders following the previous inspection, standards of attainment and rates of progress made by the pupils have accelerated rapidly.  At the end of Year 6, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are now higher than the national averages and a greater proportion of pupils are reaching and exceeding expected outcomes, especially in reading. This is as a result of improvements in teaching and good leadership at all levels.  The school’s own internal tracking system indicates that a greater proportion of pupils in all year groups

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Outcomes for pupils are good

are currently on track to reach age-related expectations by the end of the school year, and that the proportion of pupils on track to make better than expected progress in writing and mathematics is also improving.  Nonetheless, the proportions of the most-able pupils expected to make better than expected progress in writing and mathematics are not as high as they are in reading. This is because there has not yet been sufficient time for the changes introduced by school leaders to have full impact on pupils’ outcomes in these areas.  Disadvantaged pupils are also making accelerated progress and are achieving standards which are in line with their school peers.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are also making accelerated progress as a result of carefully structured intervention programmes.

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School details

Unique reference number 124045 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10002491

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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 Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 342 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Carolyn Robinson Headteacher/Principal/Teacher in charge Michael Mander Telephone number 01283 239040 Website www.edgehilljunior.co.uk Email address office@edgehill.staffs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 November 2013

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Information about this school

 Edge Hill Junior School is larger in size than most primary schools.  Since the last inspection, the school has appointed a new deputy headteacher and literacy leader.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority) is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils whose first language is not believed to be English is lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is lower than in most other schools.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons, two of which were joint observations with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher, and carried out a number of walks around the school. Inspectors observed pupils on entry to the school, at breaktime, lunchtime and around the school building.  Inspectors considered a range of school documentation with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. This included the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, a range of the school’s internal assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress, minutes of the governing body meetings and school documentation. In addition, the inspectors reviewed samples of pupils’ work in subjects other than English and mathematics from each of the year groups.  Meetings were held with the vice-chair of the governing body, senior members of staff and a group of pupils. Inspectors also spoke with the external consultant and the local authority representative.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the 56 responses to Parent View, met with parents at the start of the school day, and considered nine staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Graeme Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector Sarah Ashley Ofsted Inspector Susan Cameron, shadow 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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