Folville Junior School

Folville Junior School Folville Rise, Leicester LE3 1EE

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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

 This is a very caring and nurturing school with a positive climate for learning and strong relationships.  The highly respected headteacher and deputy headteacher, well supported by staff and governors, have successfully focused on the right priorities since the last inspection. Consequently, pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching have improved and are now good.  Teaching is well matched to pupils’ abilities and teachers’ subject knowledge is good.  The range of additional sporting and educational activities provided by the school ensures that pupils are able to broaden their experiences very effectively.  Pupils’ behaviour is consistently good. Pupils behave well in and around the school. They are courteous and polite and show consideration for each other and adults.  This is an inclusive school where diversity is celebrated. Pupils develop a good understanding of different faiths and cultures and show high

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This is a good school

levels of respect for each other.  Measures taken by school leaders to ensure the safety of pupils are effective. Pupils say that they feel extremely safe. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and what to do if they are worried.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Across the school, achievement in writing is not as good as in reading and mathematics. The quality of presentation of pupils’ writing, including handwriting, varies between classes.  The school’s system to teach pupils spelling is not fully effective. As a result, some pupils repeat spelling errors in their work.  Not all middle leaders are as effective as those in English and mathematics in reviewing teaching to improve pupils’ outcomes across the various curriculum subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching so that achievement is outstanding by: – making sure that the quality of presentation of pupils’ writing, including their handwriting, is consistently high across all classes – developing the school’s approach to teach spelling so that pupils do not repeat errors in their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that middle leaders check the quality of teaching in all subjects of the curriculum, so that they make a fully effective contribution to further raise pupils’ achievements.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 There has been significant improvement of leadership and management at all levels since the last inspection. The headteacher has successfully led the strong drive to improve teaching and learning, with very effective support from the deputy headteacher and governing body. All members of staff are highly supportive of the leadership of the headteacher and staff morale is high.  Rigorous and regular checks of the quality of teaching, as well as effective pupil progress meetings, are ensuring that current pupils in all year groups are making good gains in their learning.  The roles of the English and mathematics subject leaders are well developed. They monitor the quality of teaching carefully and track pupils’ progress as they move through the school. However, not all subject leaders do this effectively.  The headteacher and his staff have created a culture where effective teaching and learning take place. All

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

members of staff have high expectations of themselves and pupils. There is a strong ethos of respect, care and tolerance throughout the school.  Effective leadership has led to improved standards, which are now above average by the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. However, standards in writing have not improved as quickly as in reading and mathematics because spellings and presentation are weaker than other aspects.  The curriculum is appropriately broad. It is organised around interesting topics which capture the interests and imaginations of pupils and effectively engages them in their learning. Pupils are provided with good opportunities to learn a musical instrument. They enjoy taking part in residential visits and camping expeditions. There is a range of extra-curricular activities to further support pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils are making good progress throughout the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school uses the sports premium funding well to increase pupils’ participation in sport. Pupils have many opportunities to participate in a wide range of sports. Pupils confirm that they enjoy taking part in sport and physical education activities and recognise the contribution it makes to developing a healthy lifestyle.  Leaders ensure that additional funding provided through the pupil premium is spent wisely. A well- planned range of intervention groups is boosting the progress of disadvantaged pupils. The school’s most recent assessment information shows that gaps for disadvantaged pupils are narrowing across the school in reading, writing and mathematics. This demonstrates that leaders are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all groups of pupils.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils have a good understanding of a range of faiths and cultures different to their own because the school makes effective

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

use of the many different cultures represented within the school community. For example, each class adopts a language of the month. Consequently, pupils are developing knowledge and skills which are making them well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Staff know pupils and their families well. The vast majority of parents are very positive about the school. Parents spoken to said that there is regular communication from the school. They are confident that their children learn well, enjoy school and are safe.  The governance of the school – The governors are an effective team. They have high expectations and are committed to the school’s improvement. – Governors take part in ‘focus weeks’ termly, joining the head teacher and deputy headteacher to monitor the progress of pupils and evaluate programmes of support and intervention. They share in sampling pupils’ work, talking to pupils and work closely with staff to ensure that pupils are achieving

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

well. – Governors manage the school budget well. They track carefully the information about the impact of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and of the sports funding. Governors use a wide range of information to ensure that decisions about teachers’ pay and promotion are based on the impact of their practice on pupils’ achievements. – Governors have accessed training by the local authority and are using this effectively to hold leaders at every level accountable.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Detailed records are kept and any concerns are logged appropriately. Actions are clearly recorded and staff act swiftly to ensure the safety of pupils. All staff receive regular training and know what to do if they have any concerns about pupils’ safety, including through the possible risks of extremism and radicalisation. All parents who completed the Parent View survey indicated that their child was safe at school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the last inspection and is now good. As a result, pupils make good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics.  In classrooms and around school there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere, allowing focused learning to take place. Pupils are ready and eager to learn.  Teaching ensures that pupils understand why and what they are learning about and the skills they are to develop as a result. Teaching captures pupils’ interest and enthuses them to want to learn more.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. Pupils are asked challenging questions which make them think hard. Clear explanations of key learning points, along with teachers’ continual checks of pupils’ understanding, enables learning to move forward.  Work is usually well matched to the varying abilities of groups of pupils. As a result, different groups of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

pupils achieve well. Since the previous inspection, teaching of the most-able pupils has strengthened. Expectations for their learning are high so that they can reach their potential.  The teaching of writing has also improved since the previous inspection and this is reflected in the much improved standards of pupils’ work. Pupils are now provided with more opportunities to use and apply their writing skills across the various subjects of the curriculum. However, pupils often repeat spelling mistakes and do not always ensure that the presentation of their work is of a high quality.  Teaching assistants work closely with class teachers and are well deployed in lessons to support pupils in their learning and development.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are very positive in their attitudes to learning and take great responsibility for helping others.  Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations. Pupils rise to meet these because they are given a strong belief in their own capabilities. All staff know the pupils well and provide good support, both academically and pastorally.  There is a strong bond between staff and pupils and a high level of trust between them. Pupils know there is always an adult in school to help them.  Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and about safety on the internet. Through their topic work, they have had first-hand experience of the importance of first aid. They have worked with firemen and road safety officers and learned about risk management, drug and alcohol misuse and cyber bullying.  Effective arrangements to support the transition to secondary school help to ensure that there is

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Personal development and welfare

appropriate continuation of pupils’ learning. This support, along with pupils’ good personal skills and above-average attainment, ensures that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their lives.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good because teaching is interesting, interactive and pupils are highly engaged.  The work of the learning mentor supports those who find it difficult to behave well and this contributes to the good progress they make.  Parents who spoke with inspectors and those who responded to the Parent View survey supported the view that behaviour is good.  Staff tackle the very rare incidents of racist or homophobic language very effectively.  School leaders have been proactive in recognising issues with attendance and have introduced a range of actions to address this. Persistent absence is being tracked carefully and effective action is being taken to support families in bringing their children to school. However, attendance remains below national levels.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ standards of reading, writing and mathematics have consistently risen since the previous inspection and are now above average. This represents good progress from pupils’ starting points when they join the school.  The work in pupils’ books, and the school’s own information about pupils’ skills, abilities and progress, confirm that pupils currently across the school are making good progress. Standards currently seen across the school in writing are slightly lower than in reading and writing.  Pupils’ very positive attitudes and high levels of enthusiasm contribute well to their good achievements. In reading, for example, pupils are eager to complete the ‘reading racetrack’, which encourages pupils to read a wide variety and number of books.  In 2015, almost all Year 6 pupils made the expected level of progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion that did better than this was above average in each subject, and notably so

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Outcomes for pupils are good

in mathematics.  In mathematics, pupils regularly use their skills, knowledge and understanding to successfully solve problems, including when completing topic work. This contributes well to their improving achievement. Pupils particularly enjoy mathematics; many say it is their favourite subject.  The most-able pupils achieve well. In Year 6 in 2015, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher level 5 was above average overall. In both mathematics and in spelling, punctuation and grammar, the proportion achieving this level was well above that seen nationally.  The achievement of pupils who have special educational needs or disability has improved since the previous inspection. They now make good progress from their particular starting points. Leaders ensure that they receive the right level of support in lessons and in small groups. Adults who support these pupils know them well and effectively help them to understand what they are learning.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 By the end of key stage 2, pupils who are disadvantaged make similar rates of progress to other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s own assessment information shows that gaps in attainment are closing as pupils move through the school.  As a result of good teaching and effective support, pupils who arrive at the school part way through key stage 2, including those who are new to the country, achieve as well as others.  The pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress because of the specialised adult support they receive and the consistently good teaching.

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School details

Unique reference number 120034 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 10009116

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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 381 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jo Pearce Headteacher Bruce Wells Telephone number 0116 2824368 Website www.folville.leicester.sch.uk Email address office@folville.leicester.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 9–10 January 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are from White, including White British, backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils from other minority ethnic groups is above average. The proportion that speak English as an additional language is above average.  Many different languages are spoken by children who attend the school.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium funding is received for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school runs a daily breakfast club, which is managed by the governing body.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the coordinator for pupils who have special educational needs or disability, pupils in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6, middle leaders, six governors, including the chair of the governing body, and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed 19 lessons, six of which were observed jointly with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work from all classes, spoke to pupils about their work during lessons and listened to pupils read. They also undertook learning walks, watched an assembly, observed playtime and lunchtimes, talked to parents and visited the breakfast club.  The inspectors looked at information on pupils’ progress, teaching and the school’s own self-evaluation. Inspectors reviewed the school’s records on safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  The inspectors took account of the views of parents from 88 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent

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Information about this inspection

View, and the comments of parents in the playground. The views of staff and pupils were gathered during informal discussions.

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Inspection team

Sue Wood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Lindsay Hall Ofsted Inspector Helen Atkins 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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