Glebe Junior School

Glebe Junior School Hamlet Lane, South Normanton, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 2JB

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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

 Leaders, managers and governors have made a significant difference to raising pupils’ achievement and improving the quality of teaching across the school since the last inspection.  Pupils’ attainment at key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently at or above national averages. Pupils’ attainment in grammar, spelling and punctuation is well above average.  Pupils across the school, including the most able and those who are disadvantaged, make good progress in English and mathematics. Specifically, pupils’ progress in writing and reading is particularly strong.  Teachers understand pupils’ needs and abilities well; they use this information skilfully to plan effective learning opportunities.  Pupils’ conduct and behaviour are mostly excellent; they enjoy coming to school and are positive about their learning.  Senior leaders and subject leaders monitor and track pupils’ progress extremely effectively; pupils

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This is a good school

who are in danger of underachieving are identified and supported early.  The range of subjects, extra-curricular activities and pupils’ leadership opportunities contribute well to pupils’ understanding of British values and their responsibilities as citizens.  Governors are skilled and knowledgeable; they hold school leaders to account rigorously and provide valuable support to them in equal measure.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are insufficient opportunities in some classes for pupils to apply and deepen their mathematical skills through problem solving and reasoning.  Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of other faiths and cultures are limited.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in mathematics by providing relevant and meaningful opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge and reasoning skills to different contexts.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop and deepen pupils’ understanding of other faiths and cultures.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has provided excellent leadership to the school. She has developed the senior leadership team so well that they are well-respected role models for other leaders and staff. The senior leadership team consistently communicates high expectations for all staff and pupils and they have remained true to the values of the school. As a result, all staff work hard to ‘develop successful lives’ for the pupils.  Leaders have a sharp understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Their improvement activities are closely aligned to school priorities. For example, they have recognised that, in previous years, boys’ progress in reading was too far behind that of girls. Their work to accelerate boys’ progress has led to remarkable improvements. Leaders have acted upon previous areas for improvement from the last inspection with significant success. This is illustrated by the excellent attainment achieved in the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

grammar, spelling and punctuation test at key stage 2 in 2015.  In the light of the new national curriculum, leaders have acted swiftly to implement a coherent and well- understood new curriculum in English and mathematics with associated assessment systems. Leaders have used external support from the Derbyshire Teaching Schools Alliance (TSA) to assist in standardising activities. As a result, assessment information is largely reliable. The tracking and monitoring of pupils’ progress are sophisticated and rigorous.  The leadership of teaching is effective. There is an effective professional development programme, which is valued by staff. Teachers share good practice regularly and learn from other colleagues in the TSA network of schools. Dual support for each teacher through the performance management structure means that teachers receive both formal and informal monitoring and support. Performance management

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

targets for staff are rightly aligned to school priorities and are well understood by all staff.  Subject and year leaders carry out their monitoring duties well. They carry out a range of activities each term, which help them to have a sound view of the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching on pupils’ progress. Where weaknesses in teaching are identified and progress of certain groups is slow, leaders act quickly to implement intervention plans.  The support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs or disability is comprehensive. The provision and plans for these pupils’ continued support and progress are well thought out and evaluated. Government funding is used effectively.  Leaders have engendered a strong culture of inclusion. Pupils who are experiencing behavioural and emotional difficulties make good progress at this school. Locally, Glebe Junior School is well regarded as a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

caring and supportive environment. A culture of equal opportunities is threaded throughout the school.  Work to improve pupils’ attendance and behaviour continues to be successful year on year. Current absence and exclusion rates are below national averages.  The school’s curriculum promotes sound values and a wide variety of skills among the pupils. Pupils’ participation rates for musical, sporting and arts clubs is high. The school’s sports funding is spent astutely and effectively. The school is highly regarded in local sporting competitions because of the successes it achieves.  Responses to the pupil, staff and parent questionnaires suggest that the school and its leadership team are well supported. In the very small minority of cases where pupils and parents have concerns, leaders are aware of the issues and work hard to resolve them.  The local authority has monitored the school well. The external support the school receives from the TSA

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and local authority officers has been very valuable in helping to improve the work of leaders.  The governance of the school  Governors, especially the chair and vice-chair of the governing body, have consistently had high expectations for the school, its pupils and the staff. They understand the school’s strengths and priorities very well.  They have worked hard to refine their committee structure so that it provides better opportunities to understand the work of the school. They are a visible presence at the school, including at school events. Parents and pupils share their views with them regularly.  They are skilled at understanding performance information and ask challenging questions of school leaders, especially when work to improve the progress of vulnerable groups is not as successful as it could be. They use external reviews well to check the information they receive from school leaders.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Governors have kept sound financial oversight of the school. They evaluate the spending of government funding well. They have also made astute appointments to strengthen teaching and leadership.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School leaders, including the designated safeguarding leader (DSL), are extremely knowledgeable about signs of abuse and the risks facing young people today. Records are meticulously kept for all referrals made to the DSL and professional multi-agency support is engaged appropriately to support pupils and their families. Staff exchange concerns openly; the staff safeguarding noticeboard is used well.  Governors have ensured that they are suitably trained; they monitor safeguarding practices meticulously during visits to the school and in governors’ meetings. All staff have received training to help them understand the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. Parents receive regular advice and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

guidance to help them keep their child safe. Staff and pupils adhere to the school’s strict codes for using social media and the internet. Pupils feel safe in the school and this view is supported by both parents and staff.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers have developed their teaching skills well. They have developed their subject knowledge well and are gaining confidence in the teaching of the new, more demanding, national curriculum for English and mathematics.  Teachers are particularly skilled at using assessment information to plan effective learning opportunities. As a result, especially in the lower years where pupils learn in mixed-ability classes, teachers group pupils appropriately and deploy teaching assistants effectively. Teaching assistants are fully aware of teaching objectives and use resources well to generate interest and promote good progress from pupils’ different starting points.  Teachers know and understand the needs of the pupils they teach, especially the needs of those who have special educational needs or disability and those who are disadvantaged. They provide additional support both in the classroom and through booster sessions at lunchtime and after school. Lunchtime

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

booster sessions in mathematics have been particularly successful in helping disadvantaged pupils make accelerated progress in Years 5 and 6. Teachers identify the most able in all classes and often these pupils are ‘fast tracked’ in the class so that they can tackle more difficult aspects of the work more quickly. This strategy has contributed to the good progress these pupils make.  The quality of English teaching is consistently good and the quality of mathematics teaching is improving and is mostly good. Many teachers’ use of questions is skilled. They ask how and why pupils arrived at their answer, rather than accepting the pupils’ first response. In addition, pupils are encouraged well to take responsibility for their learning. In one English lesson, when the teacher spotted a pupil’s misunderstanding of an adverbial introduction to a paragraph, she asked her to recall previous teaching on the subject and use her ‘shoulder partner’ to unpick her misunderstanding. The pupil’s confidence rose

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

as a result.  The teaching of other subjects in the curriculum is also developed. For example, pupils demonstrate good science skills in their books; they can set out the results of experiments and evaluate their findings. Also, art books show pupils make progress in line-drawing skills and the use of perspective.  Homework is set regularly. Pupils report that they find it interesting, especially as it often involves project work, for which they can do research, and they have more time to complete it.  The teaching of phonics to pupils with weak reading skills when they enter the school is successful. Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure. One boy remarked, ‘I like reading because it helps my imagination… I read a lot on holiday’.  Pupils are active participants in marking and correcting their work. Pupils diligently make corrections and improve their written responses when required. Teachers provide helpful feedback and pupils track their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

own progress in relation to their targets in both mathematics and English.  Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge and skills accurately; there is a fair balance between the use of tests and classwork over time to make assessments. Teachers moderate pupils’ assessments effectively and pupils’ underperformance is identified quickly and accurately.  Teachers promote good social, moral and spiritual understanding. Teachers encourage excellent skills in cooperation and reflection. The school’s ‘R&R’ (review and reflection) time is used well by pupils as independent task and pair work. Pupils take greater responsibility for their learning as they get older. Relationships in the classroom are highly cooperative and conducive to good learning.  Although teachers promote pupils’ understanding of different religions in religious education lessons, pupils’ knowledge of other faiths is too limited. Often, the religions are taught too superficially and little is

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

done to reinforce pupils’ understanding throughout the year. As a result, pupils cannot recall simple aspects of any religion, such as important festivals, other than for Christianity.  The teaching of mathematics is improving across the school. Teachers help pupils practise their number and mental calculation skills consistently well in all years, but the teaching of problem-solving skills is not always taught effectively or regularly enough in all classes. Without regular opportunities for pupils to deepen their reasoning and apply their mathematical skills, they will be disadvantaged in end-of-key- stage examinations.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are mostly kind and thoughtful towards one another. The vast majority are well presented in their uniform, attend school regularly and listen and respond to teachers’ instructions well.  Incidents of poor behaviour are few. The school celebrates success and positive behaviour; ‘star of the week’ is an accolade well regarded by pupils. Pupils want to do well and engage well with school activities.  Pupils are articulate and confident. Those wishing to be school councillors and school ambassadors practise their democratic skills through holding hustings and writing letters of application. Leadership opportunities in the school help pupils to take responsibility and help others. Pupils develop empathy for others less fortunate than themselves through charity work, such as hosting food banks and their work with outdoor learning projects.

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Personal development and welfare

 Assemblies and personal, social and health lessons cover a wide variety of topics which help pupils to manage their feelings and develop healthy relationships. The ‘thought for the week’ reminds pupils about moral values and personal skills such as perseverance and resilience, as well as developing their spiritual understanding. However, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of faiths and cultures other than their own are too limited.  Pupils have a sound grasp of the risks associated with internet use, such as cyber-bullying. They sign a charter to promise to abide by e-safety rules. Pupils understand road and bicycle safety well.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is improving and remains above average levels. Very few pupils are persistently absent and those who have had a poorer record of attendance to school are supported well to attend more regularly.  Pupils’ behaviour in and around the school is sensible and polite. Pupils play well with each other and accept one another’s differences. These attitudes are actively encouraged by staff. Attitudes to learning in class are mostly good.  Incidents of poor behaviour are few and dealt with consistently well by teachers. Pupils report that while there are bullying incidents in the school, they trust teachers to deal with the perpetrators and support the victims effectively. Pupils talk positively about how the school successfully raises awareness of bullying though anti-bullying lessons, assemblies and regular anti-bullying awareness weeks.

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Behaviour

 A very small number of boys in the school sometimes present very challenging behaviour. These incidents are dealt with robustly and sensitively. Incidents of behaviour requiring exclusion or sanctions are reducing.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ attainment at key stage 2 in mathematics, reading and writing has been at or above national levels for the last three years. Also, pupils’ attainment in grammar, spelling and punctuation was significantly above national averages in 2015.  In 2015, pupils with both high and low starting points achieved standards above or broadly in line with their peers nationally in all national tests. Disadvantaged pupils, including those eligible for pupil premium funding, are improving their attainment towards that of their peers both in school and nationally.  In the Year 6 cohort in 2015, the proportion of pupils making expected progress in mathematics, reading and writing was slightly below national averages, although those with low prior attainment exceeded expected progress. In writing, the most-able pupils exceeded national expectations.  The profile of pupils’ ability range currently in the school is markedly different from that of previous years.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

Far fewer pupils now enter the school with attainment above national averages. In recent years, the school has worked with the local authority and the feeder infant schools to improve the information passed to the school about pupils’ prior knowledge and skills. Pupils, from their different starting points in the school, including the most able, are now making good or better progress across all subjects and in all year groups.  The school’s work to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils, especially the most-able ones, is making a difference. In most year groups, this group’s progress is improving quickly towards that of their peers. In Year 6, where the progress of disadvantaged boys is slower, school leaders have put into place very specific individual support. Early indications suggest that this intervention is improving the progress of these targeted disadvantaged pupils.  The proportion of pupils reaching or exceeding age-related expectations is high in writing, mathematics

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Outcomes for pupils are good

and reading across all year groups. However, in mathematics, pupils’ attainment for their age in Years 3 and 4 is not as high as that of older pupils’. This is because the transition from the old curriculum to the new has proved challenging for some pupils. By Years 5 and 6, attainment in mathematics is high, especially for the most-able pupils and boys.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make steady progress; some make exceptional progress from their starting points. The support and guidance for this group of pupils are successful. Staff prepare detailed and accurate support plans to help pupils improve their skills. Teaching assistants support these pupils well because they are qualified and skilled.  Pupils’ reading skills are accelerated quickly in the school because reading is promoted well. Phonics teaching is effective and helps pupils who are very behind their chronological age in reading to catch up

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Outcomes for pupils are good

quickly. Pupils are encouraged to read a wide variety of genres of books; the library is used regularly by pupils. Pupils’ vocabulary, spelling and comprehension skills are developed well by Year 6. Along with the good progress they make in mathematics and the transition work with local secondary schools, pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education.

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School details

Unique reference number 112624 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 10009089

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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 427 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Walter Greensmith Headteacher Jan Seymour Telephone number 01773 811304 Website www.glebe.derbyshire.sch.uk Email address headteacher@glebe.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 25–26 March 2014

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized junior school. The vast majority of pupils are of White British background.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is slightly above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability, including those with education, health and care plans, is above the national average.  A breakfast club is provided by the school for pupils during term time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school is part of the Derbyshire Teaching School Alliance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 17 lessons, nine of these jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors observed pupils informally during break- and lunchtime and spoke formally with three groups of pupils across the school. Inspectors observed two assemblies and heard several pupils read from all year groups.  Inspectors interviewed a range of school staff, including the headteacher, assistant headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator and teaching assistants. The lead inspector also met with six members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body and the vice-chair. An inspector interviewed the local authority representative.  A range of school documentation was evaluated, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan, achievement information, behaviour logs and safeguarding records.  Inspectors conducted a scrutiny of pupils’ work across all year groups. Some discussions were held with

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Information about this inspection

senior leaders during this process.  Inspectors considered 43 responses from the online questionnaire, Parent View, 25 responses from the staff questionnaire and 25 responses from the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Zarina Connolly, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Paul Weston Ofsted Inspector Kathryn Hanson Ofsted Inspector Aileen King 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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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