Wendover Church of England Junior School

Wendover Church of England Junior School Wharf Road, Wendover, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP22 6HF

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The introduction of the 4Rs – resilience, respect, responsibility and reflection – underpins the ethos of the school and has led to significant improvements in learning and behaviour.  The exceptionally determined and astute headteacher, supported by senior leaders and governors, has ensured that the school has made substantial improvement since the previous inspection.  The committed and strong governing body challenges and supports leaders effectively and appropriately. They know what the school needs to do to improve. As a result, the school is moving from strength to strength.  Teaching is strong. Teachers have good subject knowledge and prepare lessons which engage and inspire pupils to learn. Pupils enjoy being able to choose their own level of challenge.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics across the school.  Pupils enjoy coming to school because they are interested in their work. Consequently, attendance

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This is a good school

is high.  Learning support assistants provide effective help for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, they make good progress in lessons.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They are polite and courteous and show respect for adults and each other. Pupils have highly positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Adults encourage pupils to reflect carefully about how others feel when things go wrong.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The school has not yet introduced an effective system to measure pupils’ progress and attainment, in line with the new curriculum, which is fully understood by all leaders at all stages.  Not all teachers ensure that presentation of pupils’ work is of a high enough standard. This has led to errors in spelling and punctuation not being addressed. Consequently, the teaching of writing is not as strong as other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Fully implement an effective assessment system that is used by leaders at all levels to track and drive progress.  Improve standards in writing by: – ensuring consistency of approach to presentation of work – having high expectations of pupils’ spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders and governors have a clear sense of purpose and direction, focused on school improvement. As a result, all areas for development at the previous inspection have been addressed. Their self-evaluation is accurate and they are clear about what the school needs to do to continue to improve.  The very strong headteacher has drive and enthusiasm. He has high expectations of all and this is reflected in pupils’ outstanding behaviour and improving standards. His ambition for excellence is shared by everyone. He ensures staff are given the opportunity to develop their skills, and senior staff are encouraged to lead a range of initiatives. For example, work to encourage pupils to learn from their mistakes and focus on effort as a means to improvement has been led by an assistant headteacher.  Through expert training and professional development, middle leaders are now more confident in their roles. They have a growing influence on the work of the school, ensuring improved attainment. They are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

however, not yet clear about the new assessment system and how they will use this to track pupil progress and drive improvement.  The school has received very good support from the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust. The trust has been commissioned by Buckinghamshire County Council to support school improvement. Provision has been tailored to the needs of the school and, as a result, improvement has been swift.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils state that they enjoy the topics and subjects they study. Science has a prominent place within the curriculum. To support development in this area, a science day has been held this year.  Fundamental British values are taught within the curriculum. For example, an orienteering activity was created where pupils had to answer questions related to British values. This was thoroughly enjoyed by pupils and heightened their awareness of what it means to be British.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their spirituality through collective worship and through the focus on reflection in the school’s 4Rs. Pupils enjoy responsibilities. The focus on considering the feelings of both parties in an argument allows pupils to develop their moral awareness. They have a strong sense of right and wrong. Pupils relate well to each other and work sensibly in a variety of groupings, showing their developing social awareness. Links with the local community, for example visiting a local care home, also ensure a widening social development. Art exhibitions, singing in the choir and play productions all support cultural development.  There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including street dance, a rock band and cheerleading, which allow pupils to extend their knowledge and improve their skills. Year 6 pupils organise and run a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

wide number of clubs for younger pupils, such as chess club. Clubs are well attended and enjoyed by pupils of all ages.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make accelerated progress. The impact of spending is monitored closely. Funding is used to deliver a range of targeted activities, such as one-to-one support, as well as to ensure pupils’ access to clubs, trips and residential visits. This provision makes a good contribution to pupils’ social development.  Funding to increase pupils’ participation in physical education is used thoughtfully. Specialist teachers have been brought in to support staff confidence and improve teaching. Money has also been spent to allow more pupils to access district competitions. All pupils now take part in intra-house competitions organised by Year 6 sports’ leaders.  Leaders promote equality of opportunity and diversity, and deal with extremely rare prejudicial behaviours

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

quickly and effectively. This has resulted in a strong school ethos where everyone feels welcome.  The governance of the school – Governors are committed and passionate. They are clearly focused on school improvement and provide the school with a high, but appropriate, level of challenge and support. They have a very good understanding of where the school’s strengths and weaknesses lie, and work closely with school leaders to ensure improvements are made. They are fully aware of the need to improve writing across the school. – Governors undertake regular and appropriate monitoring. They visit the school frequently to carry out learning walks, talk to pupils and hold discussions with subject leaders. Informative reports following visits help the headteacher to secure further school improvement. – The governing body has a good understanding of pupil premium funding and sports funding and they closely monitor the impact these have on pupils’ learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There are a number of strategies in place to support families who are well known by the designated safeguarding officer. All teachers and governors are trained in safeguarding procedures and have undertaken training regarding radicalisation. Contact with parents and external agencies is well documented. Effective systems and good relationships promote a safe culture in school. Pupils overwhelmingly state that they feel safe at school and parents agree.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is consistently good across the school, leading to good rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Some groups of pupils make accelerated progress.  Teachers know pupils very well. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are effectively supported by highly skilled learning support assistants. Teachers use assessments in lessons to check pupils’ understanding, and address their misconceptions promptly.  In mathematics lessons, pupils are well challenged, highly engaged and motivated. The most able pupils thrive. Pupils display a deep level of understanding in the explanations they give, demonstrating high levels of reasoning.  In the teaching of literacy, good use is made of a number of strategies to encourage pupils to write and to enable teachers to assess pupils’ needs. Most work is undertaken in a context which engages pupils. For example, Year 3 pupils were writing a newspaper report based on their recent visit to a local care

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

home. Pupils learn well how to edit and improve their work. However, achievement in writing is not yet as strong as in reading.  In some year groups, progress in writing is hindered by poor presentation and handwriting due to a lack of high expectations by teachers. This has resulted in some inaccurate spelling, grammar and punctuation not being addressed.  Pupils have a range of opportunities to write across the broad and balanced curriculum. For example, in Year 5, pupils have created books based on their topic of the ancient Egyptians. .  Teachers and learning support assistants demonstrate deep subject knowledge in literacy and mathematics. For example, in a literacy lesson, their knowledge of sentence construction and grammar allowed pupils to be prompted and coached into making editorial choices.  Pupils read widely, in and out of school. They talk enthusiastically about the range of authors they enjoy

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and demonstrate a good understanding of a wide range of texts.  Pupils use feedback very well to improve their work. They talk enthusiastically about the ‘learning pit’ and about how this helps them to learn well. They reflect well on their own work and suggest helpful improvements to each other. Pupils are encouraged to be resilient and realise that they are learning all the time.  Teachers prompt pupils to think through how they can be successful in each piece of work, giving them a greater understanding of how to do well.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are confident and polite. They enjoy learning and settle eagerly to their work.  Pupils are keen to talk about their work, showing pride in what they have done. They listen carefully to adults and show respect when discussing topics with each other.  Parents say that their children are very well looked after at school. As one stated, ‘I trust the school to look after my child – both academically and with their welfare.’  Staff know their pupils exceptionally well and this promotes a high degree of well-being.  Pupils know how to stay safe. Through, for example, strong teaching of e-safety, they have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe when online.  Pupils know how to keep healthy and can talk about this with a high degree of confidence and enthusiasm.  Pupils enjoy being given responsibilities, and carry them out with enthusiasm and energy. They are given

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Personal development and welfare

a wide range of roles, including those of writing mentors, buddies, mathematics champions, house captains and prefects. They are proud of these positions which support their social development.  Members of the school council organise events to support local, national and international charities of their choice. Consequently, pupils are aware of, and show respect for, those less fortunate than themselves.  The learning environment celebrates the many opportunities pupils have to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. The school places a high emphasis on this, as seen in assembly themes and work displayed around the school.  The focus on resilience ensures that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, whether it is the next year group or their next school. Parents stated that the staff ‘prepare children really well for change’.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. A new behaviour policy and a focus on the school’s 4Rs have resulted in a significant improvement in behaviour since the last inspection. Pupils overwhelmingly state that they are taught to respect each other whatever their culture or faith. As a result, there is a high level of tolerance amongst pupils.  Bullying is extremely rare. Parents and pupils state that, should this arise, staff deal with it well.  Pupils apply themselves to their work diligently, and there is rarely any low-level disruption. When a pupil loses concentration, this is noticed by adults, who deal with the situation effectively.  Pupils play well together during unsupervised times. There is a range of activities on offer to keep them occupied, including a trim trail and a peace garden for those who wish to sit quietly. Pupils show a high degree of support for each other at these times. For example, a number of Year 6 pupils act as peer

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Behaviour

mentors and help to solve any problems. Pupils say that this is very effective, so little teaching and learning time is wasted in dealing with playground issues.  Attendance is high for all groups of pupils, showing that they are keen to come to school and value their education.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ outcomes have improved rapidly over the last two years due to improvements in teaching and learning and the close tracking of pupils.  Current assessment information and work in lessons and in pupils’ books show that all groups of pupils make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, although improving, standards in writing are not as high as in reading and mathematics.  Standards in reading and mathematics are well above national averages by the end of Year 6.  Pupils read enthusiastically and widely with good understanding. They use a range of strategies, including phonics (letters and the sounds they make), to work out unknown words.  Disadvantaged pupils make the same or better progress compared to their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. Their attainment is above the national average. Additional funding is used effectively to provide specific, targeted help, and to enable pupils to participate fully in school life.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress due to well-targeted extra help from well-trained learning support assistants, in small-group sessions or through one-to-one support in the classroom.  The most able make good progress because pupils access appropriately challenging work. A high number of pupils are exceeding levels expected for their ages in reading, writing and mathematics.

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School details

Unique reference number 110421 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection Number 10012276

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 347 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tony Fish Headteacher/Principal/Teacher in charge Gareth Mirams Telephone number 01296 696822 Website www.wendover.eschools.co.uk Email address admin@wendoverjunior.co.uk Date of previous inspection 24–25 June 2014

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Information about this school

 This junior school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The John Hampden Infant School and John Colet Academy share the same site as the junior school.  The headteacher took up his post in September 2014.  Most of the pupils are White British. Other pupils come from a range of different ethnic backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities supported through a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is lower than average. The pupil premium is extra government funding to help the education of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The school’s website meets the requirements for the publication of specified information.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 20 lessons or parts of lessons. Many of these were joint observations with the headteacher or assistant headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and examined work in books.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, middle leaders, year leaders, a representative of the local authority from the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust, governors, parents and pupils.  The inspectors examined school policies, information about pupils’ attainment and progress, pupils’ work, the school website and the school’s self-evaluation and development planning. They also viewed documents relating to safeguarding and records of behaviour and attendance. The minutes of governing body meetings were examined.  The views of 113 parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account, and some parents and carers were spoken to in the playground at the start of the

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Information about this inspection

school day.  The views of 10 members of staff were gathered from the staff questionnaire.  The views of 94 pupils were gathered from the pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Barbara Chevis, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Alison Ashcroft Ofsted Inspector Helena Griffiths 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

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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