Ormesby Village Junior School

Ormesby Village Junior School North Road, Ormesby St Margaret, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR29 3LA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement  The progress of pupils who join the school with average attainment is not rapid enough because these pupils are not challenged sufficiently.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good and the expectations teachers have of pupils are sometimes not high enough.  Teachers’ use of assessment is not sufficiently focused to plan lessons that meet the needs of pupils of different abilities.  Teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop subject-specific skills and knowledge in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Leaders have not been sufficiently rigorous in their checks on teaching and taken enough action to ensure that teaching is consistently good.  Leaders have not held all staff to account sufficiently for the standards achieved in the school.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

The school has the following strengths  The school is an inclusive place where positive relationships between adults and pupils exist.  Leaders and governors are highly committed to the school and have an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.  The quality and presentation of pupils’ writing have improved since the previous inspection.  Attendance is good because pupils enjoy school.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress because staff carefully plan for their individual needs.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress because funding to support these pupils is used well, including to improve their attendance, which has improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: – senior leaders more rigorously checking the quality of teaching and learning – developing the role of middle leaders in improving teaching and learning – holding all staff to account more fully for standards achieved across the school.  Ensure that teaching and learning and pupil attitudes to learning are consistently good by: – raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve – providing greater challenge for pupils, particularly those with average attainment, so that they make accelerated progress – improving the use of assessment to inform teaching – more effective use of resources to support learning.  Extend opportunities for pupils to develop subject-specific skills and knowledge in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Since the previous inspection, the school has suffered a period of turbulence. The headteacher from the infant school has taken up the position of headteacher at the juniors, sharing her time between the two schools. There has been a large amount of staff turnover and leaders have experienced difficulties in recruiting high-quality staff. A number of key subject leaders, including the leaders for mathematics, for English and for physical education (PE), left the school. Leaders have now established a stable staff team but have not yet secured good teaching in all classes.  Senior leaders carry out checks on the quality of teaching and learning and provide accurate feedback to teachers about how to improve. However, these checks are not frequent enough, and are not followed up rigorously to ensure that advice is acted upon and teaching improves.  Performance management procedures have been put in place so that teachers know

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

their individual targets for the year. These include targets relating to pupil progress. Nevertheless, leaders acknowledge that there is more to be done to ensure that all teachers are held fully to account for the standards achieved by pupils in their class.  Subject leaders are inexperienced; they are beginning to understand more fully what needs to be done to secure improvements. Where changes have been implemented, subject leaders have not evaluated fully whether these have had a positive impact. Consequently, subject leaders have yet to have a significant impact on improving teaching and raising standards.  Leaders, including governors, have an accurate view of the school. Their self- evaluation is honest in recognising the improvements that need to be made but they have not tackled these quickly enough. However with greater staffing stability, leaders are now determined to rapidly improve the school. The development plan for the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

current year has already identified actions needed to address a number of areas that need improvement.  Those with responsibility for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities carefully plan for these pupils’ needs across the school. The leader for special educational needs regularly checks on the additional support provided for these pupils, and whether it is helping them to make progress. He also visits classes to check that pupils’ needs are being met and provides training and advice for staff. As a result, these pupils make good progress.  Leaders have established a highly inclusive ethos in the school. Pupils say that everyone is welcome; they understand that people have different backgrounds and needs but that all are important. Adults and pupils treat each other with respect and any rare incidents of derogatory behaviour or name-calling are not tolerated and are dealt with swiftly.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Pupils understand British values such as democracy and respect because they are given opportunities to learn about these. For example, pupils elect a school council, pupils learn about understanding and tolerance of people with different faiths in assemblies and religious education lessons, and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) lessons encourage pupils to think carefully, for example about the qualities needed for effective teamwork.  There is a broad and balanced curriculum in place, and this is enhanced by extra- curricular opportunities such as choir club, sporting activities and residential trips. Through this curriculum, together with regular assemblies, pupils are given good opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.  Parents spoken to during the inspection say that the school is a welcoming place. The headteacher has ensured that at the start of the day parents know that they can come

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

into class with their child if they want to, and parents welcome this. Although only a small number of parents responded to the Ofsted questionnaire, the vast majority were very positive about the school and how it meets their child’s needs.

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Governance of the school

 Following the federation of the infant and junior school governing bodies, governors have become much more focused on checking aspects of the school. They visit more regularly; for example, the governor with responsibility for special educational needs and disabilities carries out a regular observation of pupils as they learn together with the subject leader. Governors expect to receive detailed information from leaders, attend training and seek out the advice of professionals, including from the local authority.  Governors look closely at pupil outcomes and recognise that improvements need to be made more rapidly. They challenge leaders to explain where performance is not good enough. They carefully consider what further steps they can take to support the headteacher. For example, they appointed a non-teaching deputy, and have recently changed how the headteacher’s time is split between the two schools so that she

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Governance of the school

spends a greater proportion at the junior school to enable more rapid improvements to be made.  Governors check that funding such as that provided to support pupils who are disadvantaged is used well so that these pupils make good progress compared to other pupils nationally. The headteacher provides regular reports to governors so that they can evaluate how effectively funding, including that to promote school sports, is used.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Everyone at Ormesby Village Junior School is committed to ensuring that pupils are kept safe. The headteacher and designated leader ensure that training is very regular and that updates are provided for staff when necessary. For example, staff are aware of recent changes in guidance for keeping children safe, and have received training in the ‘Prevent’ duty so that they know how to spot signs of radicalisation. Those with particular responsibility for safeguarding ensure that all information regarding concerns, and meetings and phone calls with outside agencies, are carefully recorded.  All staff know the signs that indicate a child may be at risk and watch out for these carefully. They are swift to report these if they occur and are confident that action will be taken. This means that pupils are kept safe and feel safe in school. Pupils told inspectors that there is always someone to speak to if they are worried and that

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Safeguarding

teachers regularly provide opportunities to talk about issues such as bullying and online safety. As a result, pupils know what to do if they have problems such as these.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not consistently good across the school. Not all teachers have equally high expectations of what pupils can achieve from their starting points. Some tasks do not challenge all groups of pupils, and so some, in particular those who join the school with average attainment, do not make the rapid progress that they are capable of.  The good use of assessment seen in some classes is not consistent across the school. Some teachers do not check carefully enough what pupils can do and their level of understanding in order to use this to plan and adapt lessons to meet pupils’ needs. As a result, sometimes pupils are given tasks that are too easy or too challenging. Probing questions are sometimes used, for example in Years 5 and 6, to check understanding of features of grammar, but these are not used regularly enough. Teachers’ marking and feedback does not always help pupils to know what they need to improve and so

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

they make similar errors in subsequent work, for example in their spelling and grammar.  The school’s good-quality resources are not used well enough in some lessons to support learning. For example, teachers sometimes use resources at the beginning of lessons to make learning points, but these are too small and pupils cannot see them and so do not understand fully what the teacher is saying. Sometimes pupils are not given the appropriate equipment to support them in carrying out independent tasks, such as number lines to help them locate the position of a given number so that they can round it up or down. Where resources are provided, teachers do not always check that pupils understand how to use them and teach them accordingly if they do not understand. For example, during the inspection two boys were using a thesaurus and told the inspector ‘you can look through this and choose any word to use in your writing’.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Some teaching assistants provide good support for pupils, asking questions and extending their learning. This is because they work closely with the teacher and fully understand what is expected of them and the pupils with whom they are working. However, in some classes, teaching assistants are not given clear enough guidance by teachers about what they should be doing with pupils. In these cases, teaching assistants do not make a significant contribution to improving learning.  Pupils respond very well when teachers plan lessons which are engaging and well matched to pupils’ needs. For example, in Years 5 and 6, pupils were very enthusiastically completing a range of different mathematical challenges, one pupil declaring, ‘I am a real mathematician.’ However, when tasks are not well matched to pupils’ needs, some pupils lose interest and fidget and sometimes talk amongst themselves when the teacher is speaking.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Pupils study a broad range of subjects through topics and these are used to provide good opportunities for pupils to write more extensively, especially in Years 5 and 6. However, in subjects other than English and Mathematics, teachers do not always provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to learn the specific skills relevant to these subjects. For example, some pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to learn the skills of historical enquiry or to plan and carry out enough scientific investigations and draw conclusions about scientific concepts. Assessing pupils’ knowledge and understanding in these subjects is at an early stage and so those who have particular strengths in these areas are not challenged sufficiently.  A small selection of most-able readers who were listened to reading during the inspection said that their needs were well met because the school library contains a good range of reading material for their abilities and interests. These pupils also

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

demonstrated a real enjoyment of reading, which is promoted by the regular reading of high-quality texts by teachers in class.  In some classes, the use of different levels of challenge from which pupils can select is promoting positive attitudes to learning as pupils are keen to take on work which extends their thinking. In these lessons, pupils show perseverance and enthusiasm for learning.  In some classes pupils are being given greater opportunities to solve problems in mathematics, applying their knowledge of arithmetic to solve problems across a range of mathematical areas and making links between different mathematical concepts.  Homework challenges are enjoyed by pupils and are well used by teachers to consolidate learning.  Very positive relationships exist between adults and pupils in all classes, and pupils say that they are confident to ask questions and to make mistakes because someone will

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Harmonious relationships exist between adults and pupils at the school. Pupils trust adults to take care of them and to keep them safe. Pupils are confident when speaking to adults and demonstrate pride in their school.  Parents feel that the school takes good care of pupils. One parent told inspectors that she had moved her child to the school after problems elsewhere and ‘could not be more delighted’ with the care her child has received since joining the school.  The school teaches pupils about safety, including how to keep themselves safe when using technology such as the internet and mobile phones, and what to do if they are being bullied. As a result, pupils are confident about how to respond in these situations.  Good pastoral support, for example for those pupils with more challenging behaviour, is provided by teachers and teaching assistants. This ensures that they rarely disrupt

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Personal development and welfare

others’ learning, and make good progress.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils learn about right and wrong in lessons such as PSHE as well as through assemblies and ongoing discussions with adults. They are given opportunities to develop their social skills through regular paired and group work, which they enjoy. Pupils learn about other countries and cultures, and about world issues, for example through work on International Peace Day. Music lessons and choir provide opportunities for creativity, and writing seen during the inspection by pupils in Years 5 and 6 shows that creativity in writing is promoted well.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement because in some classes pupils’ attitudes towards learning are not as good as they should be.  The majority of pupils behave well at playtimes and lunchtimes. The school provides a good range of playtime activities and equipment, including for ‘wet play’ days. Pupils cooperate with each other and share equipment sensibly. However, in lessons where work is not accurately matched to the needs and interests of pupils, some pupils lose interest. In these cases pupils do not listen well enough to the teacher or concentrate on the tasks they are given, sometimes talking when they should be listening or working. This impedes their own learning and sometimes the learning of those around them.  Some teachers do not ensure that the classroom organisation is sufficient to promote good behaviour. In these classes, pupils sometimes do not focus on their work because

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Behaviour

they are distracted, for example by adults giving out materials, or because they are located too far away from the teacher for them to see and fully engage with the lesson.  Pupils are polite and courteous towards adults, for example holding doors open in the corridor to allow adults to walk through, and welcoming visitors that they meet in school. Where lessons are well planned and work is well matched to pupils’ abilities, pupils behave well and work well independently and with each other. They show real enthusiasm for learning. For example, in Years 5 and 6 pupils were writing about images from South America and were keen to share their excellent and creative sentences with each other and with adults. Pupils with more challenging behaviour are well managed and supported in school so that they rarely disrupt lessons.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 While in previous years pupils have achieved well by the end of Year 6, in 2015 some pupils, particularly those who joined the school with average attainment, did not make as much progress as pupils nationally in writing and mathematics. In the most recent national tests in 2016, fewer pupils reached the expected standard than is the case nationally. Less than half of pupils with average attainment on joining the school reached the expected standard in reading in 2016, and very few in mathematics.  The work of pupils who are currently in the school demonstrates that pupils are making better progress in English and mathematics in Years 5 and 6 than in Years 3 and 4. Pupils with average attainment are not being given sufficiently challenging work in Years 3 and 4 and so are not making rapid enough progress to enable them to reach the expected standard by the end of Year 6.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, the most able pupils are not given

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

sufficient opportunities to extend their thinking and so those who are capable of excelling in these subjects, such as science and geography, do not have the chance to shine.  The quality of pupils’ writing and presentation has improved since the previous inspection. It is stronger in Years 5 and 6 than in the lower years.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress because their needs are identified and planned for very specifically, with well-planned individual tasks and support. Individual education plans clearly identify the small next steps for each pupil and how these will be achieved, and these are regularly reviewed to ensure that progress is made.  Pupils who are disadvantaged make good progress. Additional funding provided to support these pupils is well targeted to support pupils in school and to enable them to access, for example, residential trips to develop social skills.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 The small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language are provided with support and resources, helping them to settle quickly and enabling them to make good progress in their understanding of simple English. For example, the school has ensured that dual language signs are displayed, and provides computer tablets so that adults can translate information quickly, enabling pupils to understand tasks.  The good opportunities provided for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development prepare pupils well socially and emotionally for moving on to high school. This was commented on by a parent spoken to during the inspection, who said that the school had provided excellent preparation for her older child, who had settled quickly into high school.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.ormesbyvillagejuniorschool.org

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School details

Email address head@ormesbyjunior.norfolk.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–8 December 2011

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school is smaller than the average-sized school than is found nationally.  The majority of pupils are of white British background and few speak English as an additional language.  Fewer pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals than is found nationally.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are supported by an education, health and care plan or a statement of educational needs is average.  The school’s governing body federated with the governing body of the infant school in April 2015. The schools share a headteacher, deputy headteacher and leader for special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons in all classes. Some joint observations were carried out with senior leaders.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books, school assessment information, the headteacher’s evaluation of teaching and learning and a range of school documents.  Inspector spoke with a small number of parents, took account of 11 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and met with some pupils from Years 4 to 6.  Inspectors listened to a small number of pupils read.  Inspectors spoke with a representative from the local authority and with two members of the governing body.  Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of pupils were examined, including mandatory checks made during the recruitment of new staff.

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Inspection team

Maria Curry, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nick Templeton 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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.

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Inspection team

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 .

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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