Strand-on-the-Green Junior School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Sue Harrison Headteacher Strand on the Green Junior School Thames Road Chiswick W4 3NX

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 27 September 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in October 2011.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

You and your leadership team have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. School leaders have worked hard to successfully address the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. The feedback system for providing pupils with comments to help them reflect on their learning is used effectively across the school. Pupils regularly respond to the challenges that their teachers set and can talk confidently about what they need to do to improve their work. The leaders’ focus on improving teaching has also been successful and, as a result, teachers plan lessons which provide pupils with better opportunities to deepen their understanding and learning.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Governors have ensured that there is a clear plan in place for your phased retirement, to provide the school with stable and consistent leadership. You share the headteacher role with your highly effective deputy headteacher who is in charge on the days you are not working.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Senior leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance as a result of an effective monitoring system. The information is shared with leaders at all levels and improvement work is seen as a collective responsibility. You and your leaders were disappointed with the 2015 mathematics results for Year 6 and consequently acted swiftly to review teaching in this subject. Teachers have received training to deliver a new mathematics programme. The school’s evaluation of this new strategy indicates that overall there has been an improvement in pupils’ learning and progress. However, leaders rightly recognise that the most able pupils need to make better progress in mathematics.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Pupil premium funding has been spent effectively so that leaders provide the right support to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils. These pupils now make the progress expected of them by the end of Year 6. You and the school leaders have worked hard to improve the quality of writing across the school. As a result, pupils show great stamina in making good use of the extended writing opportunities they have across the curriculum, particularly as they move up the school. Following the 2016 results for Year 6, you and your leaders recognise that reading is a school priority particularly for the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Leaders have already started to address this through sharper analysis of comprehension assessments and, as a result, teachers are starting to develop pupils’ higher order reading skills.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

The school’s strong ethos of being an ‘upstanding Strandite’ is a thread that runs through its work. Pupils learn from the way school leaders collaborate and work as a team. This is reflected in well-behaved, considerate pupils who are able to work and play well together. This is recognised by parents as a real strength of the school.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

The school has opened the Swan Centre as an additional resourced provision for pupils who have autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The provision is shared with the infant school. Currently, there are nine pupils from the junior school attending the centre. The pupils are very much part of the main school and the school works successfully in integrating the pupils, when appropriate, with their peers.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Parents say that all the school staff are very approachable and any issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently. The school’s successful transition work ensures that pupils settle quickly from the feeder infant school. The high-quality care and guidance is recognised by those parents whose children arrive with little or no English language skills during the school year.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

The school runs a popular and well-attended breakfast club and after-school club for both the infant and junior pupils. Leaders ensure that appropriate safeguarding arrangements are in place. The staff offer a variety of activities and parents appreciate this wrap-around care for their children.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Safeguarding is very well managed. Systems for the checking of staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to the school are rigorous, accurate and effective. The single central record is checked routinely by senior leaders and governors. Staff have had up-to-date safeguarding training, including on issues such as the ‘Prevent’ duty, female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation. Leaders ensure that key staff and governors attend appropriate training to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities. Internal systems ensure that staff are vigilant in recording concerns. School staff are persistent in communicating with other services when they need to refer or escalate a concern.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Leaders provide effective support, guidance and advice for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They make early and accurate assessments and ensure that effective interventions are put in place for identified pupils.

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Short inspection of Strand on the Green Junior School

Pupils say that they feel safe and that the school helps them to be aware of risk and danger, and act safely. The school’s work on e-safety is a strength and there are regular workshops for pupils and parents to identify ways to keep safe online.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders have developed a comprehensive assessment system and use this effectively to track the progress of all pupils and evaluate the impact of teaching on their learning. Teachers are able to use this information to plan activities which ensure that all pupils are challenged in their learning. Regular pupil progress meetings enable staff to analyse the information about how well pupils are achieving. This has helped them to identify that they need to do more to improve the progress that the most able pupils make, particularly in mathematics.  Pupils make good progress in their writing. However, leaders and governors are aware that the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, do not make consistent progress in their reading often enough.  As a result of successful transition work from the infant school, children make a positive start in the school. The school has a consistent approach to behaviour management. As a result, pupils respond well to

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Inspection findings

all staff and this ensures that they make the most of their learning time in lessons; disruptions are rare.  The staff provide a bright and stimulating environment that celebrates success in pupils’ learning. School leaders work hard at ensuring that the school site is well maintained despite the challenges posed by the fabric of the school building.  Teaching across the school is consistent and effective. Staff receive high-quality professional development and this has had a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching. Middle leaders are well supported by the senior staff to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities. The school information is shared and, as a result, staff feel empowered and work collaboratively for the benefit of the pupils.  Senior leaders monitor pupils’ attendance levels closely and regularly. The number of pupils who are persistently absent is decreasing due to

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Inspection findings

effective support put in place. The good rapport with parents enables school staff to work positively with them when pupils’ attendance becomes a concern. The use of incentives to improve attendance has been successful. The headteacher’s reports to the governing body illustrate the very low instances of bullying. The parents say that the school deals effectively with behaviour issues.  The curriculum provides pupils with rich and interesting experiences. The sports premium grant is used to provide high-quality coaching. As a result, the pupils representing the school have had success in competitive sports.  A strong emphasis on developing the whole child means that the staff provide pupils with a range of opportunities to develop their understanding of fundamental British values. The school council is an example of how pupils have experience of the democratic voting system, and the school ensures that pupils from the Swan Centre are

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Inspection findings

represented in this work. Pupils are successfully prepared for life in modern Britain.  The school has a skilled group of governors. They receive key information that enables them to hold the school to account well. They are able to challenge the leaders using school performance information. They have identified, for instance, that leaders need to ensure that pupils make better progress in reading across the school and most-able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, make better progress in mathematics.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the teaching of mathematics continues to improve so that the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, make better progress  teaching is more effective in helping pupils develop their reading skills.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hounslow. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

From my pre-inspection analysis and discussion with school leaders, I focused on the following during this inspection:

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Information about the inspection

 the quality and impact of safeguarding practice to ensure it meets statutory requirements  the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities with an education, health and care plan  the progress that Year 6 pupils make in mathematics  how effective the school is in developing pupils’ independence and deepening their knowledge  how well pupils develop their reading skills.

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Information about the inspection

I met with you and the senior leadership team. Meetings were also held with representatives of the governing body and the local authority. The information looked at during the inspection included the school’s safeguarding records, policies and procedures and the single central register. I looked at the school’s assessment of its performance, minutes of meetings and information about pupils’ progress. I visited the Swan Centre and after-school club. I interviewed a group of pupils and I heard pupils read. I spoke informally to a small number of parents before school started. I visited some lessons, including those for mathematics and writing. I took account of 91 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.

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