Langley Mill Junior School

Langley Mill Junior School Bailey Brook Crescent, Langley Mill, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG16 4FZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have not successfully tackled all the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. The governing body has not held them to account for this lack of improvement.  Leaders, including the governing body, do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Actions to improve the school have not been effective, or have been implemented too slowly.  Not all teachers in charge of subjects, or other areas of the school, are implementing improvements quickly enough.  Too many pupils, including the most able, make inadequate progress across a wide range of subjects. Teachers’ expectations are too low and too much of the teaching lacks challenge.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is particularly weak. Senior leaders have not made effective use of the additional government funding to improve the achievement of these pupils.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have not done enough to eliminate poor teaching.  Teachers do not always know what pupils have learned in lessons and so they do not know whether pupils are finding the work too easy, or too hard. The quality of guidance that pupils receive about improving their work varies considerably between classes.  Pupils are easily distracted in lessons and struggle to concentrate on their work. Some pupils show a lack of respect towards adults.  Teachers provide limited opportunities for pupils to develop their writing and mathematics skills in different subjects.  Teachers provide pupils with limited opportunities to develop their skills in writing extended pieces, especially in subjects other than English.  The teaching of mathematics does not provide sufficient challenge and opportunities for pupils to deepen their mathematical understanding.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders promote equality and diversity well. Pupils are respectful towards others with different faiths and ethnic backgrounds. Pupils know that not everyone is the same and are taught to treat others with kindness and understanding.  Leaders have worked successfully to improve the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Staff keep pupils safe and pupils say that they feel safe. Parents agree with this view.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership so that there is rapid improvement in pupils’ achievement, especially among disadvantaged pupils, those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the most able, by: – securing effective leadership at all levels throughout the school – ensuring that the governing body works cohesively to provide effective challenge to school leaders and holds them to account for the school’s progress, making timely use of the recommendations of the review of governance, noted below – raising leaders’ expectations of what all pupils could and should achieve – developing a broad and balanced curriculum to enable pupils to learn and to use key skills, such as English and mathematics – eradicating weak teaching, particularly in English and mathematics – using pupil premium funding more effectively to improve the attendance, attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– making better use of the school funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to raise their achievement – making sure that leaders evaluate their actions to check that they have had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment rapidly so that pupils make faster progress across the curriculum through all teachers: – taking part in precise professional development – using information about pupils’ attainment and progress consistently to provide work that is set at the right level – checking frequently on pupils’ learning during lessons and providing additional support and challenge when required – having high expectations of what pupils can achieve and providing them with work that is appropriately challenging – providing more opportunities for pupils to improve their skills in reasoning and solving mathematical problems

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– developing the key skills of writing and mathematics through different subjects – developing pupils’ extended writing skills, especially in subjects other than English and in years other than Year 6 – raising pupils’ aspirations of what they can achieve, in order to improve their attitudes to learning and level of concentration in lessons – focusing on improving the behaviour of the pupils who find it difficult to work without high levels of adult support and intervention. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders, including the governing body, have overseen poor achievement for pupils for too long. Information about the school’s current performance indicates that leaders have not demonstrated the capacity to improve pupils’ achievement.  A large number of pupils, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have not made the progress they should have made from their different starting points. Pupils who leave the school at the end of Year 6 are not prepared well for secondary school.  Leaders have not successfully tackled the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. At the last inspection, inspectors judged the school to require improvement because pupils were making too little progress and too few pupils were attaining at higher levels. Teachers were asked to make better use of questions to extend pupils’ thinking and to ensure that the pupils’ attention was sustained. Inspectors judged

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

there was insufficient challenge in the work set for pupils, especially for the most able. Inspectors also asked leaders to ensure that pupils had the opportunity to practise and extend their mathematical skills in other subjects.  Leaders and the governing body do not have a realistic view of the school’s effectiveness. Their view of the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement is too generous. Conversely, their expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress, and of pupils’ behaviour, are too low.  Leaders are not doing enough to tackle poor teaching. Consequently, poor teaching has led to low achievement for many pupils.  Leaders do not provide teachers with targets that are precise enough to help teachers to develop their practice. The feedback that leaders give to teachers following lesson observations, for example, is not focused sharply on what the teachers need to do next. As a result, teachers lack clear and specific direction to enable them to improve.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Subject leaders do not have a clear grasp of the impact of their strategies to raise standards in their subjects. They have not been effective in bringing about improvement.  Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used ineffectively. Leaders are not doing enough to stem the decline in the progress that these pupils make because they do not evaluate effectively the impact of their use of the funding.  The design of the curriculum does not ensure that all pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum. Work in pupils’ books and discussions with pupils showed that some subjects, such as music, are not taught often enough to enable the pupils to learn effectively. Furthermore, pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to apply their skills and knowledge in English and mathematics in different subjects.  The physical education and sport premium for primary schools is used effectively. In

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

previous years, the school employed a specialist sport coach to provide training to staff. As a result, there have been improvements to the quality of teaching in physical education. Currently, the school is a member of a sports partnership that provides additional sporting activities for pupils, including competitions. In addition, the school offers a range of sporting clubs that are well attended by pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.  Pupils are adequately prepared for life in modern Britain. Most pupils show respect towards one another and have a growing sense of religions and cultures that are different from their own. In meetings, inspectors listened to pupils explaining that everyone should be treated equally and with kindness, regardless of race, ethnic background or culture. Pupils have learned about democracy and British law. Pupils understand the importance of Remembrance Day and its significance, for example.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.

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Governance of the school

 Governance is inadequate because the governing body has not done enough to ensure that leaders improve the school’s performance. For too long, the governing body has not held leaders to account for the school’s poor performance. Where improvements have been made, they have been implemented too slowly and have not had sufficient impact on the achievement of all pupils, especially for those who are disadvantaged.  Minutes of meetings of the governing body show that governors ask questions, including questions about disadvantaged pupils. The questions, however, are too superficial and are not focused sharply on the whether or not leaders’ actions are raising standards.  External support close to the time of the last inspection has not been effective in sustaining improved governance.  The governing body has not challenged school leaders about pupils who are underachieving. It interprets information about the school’s performance and checks

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Governance of the school

for itself what is happening in school, but it is too accepting of small improvements in pupils’ performance, does not follow up and deal with areas of concern properly, and does not challenge leaders when performance has not improved or has declined. Furthermore, the governing body has focused only on the performance of pupils in Year 6 and has not questioned the performance of pupils in other year groups.  The governing body has not reviewed how effectively leaders have spent the additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have not been successful in diminishing the differences between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally. These pupils remain at a disadvantage to other pupils, therefore.  The governing body is ineffective in holding leaders to account for how the additional funding provided for the pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities

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Governance of the school

is used. This is because they do not monitor its use, or challenge leaders to ensure that it is being used to best effect to raise standards for these pupils.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and meet statutory requirements.  The headteacher has ensured that all staff, including those new to the school, are familiar with procedures and how to identify pupils who may need extra help.  Staff keep accurate records, work well with parents and other professionals to care for pupils well and to support their safety. All staff understand their individual responsibilities to report safeguarding concerns and ensure that actions are followed up. The headteacher escalates concerns to the local authority, if necessary.  All staff, along with the governing body, understand the safeguarding risks that are particular to the local community and are vigilant in their duties to safeguard pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The quality of teaching varies considerably throughout the school and across subjects. The teaching is not good enough to accelerate pupils’ progress, so that they can reach the standards of which they are capable.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can and should achieve are too low.  Teachers do not make effective use of assessment to plan work that matches pupils’ abilities. Consequently, the work is sometimes too difficult, but mostly it lacks challenge. As a result, pupils, including the most able, are not learning enough and are not making good progress.  Teachers do not check regularly on pupils’ understanding in lessons. They are not in a position, therefore, to extend pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils do not make good enough progress.  Teachers do not deal with pupils’ misconceptions in lessons and often fail to notice that some pupils disengage and stop learning.  Teachers do not use questions effectively to challenge pupils. The questions teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

ask do not deepen and extend pupils’ thinking. Too often, teachers accept simplistic answers from pupils that do not increase their learning.  On too many occasions, teaching assistants are used to manage the behaviour of individual pupils and are not supporting other pupils’ learning. In some lessons observed by inspectors, teachers and teaching assistants worked well together to promote learning and positive behaviour. They asked pupils questions to encourage pupils to think for themselves and to work with independence. Conversely, teaching assistants in other lessons were less effective because they provided too much support and pupils were unable to work independently.  Teaching in mathematics does not consistently help pupils to make strong gains in their learning. Teachers provide limited opportunities for pupils to develop their reasoning skills and to solve complex problems in mathematics. Work in books and lessons

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

observed showed that activities do not always build on what pupils can already do. For example, pupils were solving calculations in lessons that they were able to do easily much earlier in the year. Pupils told inspectors that the work was too easy for them.  Pupils have too few opportunities to apply and to extend their mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding through other subjects. Examples from pupils’ books and evidence provided by leaders show that the school does not have a clear understanding of how to develop mathematics across the curriculum.  Teachers do not give pupils sufficient opportunities to practise their skills in extended writing, especially in subjects other than English. Pupils in Year 6 have more opportunities than others do. Pupils told inspectors that they liked writing better than mathematics because they could be creative.  The teaching of reading is helping pupils to read with confidence and fluency. Pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

are aware of the importance of reading and read at home.  Inspectors listened to pupils from across the school reading. The books they were reading matched their individual abilities. Pupils applied their knowledge of phonics well to help them to read unfamiliar words.  Pupils supported through the special unit for pupils with hearing impairments are mainly taught within mainstream classes and follow the full curriculum. Specialist teaching takes place in class and separately to meet their specific needs. Inspectors observed pupils ably supported in class to access learning. In some cases, they received one-to-one support and, in others, were able to work with little teacher direction.  Teaching in some classes is helping pupils to make better gains in their learning in English and mathematics. This is because teachers in these classes set work that provides greater challenge. They set interesting work and the relationships between

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

pupils and adults are stronger. Pupils in Year 6, for example, were motivated by their work on Baravelle spirals and were able to apply their knowledge of angles to produce a piece of art.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Pupils do not consistently show good attitudes to learning and this slows the progress that they make. On too many occasions, pupils do not listen to their teachers. This is because teachers’ presentation of learning often lacks challenge or is not delivered in a way that captures pupils’ interest. Consequently, pupils lose concentration and become easily distracted.  Most pupils work well with others and listen respectfully to adults at times.  Some pupils work hard and take pride in their work and books. However, standards of presentation are inconsistent throughout the school.  Pupils say that they feel safe and happy in school and have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn how to stay safe online and not to share their personal details. They know about road safety and they explained to inspectors

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Personal development and welfare

how to stay safe while crossing the road. Pupils in Year 4 spoke about a class assembly that helped them to understand about staying safe near water.  Pupils are encouraged to think of others and, in an assembly on the story of the Good Samaritan, pupils learned about being caring. Pupils were encouraged to reflect on the moral of the story and how this linked to the school’s values.  Pupils’ understanding of other faiths and cultures is promoted successfully through the curriculum. Pupils make visits to different religious buildings, including local churches. Members of the community from different faith groups have visited the school to speak to pupils. Leaders report that pupils were interested and respectful.  Leaders understand the importance of educating pupils about racial stereotyping. They ensure that pupils know not to visit social media sites that promote harmful and inaccurate views.  Pupils confirmed that instances of bullying are rare and showed that they understand

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Personal development and welfare

what bullying is. Pupils know how important it is to get help from adults and are confident that staff deal with incidents of bullying effectively.  Teachers help pupils to understand the importance of staying healthy and active. Pupils benefit from after-school sport clubs and additional opportunities for physical education and sport.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils do not always conduct themselves well in lessons and around the school. Sometimes, particularly when teaching does not interest or challenge them, pupils’ behaviour in lessons is not as good as it should be.  Persistent absence for disadvantaged pupils and the pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is too high. Leaders have taken action to reduce absence and the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils has not yet improved but staff are working with parents to bring about change.  Overall attendance is close to the national average. Parents that inspectors spoke with acknowledged the importance of good attendance and were clear that the school would follow up on pupils’ absence.  The majority of parents who spoke to inspectors, or who responded to the online

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Behaviour

questionnaire, feel that their children are safe, happy and well behaved in school.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 The differences in achievement between the school’s disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally are not diminishing in reading, writing or mathematics.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities underachieve because they do not make sufficient progress.  The number of pupils who are supported through the special unit for pupils with hearing impairments is too small to report on without the risk of identifying them.  Information about the school’s current performance suggests that none of the most able disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 are working at greater depth in reading or mathematics. In 2016, pupils in the previous Year 6 performed similarly to pupils nationally in the tests at the end of key stage 2 in reading. Standards in reading at the end of key stage 2 have declined, therefore. Similarly, standards in mathematics remain low.  Standards for disadvantaged pupils are not rising because leaders’ expectations of

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

these pupils are too low. The teaching is not good enough to enable these pupils to make rapid progress. Also, leaders do not evaluate the impact of their use of pupil premium funding on increasing progress and raising attainment.  Fewer pupils in the school reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics than pupils nationally in the tests at the end of key stage 2 in 2016.  Attainment in mathematics and reading has been consistently low in most year groups and in previous national tests. The school’s current assessments and work in pupils’ books indicate that standards have not improved sufficiently.  Underachievement is prevalent in English and mathematics and in other subjects. Work in pupils’ books contained little evidence, and such evidence as there was indicated little achievement by the pupils in, for example, science. Pupils told inspectors that music lessons were rare. The exception to this is in Year 4, where pupils have a weekly

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

lesson on how to play the ukulele.  At the end of key stage 2 in 2016, few of the most able pupils reached the highest standards in reading and mathematics. This has been the case for a number of years. The school’s assessments, however, indicate that these pupils are now doing better in reading.  In a few classes, effective teaching helps pupils to achieve. However, the quality of teaching varies too much and, over time, this results in inadequate achievement.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address info@langleymill-jun.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22–23 October 2014

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  Langley Mill Junior School is an average-sized school. The current number on the roll is similar to that at the time of the last inspection.  The school runs a breakfast club.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is lower than the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.  The percentage of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is around 15%. This is slightly higher than the national average for primary schools. The school has specially resourced provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. It has seven places in a specialist unit for pupils with hearing impairments. Currently, four pupils are supported through the unit.  In 2016, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set out the

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Information about this school

minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The school meets the Department for Education’s definition of a coasting school based on key stage 2 academic performance results for 2014, 2015 and 2016.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 16 lessons. Three lessons were observed jointly with a senior leader.  The inspection team looked at pupils’ books to establish the quality of their work and their progress.  A range of other school activities, including playtimes, lunchtimes and assemblies, was observed.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils in meetings, during lessons and informally at breaktimes. They listened to a selection of pupils reading.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior and middle leaders. They met with members of the governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector spoke with two representatives of the local authority.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school’s improvement plan, its self-evaluation, and the school’s report on its use of funding to support disadvantaged pupils.  The school’s website was evaluated. Inspectors also considered information relating to

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors looked at systems used to manage the performance of staff, and minutes of meetings of the governing body.  Inspectors analysed information on the performance of the school in comparison with other schools nationally and considered the school’s own records of pupils’ attainment and progress.  Inspectors took account of 34 responses to the online survey, Parent View, and considered the responses made through Ofsted’s free-text service. An inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the responses of the 27 members of staff who completed an online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Helen Richardson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Tuffin 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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