Upton Junior School

Upton Junior School St Martin’s Road, Upton, Poole, Dorset BH16 5NQ

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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 Good

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Outcomes for pupils 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

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have not successfully tackled all areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Leaders have put in place systems to track pupils’ progress but do not make best use of the information. As a result, teaching is not consistently good.  Pupils do not make enough progress from their starting points. Too few pupils achieve the standards expected for their age by the end of Year 6, particularly in mathematics, reading and writing.  Middle leaders have not monitored the performance of key groups closely enough. They have not acted rigorously to address weaker achievement and improve outcomes.  Too few pupils meet age-related expectations and those identified as the most able are not working at a higher standard.  Governors’ roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined. Consequently, they do not check the progress of school improvement closely enough and do not hold leaders fully to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

account.  The reading opportunities provided for pupils in school are not yet well established. This results in mixed attitudes towards reading and some pupils do not read regularly.  The progress of those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is too inconsistent, particularly in reading and writing.  Teachers do not regularly provide work that is challenging so that pupils make good progress and reach the standards that they are capable of. This applies in particular to those who are most able.  Pupils do not develop their writing skills well. Their application of grammar and spelling is weak.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils are courteous to adults and their peers. They are an asset to the school.  Leaders have designed a curriculum which ensures that all subjects are well represented. As a result, pupils enjoy the variety that the curriculum offers.  Pupils feel safe. They feel confident in the way that the school manages behaviour and have a good understanding of ‘right and wrong’.  The teaching of music is exemplary. Pupils develop a strong musical understanding and are enthusiastic participants.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact and effectiveness of leadership and management by making sure that: – leaders carry out rigorous checks on the performance of groups of pupils and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment – middle leaders provide support for teachers to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment – governors have clear roles and responsibilities in order to hold senior leaders to account more effectively.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to accelerate pupils’ progress by making sure that teachers: – have consistently high expectations for pupils by following the school’s ‘non negotiables’ – develop pupils’ writing skills by improving their spelling and use of grammar – consistently develop pupils’ mathematical skills, particularly calculation – provide greater challenge for pupils so that they make at least good progress, especially the most able pupils

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– ensure that assessments are accurate and plan lessons that meet the needs of pupils – improve the quality of reading opportunities, so that activities are carefully designed to meet pupils’ needs and inspire a love of reading – support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities so that they make good progress from their starting points. An external review of governance 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 Requires improvement

 Leaders have not resolved the areas for improvement from the previous inspection, which has hampered efforts to improve pupils’ progress, particularly in reading and mathematics. The proportion of pupils achieving standards expected for their age is below the national average.  Leaders’ monitoring and checks on the school’s performance lack rigour and have not ensured that teaching is consistently good across the school. There is evidence of high- quality teaching that leads to strong progress in some classes but not in others, so pupils do not make good overall progress across the school. Leaders have identified where further improvement is needed but teaching remains inconsistent. As a result, pupils’ progress is variable and requires improvement.  Middle leaders have not had sufficient impact on the quality of teaching and learning. Leaders have accurately identified what the next steps are to improve standards and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

there are some positive signs in some year groups. However, pupils’ progress particularly in reading and mathematics throughout the school is not yet good.  The school’s approaches to the teaching of reading are not yet well established. Strategies recently introduced by leaders are still in their infancy. Consequently, the quality of these sessions is variable and outcomes are not yet consistently good.  Leaders have implemented plans to improve the progress made by disadvantaged pupils and are using additional funding more effectively to support these plans. For example, an additional teacher provides extra support to pupils in Years 5 and 6. This support takes into account the specific needs of these pupils and their progress is closely monitored. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils are making stronger progress. Those pupils who access this intervention are moving closer to meeting the age-related

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.  Leaders do not make effective use of the additional funding for those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have put in place systems to track the progress of this group of pupils but do not make best use of the information. They do not respond quickly enough to help some pupils catch up. As a result, the overall progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is variable and not good enough.  Leaders have not reviewed the school’s use of additional government funding for sport. As a result, they are not clear about how funding has been spent to increase sporting participation.  Pupils have access to a rich and varied curriculum. School leaders have changed the approach to recording work in subjects such as history and geography to encourage writing across the curriculum. As a result, pupils’ workbooks show in detail what pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

know and can do. Pupils demonstrate an enthusiasm for these subjects.  Leaders make sure that governors and staff have received high-quality professional development to improve teaching. Staff say that they can speak to leaders about their own areas for improvement to ensure the professional development offered meets their needs. This is helping to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in some classes.  Leaders are tackling previous weaknesses in attendance effectively. In particular, the attendance of pupils eligible for the pupil premium has improved. In addition, leaders carefully monitor the progress of pupils in alternative provision so that their needs are met.

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Governance of the school

 Governors do not yet have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, which hinders their ability to challenge leaders to bring about swift improvements. As a result of the training governors have attended, governors’ skills are now matched to the committees they represent. However, governors’ knowledge of school performance in terms of pupils’ progress, attendance, behaviour and of key groups of pupils is vague.  Governors do not hold leaders to account. Although minutes of governors’ meetings show that governors ask questions regarding school performance, they have not been rigorous in following up their concerns. As a result, governors are not aware of the impact of leaders’ actions on pupils’ outcomes.  The governing body consists of a stable and enthusiastic team, with some new members in place. Governors recognise where weaknesses exist in governance. They have attended many training events throughout the academic year in an effort to

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Governance of the school

broaden the understanding of their roles. However, it is too soon to see the impact of this training. Nonetheless, governors have a strong presence in school. The chair of the governing body is particularly active in attending school council meetings and listening to pupils’ views. As a result, pupils feel that their views are valued.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  When recruiting new staff, leaders ensure that all appropriate employment checks are made and a thorough induction is provided to ensure that newly appointed staff are up to date with latest safeguarding training. As a result, the culture of safeguarding in the school is strong.  Leaders have robust systems in place to ensure the safety of vulnerable pupils. They work effectively with external agencies to ensure that pupils are safe, keeping detailed records that are updated whenever concerns arise. Consequently, leaders can present valuable and detailed information to external agencies to ensure the safety and well- being of pupils.  Pupils feel safe and they trust adults in the school to keep them safe. Staff know who to contact if they have any concerns about a pupil and they act swiftly to report concerns. Consequently, the culture of safeguarding is a strength and robust

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Safeguarding

procedures are in place to communicate concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement because they are not yet typically good across classes. Teachers do not have high-enough expectations of all pupils. As a result, pupils are not yet consistently producing work of high quality to make the progress they are capable of.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise the skills they learn in writing. On occasion, they do not receive enough time to complete writing tasks, which reduces quality and leads to unfinished work. As a result, many pupils do not develop the skills in writing required to meet age-related expectations. Furthermore, teachers do not insist that pupils apply spelling rules to good effect and misconceptions go unnoticed. However, the teaching of writing in Year 6 has led to improved outcomes for this year group.  Teachers do not provide enough good opportunities for pupils to develop their reading skills. Consequently, outcomes in reading are inconsistent across the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The teaching of mathematics remains inconsistent. For example, teachers do not give enough guidance to pupils about how to improve their calculation skills. Workbooks in some year groups show that pupils are making progress but this is not yet consistent. As a result, too few are achieving the standards expected for their age.  The quality of teaching in some classes is helping pupils to make accelerated progress. Pupils’ progress gathers momentum as they go through the school and is strongest in Years 5 and 6. Teachers in these year groups have high expectations of pupils and more regularly challenge pupils to produce their best work.  Teachers consistently implement the school’s approach to providing feedback to pupils. In most cases, pupils are given guidance to improve. However, there are still some inconsistencies in the quality of assessment. Some teachers fail to identify pupils’ misconceptions, so mistakes are repeated.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teachers do not always question pupils effectively to move their understanding forward. In some classes, teachers are highly skilled in drawing out further information from pupils and use questioning to extend pupils’ thinking. However, in other classes the quality of questioning limits the level of challenge for pupils. This results in progress stalling for some pupils.  Teachers share information about pupils’ progress with parents through mid-year and end-of-year reports as well as through parents’ evenings. Parents say these opportunities are useful. However, they say that they would value more information about what would help their child to make further progress.  Teachers provide homework which is popular with pupils. There is a range of activities to engage all pupils and this has led to improved attitudes towards homework. Parents value these opportunities to support their child’s learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The teaching of music in school is a strength. Pupils receive high-quality lessons which provide them with opportunities to develop their musical skills in a fun and engaging way. The teaching of music includes detailed assessments of all pupils, which are used effectively to improve pupils’ skills. As a result, pupils develop excellent musical skills and progress is strong.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils say they feel safe in school. They have confidence in adults’ ability to deal with any concerns or worries they may have.  Pupils say that incidents of bullying are rare. They are confident that on the occasions where bullying occurs, leaders deal with this well so that there are no recurrences. Consequently, pupils trust staff to keep them safe. There is a high level of mutual respect between pupils and members of staff.  During the inspection, pupils demonstrated positive attitudes towards each other and are clearly proud of their school. They speak passionately about the opportunities they have within the school and care about their environment. As a result, the school is a calm, purposeful place which promotes a sense of pride.  Pupils know how to stay safe online. The school has promoted the importance of

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Personal development and welfare

e-safety. Teachers provide regular sessions on keeping safe. Competitions on safer internet use support pupils’ deepening understanding. Pupils display their knowledge of e-safety in informative exhibitions to parents. As a result, the culture of staying safe is well established.  Pupils demonstrate a high level of self-confidence and self-awareness and are confident speakers. For example, this was clear during a Year 6 production of ‘Once upon a time’ to parents and the community. Pupils delivered their lines with conviction, impressive diction and fluency. Throughout the school day, pupils demonstrated this same level of confidence when sharing ideas with both peers and adults.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils’ conduct across the school is a strength. Pupils move calmly around the school and adults manage transitions between lessons well. Pupils demonstrate courtesy towards adults and their peers. This results in an orderly and harmonious school environment.  Pupils behave well in lessons and low-level disruption is rare. Pupils work well with one another and respect each other’s opinions and viewpoints.  Attendance rates have improved and are now closer to the national average. Leaders have taken effective action to raise the attendance of the few pupils who are persistently absent. Leaders ensure that pupils in alternative provision attend regularly and have their needs met.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 In 2016, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics was below the national average. Correspondingly, pupils’ progress from their starting points was also below average in all three subjects.  In 2016, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard was below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. However, current outcomes for disadvantaged pupils show encouraging signs of improvement, particularly in Years 5 and 6.  The proportion of pupils working at standards expected for their age in spelling, punctuation and grammar by the end of Year 6 was lower than the national average in 2016. Outcomes in pupils’ books confirm that this is still an area for improvement. Leaders have identified the need to improve spelling opportunities for pupils. However, this has not yet been tackled and standards remain low.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Too few pupils are achieving at the highest standards. There is a lack of challenge for most-able pupils in some year groups. Leaders have introduced new approaches to improve challenge in lessons but these are not yet embedded. As a result, the proportion of pupils working at a higher standard remains lower than average.  The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is inconsistent and their progress is weaker in writing and reading. Lower-attaining pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do better than those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities with middle and high-attaining starting points.  Too few pupils are working at the standard expected for their age. This is because pupils do not make enough progress in reading and mathematics. As a result, the proportion of pupils working at the standard expected for their age in Year 6 remains

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

below the national average.  Pupils do not read regularly. Year 6 outcomes in reading remain lower than in writing and mathematics. However, outcomes in reading are improving, with more pupils achieving the expectations for their age.  Current assessments show that many pupils are not developing writing skills, particularly in text organisation, grammar and punctuation that they require to meet age-related expectations. Outcomes have improved in Years 5 and 6 this year, so that the proportion of pupils working at age-related expectations by the end of Year 6 has increased.  In 2016, least-able pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, made strong progress from the end of key stage one. Current school information shows that these pupils are continuing to make strong progress due to the support that they are receiving. As a result, more pupils who had lower starting points

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

now reach the expected standard.  Progress in music is a strength. Pupils have frequent opportunities to play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts. They are also able to play musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression. As a result, pupils are enthusiastic about music and receive high-quality teaching which supports their progress.

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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 office@uptonjun.dorset.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16–17 June 2015

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Information about this school

 Upton Junior School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the use of sports premium funding.  There have been changes to the leadership team since the last inspection. There has been a new deputy headteacher and a new leader for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  A very large majority of the pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly higher than is found in most schools.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited all classes. School leaders also accompanied inspectors on some visits.  The inspectors held meetings with the senior leaders as well as the subject leaders for reading, writing and mathematics. Inspectors also spoke with members of the school’s governing body.  During the inspection, the lead inspector met with representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the governing body minutes, assessment information, the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, anonymised performance management records, and evidence relating to safer recruitment and child protection. Inspectors also carried out detailed scrutiny of the school’s attendance information.  The 106 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were taken into account. The inspection team considered various kinds of comment, such as those made in face- to-face conversation or received in the free-texts. There were no responses from either

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Information about this inspection

the pupil or staff surveys. The inspectors met with parents on both days of the inspection.  The inspection team observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Pupils spoke to inspectors during various activities throughout the inspection. In addition, an inspector met pupils at lunchtime and observed the school council meeting and all inspectors heard pupils from various year groups read.  Inspectors undertook a scrutiny of pupils’ books to evaluate the quality of work and check the accuracy of assessment information held by the school in mathematics and writing. Inspectors also carried out a scrutiny of guided reading records and additional workbooks to evaluate the breadth of curriculum and its impact on pupils’ learning.

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Inspection team

Nathan Kemp, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Nash 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

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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