Mundy CofE Junior School

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

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Mr Kelvin Gibbs Headteacher Mundy CofE Junior School Lockton Avenue Heanor Derbyshire DE75 7EQ

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 27 September 2017, 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 2012.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. The actions leaders have taken to move the school forward have been successful. You have ensured that new staff fully understand the positive ethos of the school and fit in well. Opportunities for professional development have helped teachers improve their practice.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

Staff are proud to be part of the school. They work well as a team and support each other. They say they are also well supported by leaders. This helps them to try new ideas to improve pupils’ learning. Teachers and teaching assistants work collaboratively. In every mathematics and English lesson, they make sure that all pupils have direct teaching from a teacher as well as targeted support from the teaching assistant. Staff feel that their positive relationships with parents are invaluable in supporting pupils’ learning.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

Pupils respect the schools ‘Be’ values, such as ‘be happy’, ‘be responsible’ and ‘be safe’. They enjoy collecting ‘visas’, awarded for demonstrating these values. They are keen to get their name into the ‘Mundy Magic Moments’ book and to have their photograph displayed in the hall for special achievements. Pupils value the pupil parliament for its role in helping to run the school. They are keen to become involved. One pupil told me it had been his ambition to be in the parliament since he was in Year 3. During my visit, pupils were polite and very well-mannered. They spoke confidently to visitors and opened doors for others. You make a wide range of extra-curricular activities available for pupils. Clubs include a film club, fencing and ‘Make do and mend’, using textiles to make toys or Christmas stockings. Pupils are proud of their sporting achievements in a range of sports and physical events. These include orienteering, athletics and football. Pupils

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

say they value good sportsmanship and, no matter how well they perform at an event, they always take time to shake hands with their opponents.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

Parents are very positive about the school. Almost every parent who responded to the online survey, Parent View, or who spoke with me during the inspection believes that the school is well led. They feel that staff listen to them and act upon any concerns they may have. Several parents commented that you and other staff work hard to identify pupils’ individual talents and do what you can to nurture these.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

The horticultural show run by the school is an integral part of the local community. Pupils and parents say they are delighted to be involved and enjoy taking part. Pupils are proud of the show gardens they create, which are then displayed in the local community after the event. Pupils have a good understanding of looking after the environment, becoming ‘Eco cats’ or joining the allotment club.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

Following the last inspection, you were asked to ensure that more pupils make faster progress. You hold meetings with teachers to check on the progress that pupils are making. You set challenging targets for all pupils, including the most able. Teachers use assessment information to plan the next steps in learning for pupils. They set work to match the different abilities within the class. You have ensured that the wider curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematics and writing skills. Teachers use information and communication technology to enhance learning. They use relevant software to target specific skills, for example. Individual pupils who need extra help use a laptop to record their answers.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

The governing body makes a good contribution to the school’s leadership. Governors are committed to the school and are passionate about meeting the needs of pupils. They strive for improvement and provide you with robust challenge about how well the school is doing. Governors have good knowledge of the attainment and progress of groups of children, such as disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They understand that safeguarding has a high priority and that safeguarding is everyone’s business.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

You ensure that all the necessary checks are in place before an adult starts working or volunteering at the school. This includes allotment holders who rent nearby plots linked to the school. You and the school business manager have a clear understanding of the safer recruitment procedures. Records are well organised, clear and fit for purpose.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

You and the deputy designated safeguarding lead (DSL) are diligent in checking referrals and concerns made to you. You have recently started using an online system for recording concerns, and this has helped you to keep track of them. You check the progress of referrals to external agencies carefully. You and the deputy DSL are unafraid to follow up concerns robustly to ensure the best outcome for the pupil.

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Short inspection of Mundy CofE Junior School

You have made sure your staff are fully trained and aware of their duty to safeguard pupils. All staff I spoke with, including lunchtime staff, were clear on how to pass on concerns. They are aware of the different types of abuse and the signs to look for.

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Inspection findings

 You and other leaders are passionate about providing your pupils with the best possible opportunities. You responded quickly to the drop in standards in reading and mathematics in 2016. You carefully identified the reasons for this dip and noted where improvements were needed. You and the staff have brought about rapid improvements and, as a result, standards in 2017 have risen above the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.  You and the deputy headteacher have brought about change quickly by providing clear direction and drive. You have begun to develop the roles of middle and subject leaders. They are enthusiastic about providing pupils with the best opportunities possible. Some middle leaders, however, are not yet confident in leading their subject.  In the past year, you have made changes to how mathematics is taught. You have ensured that the progression of skills is taught systematically. You have

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Inspection findings

made sure that pupils of all abilities are challenged. Teachers use internal assessments to find out where pupils need more support and quickly target individual pupils’ needs. You have restructured the daily timetable to include focused and systematic teaching of arithmetic skills.  You and other leaders identified that pupils were not making as much progress in spelling, grammar and punctuation as they were in writing. You tackled this successfully by including grammar skills in guided reading. You have introduced a new system for teaching spelling, with a focus on the systematic development of skills. During our tour of classes, pupils explained which grammar skill they were focusing on and how they could include it in their writing. Because of this change, standards in spelling, grammar and punctuation rose significantly in 2017, bringing them close to the national average.  You and other leaders have been steadfast in maintaining the richness and

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Inspection findings

diversity of the curriculum during a period of change. You have recognised the importance of ensuring that the curriculum offers a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn inside and outside the classroom. The curriculum includes, for example, pupils planning and preparing for the horticultural show. Pupils write speeches and campaign for the role of ‘Prime Minister’ in the pupil parliament.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. All staff implement the behaviour policy consistently. Pupils said there are no incidents of bullying. If they have a problem, they said they know who they can talk to. Nurture and support groups target pupils’ specific well-being or behaviour needs. Pupils understand the importance of good attendance. They told me that ‘If you’re not in school, you’re not learning, and you need to have a learning mind.’

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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

 all teachers maintain a strong focus on spelling, grammar and punctuation so that pupils develop their skills further and transfer them confidently to their writing  middle and subject leaders are given further opportunities and support so that they can develop their leadership roles.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

I met with you and the deputy headteacher. I held meetings with five governors, including the chair of the governing body. I spoke with four middle leaders and the school’s business manager. Six pupils gave me a tour of the school. You, the deputy headteacher and I observed learning taking place during the morning. This included guided reading, English and mathematics lessons. I spoke with four lunchtime supervisors.

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Information about the inspection

I scrutinised a selection of pupils’ workbooks. I examined a range of the school’s documentation, including its self-evaluation document, its improvement plan and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Information about the inspection

I considered the views of parents by speaking with some of them before school. I also analysed the 24 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. I considered the 14 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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