Eastern Green Junior School

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

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Nicky Aston Headteacher Eastern Green Junior School Sutton Avenue Coventry West Midlands CV5 7EG

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 21 November 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 November 2012.

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

In your time as headteacher you have demonstrated your determination to keep on improving the quality of education at Eastern Green Junior School. You lead with conviction and set high expectations for pupils and staff. Your in-depth knowledge of the school and leadership experience served you well when you were confronted with the challenge of having to deal with a number of long-term staff absences that caused disruption. You responded creatively to this challenge and, as a result, pupils’ learning and the support that they receive have not been adversely affected. You are ably supported by the assistant headteacher, who has taken on extra responsibilities in the absence of another member of the leadership team. You also benefit from the support of a skilled and committed governing body. Parents, pupils, and staff value your ability to listen and to take on board their opinions and feedback to further drive school improvement.

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They are well-behaved, keen to learn and are well cared for. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of care and education that their children receive. The approachability of staff and leaders, as well as the range of extra-curricular activities the school provides, are very much appreciated by parents. Also high on the list of reasons why parents value the school is how pupils are encouraged to actively engage in school life. Pupils themselves talk with pride about the responsibilities that they are given and feel that in school ‘we are like a family’. For example, older pupils act as ‘anti-bullying ambassadors’ and take very seriously their duty to care for younger pupils.

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

Through the curriculum and the enrichment activities the school offers, there is a strong focus on the development of pupils as well-rounded individuals. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is a strength of the school. You make sure that this dimension of education, reflected in your mission statement, is part of pupils’ daily experience. This contributes greatly to pupils’ positive attitudes, their confidence, and the respect that they show to adults and to each other.

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

Since the previous inspection you have continued to focus on the professional development of staff, including non-teaching staff, to further raise standards. Training in mathematics is effective in building staff’s confidence. You are playing a leading role in the local network of primary schools. You are making the most of the opportunities that collaboration with these schools can offer in terms of checking teachers’ judgements about the standards achieved and sharing of effective practice. Following your thorough analysis of the school’s performance, you prioritised and took appropriate action to increase the number of pupils achieving the higher standard at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. In order to continue to provide the best possible preparation for pupils’ future life, you have also improved pupils’ awareness of the diversity of modern British society. This means that pupils are gaining respect and are tolerant of those that are

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

New approaches to ensure that an increasing number of pupils achieve the highest standards, particularly in English and mathematics, are having a positive impact on current pupils’ progress. However, these new practices are not yet fully embedded to produce consistently high standards over time. Having managed to maintain stable leadership in spite of senior staff absences, you are aware that the leadership structure is still not as strong as it could be. You are keen to develop the potential of current and future leaders, to increase leadership capacity at all levels, so that the school continues to be well led and managed.

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

Senior leaders and governors have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and child protection records are detailed and of high quality. As designated safeguarding lead you make sure that policies to prevent risks are rigorously implemented and procedures to support vulnerable pupils are effective. When intervention is required, you act swiftly and ensure that relevant outside agencies are involved to work with pupils and their families to address their specific needs effectively. You follow up issues to secure positive outcomes.

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Short inspection of Eastern Green Junior School

All members of staff receive appropriate child protection and ‘Prevent’ duty training. Leaders check that this training is effective and allows staff to be vigilant and to intervene swiftly if pupils are at risk or there is a concern. Governors check that safeguarding arrangements are effective and undertake their own training to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities. Pupils are taught how to keep safe from harm. They have a strong awareness of the risks that they may be exposed to in everyday life. They talk eloquently about what they need to do to keep safe and why it is important to act responsibly when using social media. The range of assembly themes, and the topics covered by the curriculum, contribute well to raising pupils’ awareness of risks in the wider world.

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Inspection findings

 Year 6 pupils’ attainment and progress, in English and mathematics, was broadly in line with national averages in 2016 and 2017. Overall, pupils are making good progress in these subjects over time. However, in 2017 the proportion of pupils attaining higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics was lower than in the local authority and nationally. You rightly prioritised increasing the percentage of pupils working at greater depth to ensure that more pupils attain the higher standard in English and mathematics. You have devised strategies, with subject leaders, to ensure that pupils who are capable of achieving higher standards in subjects are provided with more opportunities to work at greater depth.  There is now a consistent focus on routinely providing extra challenges and extension tasks in English and mathematics. Teachers plan learning activities that meet the needs of pupils of different abilities. Work in books and current records

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Inspection findings

of progress show that pupils respond well to the higher level of challenge given to them. The use of ‘pre-tests’ in mathematics, to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding, at the start of each unit of work, is proving effective in helping pupils to understand what they must do to progress and in what areas of learning. Following its success in mathematics, this approach is now being introduced in English.  You continue to check rigorously, with the support of senior and middle leaders, that the quality of teaching is consistently good across the school. You keep detailed records of observation of teaching and scrutiny of progress in pupils’ books. These records allow you to identify the most effective practice and the aspects that need to improve. As a result, you can prioritise bespoke training to eradicate any weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment that exist. Accurate knowledge of the quality of teaching and learning across the school also

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Inspection findings

allows you to manage the performance of staff and to set appropriate development targets to enable them to further improve their teaching skills.  Subject leaders play an important part in the development of the quality of teaching and learning. They ensure that their own practice is effective and they provide bespoke training to their colleagues. They work well with colleagues from other schools to check that assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress in their subject areas is accurate. Governors liaise with subject leaders to gain a first- hand understanding of pupils’ progress and are keen to support the continuous improvement of teaching and learning.  You make sure that the relatively small number of disadvantaged pupils are well supported. You analyse potential barriers to learning and devise strategies to create the conditions for disadvantaged pupils to fulfil their potential. Attainment

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Inspection findings

in spelling and science, which was comparatively lower for disadvantaged pupils in 2016, is now at least in line with that of other pupils. Being able to achieve the higher standards at the end of key stage 2 is also a priority for these pupils. You check that the additional funding the school receives is having a positive impact on outcomes and on the personal development of pupils for whom it is provided. Governors closely monitor the effectiveness of the use of the pupil premium grant so that it has maximum impact.  In the absence of the special educational needs (SEN) coordinator, the assistant headteacher is responsible for ensuring that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities continue to be effectively supported. The learning mentor, teaching assistants and teachers work well together to deliver well-planned interventions so that pupils make good progress and meet their specific learning targets.

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Inspection findings

Communication with parents continues to be effective and issues are quickly identified and addressed, where relevant.  The behaviour of pupils is often exemplary. They value their education and are positive about every aspect of school life. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good. Pupils’ positive experience of school clearly helps them develop a love of learning. Participation in after-school clubs is high. All of the parents who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire would recommend the school to other parents. They typically comment that ‘the children enjoy school and have fun learning’. Attendance is above the national average.

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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

 current approaches to increase the percentage of pupils who achieve the higher standards at the end of key stage 2 are fully embedded  they further strengthen the leadership capacity of the school by continuing to support the professional development of middle and senior leaders to make them even more effective.

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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 Coventry. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, the assistant headteacher and subject leaders. I met with the chair of governors and a community governor. I also met with a representative of the local authority. I had a discussion with a group of pupils and spoke to other pupils informally. I made short visits to six classrooms with you and evaluated pupils’ work. I spoke to parents at the start of the day and considered 79 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. I also considered 10 responses to the staff survey.

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Information about the inspection

I scrutinised various documents including the school’s self-evaluation, its improvement plan, and the documents that you use to check the quality of teaching. We discussed the national test results and assessments undertaken by pupils in 2016 and 2017. I also looked at the school’s published information on the website, as well as minutes of governing body meetings and information about attendance, behaviour and safety.

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