Talavera Junior School

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

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Ms Amanda Webb Headteacher Talavera Junior School Gun Hill Aldershot Hampshire GU11 1RG

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 23 January 2018, 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 July 2013.

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in certain areas. This may indicate that the school is improving towards being outstanding. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection. You have rightly identified that an area of improvement is to increase the proportion of the most able pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 that achieve the higher standards in reading and mathematics.

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

Talavera Junior School is a happy, caring and inclusive school. You have successfully created a keen and tangible focus on learning. The school’s motto, ‘Every learning minute counts’, is at the core of all you do. Pupils are rightly proud of their achievements, and many told me about how teachers have enabled them to improve their learning. The atmosphere throughout the school is calm, positive and purposeful. Pupils are friendly and welcoming to visitors, and their behaviour in lessons and around the school is superb.

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

Pupils take great pride in their learning and are industrious in their work. Pupils are highly motivated to achieve and, as a result, their class discussions and written work are of a high standard. All the pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online survey said they enjoy learning at school. The majority of your pupils are from service families based at the local garrison. As a result, the mobility of pupils is high, with many arriving and leaving at different points during the academic year. Therefore, it is particularly impressive that you have managed to establish such a strong community ethos at the school.

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

Your leadership is extremely effective and your positive approach is greatly appreciated by parents, pupils, staff and governors. You, your leadership team and governors are ambitious and aspirational for each pupil. This shared focus on achieving the best outcomes shapes all school improvement actions. A parent responding to Ofsted’s online survey said, ‘The school is extremely well led and teaching is of a high standard.’

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

You have successfully tackled the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. These were to improve consistency in teaching and provide more opportunities for pupils to write extensively in other subjects. All pupils, across the school, enjoy highly effective approaches that enable them to make rapid progress in their learning. This is an outcome of your work to ensure that teachers are well trained and supported. As a result, pupils thrive and make strong progress. Pupils are given many opportunities to write at length, for different purposes and across the curriculum. Pupils’ books include many examples of writing, such as descriptions of different civilisations in history and labelling diagrams in science. Pupils’ writing is lively and interesting. Pupils are extremely proud of their achievements, and eager to share their thinking and ideas. This confidence is evident in their writing,

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

although their spelling is not always accurate. Older pupils make adventurous but highly effective word choices and demonstrate their thorough understanding of punctuation.

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

You, your leadership team and governors have successfully created a strong safeguarding culture and ethos. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Pupils say they feel happy and safe. They explain that this is not just because of what teachers do, but that other pupils in the school make them feel safe too. Parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey said their children are happy and secure at the school. You take the approach that ‘safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility’ and ensure that all staff receive appropriate and regular training.

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

Pupils receive timely additional help and support when they need it because staff know pupils exceptionally well and make appropriate referrals to other support services. Pupils are particularly knowledgeable about online safety and cyber bullying. They talk confidently about what they have learned and how they actively keep themselves safe online.

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Short inspection of Talavera Junior School

Adults undergo thorough checks to ensure their suitability to work with pupils. Governors have completed safer recruitment training and keep up to date with their safeguarding training. They use their knowledge efficiently to make regular checks on the school’s work to keep pupils safe.

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Inspection findings

 During the inspection, we looked closely at specific aspects of the school’s provision, including: the effectiveness of teaching, learning and the curriculum to enable pupils to achieve the higher standard in reading and mathematics; the effectiveness of provision for disadvantaged pupils; and the actions taken to enable the high number of pupils from service families to settle quickly into the school and achieve good outcomes.  Pupils enjoy many rich and varied experiences to inspire their learning at the higher standard in reading and mathematics. Leaders ensure that additional adults work exceptionally well to encourage pupils to explain their thinking to develop deeper understanding. The vibrant, stimulating and well-designed curriculum hooks pupils’ interest, and motivates them to learn. Pupils study challenging and exciting texts which spark their imagination and curiosity. Pupils are confident readers and demonstrate a secure understanding of punctuation

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Inspection findings

and a rich, wide-ranging vocabulary.  In mathematics, teachers use expert subject knowledge and skilful questioning to extend and develop pupils’ learning at the higher standard. Consequently, pupils are able to apply their well-developed reasoning skills to tackle problem- solving activities. While increasing numbers of pupils are achieving the higher standard in mathematics and reading by the end of Year 6, you have correctly identified the need to increase the number of the most able pupils achieving the higher standard in Years 3, 4 and 5.  You successfully make the achievement of disadvantaged pupils a priority. The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is rigorously checked. Teachers respond quickly and change pupils’ support appropriately if they spot that progress falters. Disadvantaged pupils’ work includes many examples of tasks being appropriately adapted to meet their learning needs, to enable them to succeed.

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Inspection findings

As a result, disadvantaged pupils make strong and rapid progress. However, you are not complacent and have comprehensive strategies in place to continue improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.  Highly effective induction and transition programmes are used to help pupils who are joining or leaving the school. As a result, the many pupils who arrive at different points throughout the year settle exceptionally quickly. You ensure that pupils’ individual needs are swiftly identified, and personalised support is put in place. The curriculum has been sensitively developed with pupils to ensure that it is relevant and meaningful to them. For example, in history pupils learn about Aldershot’s military roots. As a result, pupils are highly motivated to learn.

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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

 an increased proportion of the most able pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 achieve the higher standards in reading and mathematics.

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

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Information about the inspection

I met with you, your strategic leadership team, middle leaders and some governors, including the chair of the governing body. Together, we visited classes across all the year groups in the school. I spoke to the local authority’s representative. I reviewed samples of pupils’ work in writing, mathematics and other subjects. Responses to Ofsted’s online surveys were scrutinised. Two hundred and fifty-six parents responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, with 78 making free-text comments. Fifty-seven pupils responded to the online survey for pupils, and 39 staff completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. I observed and spoke to pupils at breaktime, and met with a small group of pupils more formally. I also analysed a range of the school’s documentation, including pupils’ books and information about pupils’ progress and safeguarding. We discussed your own evaluation of the school’s effectiveness.

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