Crofton Junior School

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

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Miss Susan King Headteacher Crofton Junior School Towncourt Lane Orpington Kent BR5 1EL

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 10 May 2018 with Lisa Farrow, Ofsted Inspector, 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 2013.

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Short inspection of Crofton 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. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

You have acted effectively on the recommendations for improvement identified at the last inspection. Your work to ensure the consistency of teaching is evident across the whole curriculum. My visits with you to lessons and sampling of pupils’ work provided clear evidence of the skills with which teachers question and guide pupils of all abilities.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

You ensure that information about pupils’ outcomes is easy to access and used effectively by teachers. Leaders use this information well to decide on priorities for improvement, and pick up promptly on any variations and progress between groups or for individual pupils. This has enabled you to sustain improvements in the progress of disadvantaged pupils so that differences with other pupils nationally have continued to diminish. The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils has been used well.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

Your exhaustive analysis of the relative progress of different groups is continuing to drive further improvement and, rightly, remains a focus. For example, you have recognised that some of the most able disadvantaged pupils do not progress quite as well as others in the school, even though they do better than pupils do nationally. You also wisely keep a close eye on the achievement of pupils who arrive new to the school mid-year.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

The board of trustees and the local governing body have a secure understanding of the school’s effectiveness and provide you with strong challenge. However, they are somewhat less well informed about the progress of pupils in subjects other than mathematics, English and science.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

Parents and pupils are typically very positive about their experiences at Crofton Junior School. The challenging but stimulating place of learning you have developed encourages pupils to come to school. Consequently, attendance rates are high compared to similar schools nationally.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

Your arrangements to check and record the suitability of staff to work at the school are well considered. Leaders ensure that regular updates about safeguarding are available to staff and that they focus on predominant risks. For example, staff, pupils and parents all recognise the positive impact of your work to help pupils understand how to stay safe when using mobile technology and the internet. You work with governors to try to learn from safeguarding cases both within the school and following serious case reviews from the wider community.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

When a particular risk becomes a focus for your concern, you make sure that more training is provided. For example, you have recognised that the proportion of pupils potentially at risk from female genital mutilation may be rising. As a result, more detailed guidance has been given to teachers to recognise signs of this form of abuse.

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Short inspection of Crofton Junior School

Pupils who spoke to inspectors were confident about safeguarding arrangements and demonstrated secure knowledge of how to keep themselves safe. The rich curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to think deeply about sensitive themes, such as child exploitation.

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Inspection findings

 We decided that one focus for this inspection would be the impact of your work to diminish differences between the progress of the most and least able disadvantaged pupils and that of others in the school.  In 2017, both of these groups performed well, compared with other pupils nationally. School information demonstrates that pupils with higher and lower starting points make the same sustained progress as other pupils in the school.  We looked together at a range of pupils’ work and visited lessons. This confirmed that current pupils are making substantial progress in reading, writing and mathematics. You ensure that teachers are adapting the curriculum to suit the needs of the most able. For example, teachers consistently and regularly provide opportunities for the most able pupils to explain their reasoning in mathematics. Teachers and other adults question, support and challenge less confident pupils

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Inspection findings

to consistently good effect. There is a wide range of resources available to support pupils’ learning, which teachers know how to use effectively.  We also decided to focus on how well pupils make progress across the wider range of subjects which the curriculum offers.  Inspectors found that pupils’ current work demonstrates teachers’ consistently high expectations. Pupils appreciate the way that teachers adapt learning materials to meet the needs of their different abilities. Pupils’ work in science and humanities subjects shows how teachers are successful in helping them build and combine skills. For example, even the youngest pupils are aware of how to choose the most appropriate graph to illustrate scientific information. By Year 6, pupils are typically capable of planning their own investigations or research, and recording this effectively.  Leaders responsible for subjects make wise decisions about priorities for

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Inspection findings

improvement. For example, the leader responsible for computing has realised that Year 3 pupils need to spend more time on developing their word processing skills. The leader responsible for French is determined to enhance the pronunciation skills of the most able pupils.  Pupils’ work demonstrates the depth to which you expect pupils to explore moral and social issues. For example, Year 5 pupils were considering the impact of sweatshops on the lives of some children in India.  Our final line of enquiry focused on your work to help pupils improve their reading skills from different starting points. We also wanted to understand how well pupils use reading to learn across the curriculum.  Pupils are thriving on the wide range of lively activities aimed at developing their love of reading. For example, you have worked with the local library to create a mural. A reading bingo challenge encourages pupils to read broadly and often.

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Inspection findings

Reading records demonstrate how successful this is. Pupils told me how much they love recent initiatives, such as the reading den.  Our visits to classrooms showed me how consistently teachers provide interesting and challenging opportunities for pupils to read in other subjects. For example, pupils’ work in examining the trial of Socrates required them to read a number of contrasting texts. Pupils I spoke to were inspired by teachers’ lessons aimed at looking in depth at particular books.  Pupils in Year 6 who lack confidence in reading are very effectively supported by the lead professional for reading and her support staff. The questions they ask help less-able pupils to understand more-subtle aspects of texts, but also ensure that they remember the reading strategies that work best for them.

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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

 governors gain an even more precise view of the progress of pupils across the full range of subjects taught  leaders at all levels continue to use a wide range of information to sustain consistent progress for identified groups.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bromley. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors carried out the following activities during the inspection:

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Information about the inspection

 Meetings were held with the headteacher, the chief executive officer of the academy trust, senior and middle leaders and members of the board of trustees.  The lead inspector held a telephone discussion with the chair of the local governing body.  Teaching and learning were observed in a range of lessons in all year groups.  Pupils’ progress was evaluated by looking at pupils’ workbooks, displays and assessment records.  A group of pupils met inspectors.  The views of 76 parents were considered through responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. Forty-two responses to the staff survey were also considered.  Documents related to safeguarding and the school’s priorities for improvement were scrutinised.

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