George White Junior School

Inspection of George White Junior School Silver Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 4RG

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 11–12 September 2019

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to George White Junior School. They say that staff really care about them. One pupil commented, ‘The teachers are amazing.’ Parents and carers think so too. One parent told inspectors, ‘I can honestly say that staff are brilliant.’ Pupils feel safe in school and feel that adults keep them safe. They told inspectors about the safe hands they drew to identify five people they could go to if they were worried or upset.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff expect the very best of all pupils. Everyone at the school knows the school motto: ‘All different, all equal, all learning’. Pupils put this into practice every day in their lessons and at playtimes. They say that bullying is rare. When it does happen, adults take it very seriously and deal with it straight away. Pupils behave extremely well in class and around the school. They know the school rules for behaviour and live up to them. The atmosphere around the school is calm and purposeful.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in the clubs on offer, like dance and coding club. Many pupils cannot wait for the drama club to start now that the school has a drama suite.

p.2

better?

Leaders, trustees and staff have the highest expectations for pupils. Over the past four years, leaders have rapidly improved the quality of education at the school. They have provided staff with the highest-quality training but are mindful of staff workload. Leaders make sure that teachers only do things that make a difference to pupils. Staff feel part of the team and share responsibility for the school’s development. Trustees check that leaders continue to fulfil their vision for continual improvement.

p.2

better?

Leaders make sure that pupils feel included at the school from the moment they start there. Leaders have excellent relationships with parents. They ask for and take account of parents’ views. Leaders model the behaviours they want to see. For example, everyone, including the headteacher, displays their personal targets.

p.2

better?

Leaders have put learning to read at the core of pupils’ learning. Teachers teach reading well. They choose books that extend pupils’ vocabulary and knowledge of the world. This helps pupils to produce high-quality writing. Leaders have also improved the mathematics curriculum. Teachers know what to teach and how to best teach it. Teachers use well-thought-out plans to build on pupils’ skills as they move through the school. For example, they make sure that pupils understand what each digit in a whole number represents before learning about decimals. Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Some pupils’ weaker skills in mental arithmetic hold them back when solving mathematical problems.

p.2

better?

Leaders have created a cohesive curriculum for all other subjects. In subjects such as personal, social, health and economic education, the curriculum is well 11–12 September 2019

p.2

3

established. In other subjects, such as art and geography, the curriculum is still very new. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding in these subjects.

p.3

3

Teachers make sure that their teaching helps all pupils learn. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some pupils attend the specialist resource base (SRB) at the school. Until now, leaders have not provided enough opportunities for pupils in this unit to fully integrate into the life of the school.

p.3

3

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Learning continues without disruption. Staff know and use the school’s approach to behaviour management. Pupils are keen to receive silver and gold awards for good behaviour. Teachers manage pupils who have challenging behavioural and emotional needs well. Pupils understand that some pupils have different needs.

p.3

3

Leaders and staff weave the school’s values into all aspects of school life. They teach pupils to care about the wider world, for example through the forest school. Leaders promote tolerance and understanding. Recently, pupils learned about what it means to be a refugee. They foster an understanding of what it means to be a citizen, for example through elections for school responsibilities.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. Staff keep pupils safe by being vigilant in spotting signs that a child may be at risk of harm. Staff are well trained. They know, for example, about the risks of ‘cuckooing’ and county lines. Leaders are tenacious in following up concerns with external agencies. They take all possible action to ensure that pupils are safe, both when in school and out of school. Staff teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe when using technologies such as mobile telephones and the internet.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Provision within the main school for pupils with SEND is very strong. However, the SRB is not fully integrated into the life of the school, and systems for checking the effectiveness of the unit are not in place. Leaders should implement their plans for improving provision within the SRB. In liaison with the local authority which places pupils in the unit, leaders should develop systems for checking the effectiveness of the unit in preparing pupils for a successful re-introduction to their home school.  The curriculum for mathematics is effective in most aspects. Pupils are supported particularly well in developing their reasoning and problem-solving skills. However, 11–12 September 2019

p.3

4

leaders should ensure that pupils’ mental fluency in mathematics is improved so that they are able to tackle problems which they understand and can do more swiftly and successfully.  Leaders have very carefully planned a structured and coherent curriculum. They have provided very focused staff training and have supported curriculum leaders in planning for their subjects. Work in some subjects is well established but others are at an earlier stage in implementation and so are yet to fully show impact. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum for all subjects is firmly embedded so that pupils’ knowledge is of the same high standard as in core subjects.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

Further information

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. 11–12 September 2019

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10110347 Type of school Junior

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 26 March 2019

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of the Inclusive Schools Trust, which is a multi-academy trust (MAT).  The school was previously inspected in March 2019. This was a short inspection under the common inspection framework. The school remained good and was judged to be improving. A section 5 inspection was recommended by the lead inspector.  The school runs an eight-place SRB for pupils with learning and cognition difficulties. Pupils spend four days a week within the unit and are typically placed there for two academic terms.

p.5

Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with senior leaders, a range of curriculum leaders, the chief executive officer of the Inclusive Schools Trust, two members of the MAT and a representative of Viscount Nelson Education Network. Inspectors spoke with some midday supervisors, some teaching assistants and some class teachers. 11–12 September 2019

p.5

6

Inspectors met with a range of pupils from all year groups.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ records and files relating to safeguarding and looked at records of staff recruitment and training relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors considered deeply the school’s work in reading, mathematics, art and history. Inspectors met with senior leaders and curriculum leaders. They visited lessons and spoke with teachers and pupils from the lessons they visited and looked at pupils’ work from the current and past academic years.  Inspectors gathered information relating to other areas of the framework by visiting classes, speaking with pupils, looking at pupils’ work in a range of subjects, talking with leaders, teachers and other staff, and talking with members of the academy trust and the external provider used by the school to provide external challenge. Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day

p.6

6

and spoke to pupils in the playground at lunchtime. Inspectors visited the SRB.

p.6

Inspection team

Maria Curry, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Lynsey Holzer Ofsted Inspector 11–12 September 2019

p.6

7

regulates and inspects to 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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7