Anston Park Junior School

Draft and confidential - Not for disclosure or publication Inspection of Anston Park Junior School Park Avenue, North Anston, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S25 2QZ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 18–19 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff care greatly about the pupils at this school. This creates a positive atmosphere in which pupils show consideration for others. Pupils are happy, confident and enthusiastic. Bullying is very rare. New Year 3 pupils feel very welcome and settle quickly into routines.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are self-assured in expressing their opinions and discussing pertinent issues. They are comfortable to disagree with others and they do so with respect. They understand the importance of treating all people fairly. Pupils told inspectors that ‘everyone is unique’ and that ‘our school loves diversity’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work and play well together. They are, on the whole, sensible and mature. Pupils are keen to take on extra responsibilities, such as the roles of learning ambassador, reading mentor and junior prefect. They are proud to contribute to the life of the school. The small number of pupils who struggle to manage their own behaviour are very well supported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are lots of events for parents to find out about their children’s learning. For example, during the inspection, many parents attended workshops on reading. Parents told inspectors that they appreciate the opportunities to play an active part in the school community.

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better?

This is an improving school. The headteacher leads the school with integrity. She puts the pupils’ best interests at the centre of all decision-making. Since the last inspection, leaders have improved some key issues. These include mathematics, attendance, governance and behaviour. However, some other necessary improvements are at an early stage of development. Due to this, some pupils do not develop knowledge and skills as well as they should.

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better?

Leaders have mapped out what pupils should learn in some subjects, including history and science. Teaching staff have had training that has helped them to teach some subjects well, including mathematics. Yet for other subjects, some teachers’ knowledge about what pupils need to know is not good enough, so they do not prioritise and revisit crucial knowledge. This difference between subjects means that pupils have gaps in their learning.

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better?

Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. This is because teachers adapt the curriculum to meet their needs. However, this is not always the case. Some teachers have not had training to identify which key aspects their pupils with SEND need to practise. This means that some pupils do not have the knowledge they need to progress.

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better?

Leaders have worked hard to increase pupils’ enjoyment of reading. Many pupils are 18–19 September 2019

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now avid readers. Some teachers are just beginning to develop their skills in deepening pupils’ understanding of texts. As such, some pupils struggle to spot the less obvious messages within a text.

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A small number of pupils find reading very difficult. These pupils have significant gaps in their phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) knowledge. Teaching staff have limited expertise in this area. This means pupils are not receiving the support they need. Also, the books these pupils choose often contain words which they cannot read. This hinders their learning across many subjects.

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Pupils develop their talents and interests through the variety of sports clubs and music lessons. Pupils know how to live a healthy lifestyle. They have frequent first- hand experiences to support their ethical understanding. For example, pupils have been nurturing chickens rescued from a battery farm. They are delighted that the chickens are now healthy and that their feathers have grown back.

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Since the last inspection, the governing body has strengthened. Governors are well trained and have a range of expertise. They understand their responsibilities and show commitment to improving the school. They make strategic decisions which have made a positive difference to pupils. This includes expanding the staff team to support pupils’ emotional and social needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are aware of their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Staff pass on their concerns quickly to the right people. Leaders check that members of staff are suitable to work with children. Staff with expertise in supporting pupils’ emotional needs are always on hand. Therefore, vulnerable pupils can share any worries that they have with a trusted adult. Pupils learn about how to stay safe in a range of contexts. For example, they know about the risks they face online and how to avoid these.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils joining the school with gaps in their phonics knowledge are not supported effectively. Therefore, they do not become fluent readers. Leaders should ensure that systems are in place to identify and check on these gaps accurately. The plans that leaders have in place for staff training in phonics should be followed through. Leaders should check that phonics teaching is supporting pupils to catch up quickly. In addition, leaders should make sure that books which pupils use to practise reading only contain the sounds they know.  Leaders recognise that pupils’ outcomes have been too low over the last four years. They are in the process of redesigning the curriculum. Leaders should 18–19 September 2019

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replicate the work they have done in subjects such as history and science, so that all aspects of the curriculum are well sequenced and ambitious. Leaders also need to identify and address weaker aspects of teachers’ subject knowledge. Leaders should check that teachers are explaining concepts clearly and are identifying pupils’ misconceptions swiftly in all subjects. Leaders and teachers should develop a shared understanding of the knowledge which is most crucial for pupils to retain. Teachers must then revisit these aspects appropriately. Leaders and teachers must evaluate whether pupils are learning and remembering more and adjust their actions as necessary.  Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND are supported effectively. In doing so, they should identify pupils’ needs accurately and equip teaching staff with the expertise necessary to support pupils to achieve their potential. Leaders’ plans to

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gather the views of this group of pupils should be carried through.

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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.

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How can I feed back my views?

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

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 18–19 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110607 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 April 2017

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Information about this school

 There have been substantial changes in staff since the last inspection.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is average.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff. They also met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke on the telephone with a representative of the local authority. They took account of the 12 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors looked in depth at the following subjects: reading, mathematics, science, history and physical education. In doing so, they visited classes across all year groups and reviewed pupils’ work. They spoke to pupils about their learning and listened to them read. Inspectors also met with teachers. 18–19 September 2019

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at playtimes and lunchtimes. They gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussion. They also considered the 64 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and safeguarding documents. Inspectors also evaluated information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors gathered the views of parents at the start of the school day. They also took account of the views of 25 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, the 19 free-text responses and two emails.

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Inspection team

Karine Hendley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Melissa Milner Ofsted Inspector 18–19 September 2019

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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.

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