West Byfleet Junior School

Inspection of a good school: West Byfleet Junior School Camphill Road, West Byfleet, Surrey KT14 6EF

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Outcome

West Byfleet Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. Leaders and teachers make sure that West Byfleet Juniors feels like a happy and safe place for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. In response, pupils are positive, confident and have very good manners. They mostly behave well. Pupils say that bullying very rarely happens. If it does, they are confident that adults will sort out any problems quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers want all pupils to achieve as highly as possible by the time they leave the school. They broaden pupils’ horizons, plan learning carefully and encourage pupils to do their best. In turn, pupils are enthusiastic about learning and typically work hard in class. The quality of pupils’ work reflects leaders’ ambitions for them. Displays of pupils’ work celebrate their learning across the subjects on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff make a vast range of opportunities beyond the curriculum available. Pupils say they particularly enjoy taking part in sporting activities and are very proud to represent the school at events.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders, including governors, and other staff have a clear vision for what pupils should learn. Pupils achieve well academically and personally. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and staff ensure that most pupils read accurately and fluently. Some pupils’ reading skills are not strong enough when they enter the school in Year 3. A phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) programme is quickly put into place for these pupils to help them to catch up. The school has a good range of early reading books to support these pupils. The focus last school year on encouraging pupils of all ages to be avid readers has paid dividends. Pupils read with enjoyment from a vast range of types of 17–18 September 2019

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Mathematics is taught well. Teachers help pupils to build up the mathematical knowledge they need for future learning. For example, pupils learn their times tables well. This knowledge helps them to carry out increasingly complex calculations as they move through the school.

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Pupils achieve well in most other subjects. Plans generally give teachers clear guidance about what to teach, when and in what order. This helps teachers to make sure that pupils know what they need to before they move on. Teachers know their pupils well. This helps them to plan for pupils who need to spend time going over previous learning before a lesson. Some subjects are not as well thought out at the moment, for example design technology and art. It is clear that leaders are prioritising the curriculum and working through subjects to update plans in a manageable way.

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Leaders aim to help pupils to become confident, active, healthy citizens. They are taught to keep themselves safe online and parents are provided with information to reinforce this at home. Pupils generally behave well. Occasionally, some forget themselves and talk when they should be concentrating on their work or run inside school. Some staff are quicker to deal with these incidents than others. Pupils take part in a vast range of out-of- school activities and support many relevant charities. They understand the importance of respecting others, including those who are different to themselves.

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Staff in the school are very positive and passionate about their work. Leaders and governors genuinely care about staff workload. Teachers and other staff say this is always considered when new procedures or policies are introduced.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff receive regular training to know the signs that might raise concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Staff know what to do and follow the school’s policy for managing any concerns. The safeguarding team works well in school and with outside agencies to get pupils the help they need. The school’s record of the checks they carry out on adults working in the school is detailed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are considerate of pupils’ mental health. For example, staff run a lunchtime nurture club that is open to anyone who needs support. Pupils can attend as often as they feel they need to.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are systematically working through the different subjects to improve the curriculum. Currently, not all subjects are sufficiently sequenced. Leaders should implement plans to ensure that there is a logical progression of knowledge and skills in all subjects.  Pupils behave well most of the time. Occasionally they do not. Leaders should ensure that all staff consistently reinforce the school’s high expectations.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged West Byfleet Junior School to be Good on 9–10 February 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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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. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111293 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 9–10 February 2016

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the pupil admission number for the school has increased. Each year group will now consist of three classes. This is already in place for Years 3, 4 and 5.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, school business manager and governors throughout the inspection.  I took account of 86 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey and 66 free-text comments. I also took account of 27 responses to the staff survey. I received one letter from a parent.  Reading, mathematics and geography were considered as part of this inspection. I met with leaders of these subjects, visited lessons, looked at planning, heard pupils read, talked to teachers and pupils and looked at work in books.  I checked the school’s record of safeguarding checks for every adult in the school. I met with the headteacher and pastoral manager as representatives of the safeguarding team. I looked at some records of incidents reported to the team and the subsequent actions carried out. 17–18 September 2019

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Inspection team

Marcia Goodwin, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17–18 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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