Trafalgar Junior School

Inspection of Trafalgar Junior School Elmsleigh Road, Twickenham, Middlesex TW2 5EG

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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 17–18 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school and their behaviour is good. Pupils are courteous and helpful. They say that ‘all pupils follow the golden rules’, and everyone is clear about how to behave. They say that school is ‘fun’ and that they know that ‘if there is trouble, the teacher sorts it out’. They are confident that any bullying is dealt with quickly. Teachers support pupils in developing healthy minds and bodies. For example, pupils share any anxieties that they may have in the ‘thought boxes’ provided.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers are not making sure that planning is strong in every subject. Teachers are not consistently giving pupils the right work to help them learn well in reading, history and physical education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders know what they need to do to improve the school. The staff are dedicated. Leaders have started to develop planning in subjects such as mathematics and science.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking responsibility, including as ‘listening friends’ or as members of the school council. They play and work together sensibly. Pupils say that they feel safe. They come to school regularly and attend a wide range of clubs that the school offers.

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better?

In subjects such as history and physical education, curriculum plans lack a clear structure and do not support teaching well. In these subjects, pupils do not necessarily learn new things in a sensible order. They are not consistently helped to remember what they were taught previously so that they can build on their learning. For example, pupils in physical education are unable to explain how new learning in dodgeball has built on what they learned before. In history, detail of what important knowledge should be taught in topics such as the Stone Age or Victorians is not identified.

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better?

Subject planning in science is much stronger. Leaders have made sure that pupils’ knowledge and understanding grows year on year. Since the last inspection, leaders have improved mathematics. Pupils are learning more than in the past. However, the curriculum planning has not enabled the most able pupils to solve more challenging questions.

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better?

Pupils enjoy reading. Teachers help them to appreciate a variety of books. However, some pupils struggle to read fluently. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Not all of these pupils are able to read books accurately. This is because the books that they read do not match their understanding of the sounds they have learned. 17–18 September 2019

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Pupils behave well in class and are keen to learn. They enjoy coming to school and are considerate about the needs of others. Pupils’ personal development is supported well. Pupils are taught about other faiths and have good opportunities to visit various places of worship. They experience British culture and its values in activities such as visiting the local council and by supporting others. For example, ‘The Green Team’ helps with gardening at a local retirement home.

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While support for pupils with SEND has improved, some of these pupils do not do as well as they should. This is because subject planning does not consistently take account of these pupils’ needs well enough.

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Leaders take effective action to reduce the staff’s workload. Staff value this. Teachers are positive about the school and feel well supported.

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Governors make sure that they carry out their legal responsibilities. Since the previous inspection, they understand what has been successfully improved and what remains to be done. They are aware that more needs to be done so that curriculum plans, in every subject, ensure that pupils learn as well as they should.

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The school has strong partnerships with parents and carers, and aims to support families as needed. Parents say that staff are caring and friendly. One parent said, ‘I have been really impressed by the whole-hearted dedication of the staff.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils, parents and staff agree that pupils are kept safe. Staff training for safeguarding is up to date. Staff are vigilant and understand their responsibilities. Suitable checks are made on staff before they start working at the school. Pupils who need additional support receive this in a timely way.

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Safeguarding

Pupils can explain what they need to do to stay safe. For example, they understand how to stay safe when using the computers and know how to respond to accidents and emergencies. Pupils say that they are looked after well and know who to turn to if they have any worries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not yet provide a good quality of education. Leaders’ success in improving pupils’ progression in science has not yet been replicated in other subjects. This is because leaders and teachers are not clear about what should be taught, when and why, particularly in reading, history and physical education. Leaders should ensure that greater thought has been given to the content selection and sequencing of lessons for these areas of the curriculum.  While leaders have improved provision for pupils with SEND, this is still not strong. 17–18 September 2019

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This is because subject plans do not help these pupils connect new knowledge to what they have previously learned. Pupils do not demonstrate that they know more and can do more in some subjects. This is particularly the case in the teaching of early reading.  Some pupils struggle to read fluently. This is because the reading books are not matched to their phonics knowledge. Leaders should address this by giving these pupils opportunities to read books that align to the letters and sounds that they know.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110356 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.trafalgarjun.richmond.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23–24 May 2017

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and chair of governors were appointed after the previous inspection. The school is in a hard federation with Trafalgar Infant School. New appointments have been made to strengthen staffing and leadership following the previous inspection.

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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

 We spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, leader of special educational needs, leaders of the subjects considered, governors and a representative from the local authority.  We focused deeply on reading, mathematics, history, physical education and computing. When looking at these subjects, we spoke with leaders, teachers and pupils. We visited lessons, looked at planning and at examples of pupils’ work. Other subjects were also considered as part of the inspection.  When looking at safeguarding, we checked the school’s documentation, the school website and surveys of the views of pupils, parents and staff. We spoke 17–18 September 2019

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with governors, leaders, pupils, teachers and staff.

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Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Pamela Fearnley 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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