Baddow Hall Junior School

Inspection of Baddow Hall Junior School New Road, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 7QZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 1–2 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly, happy and safe place to be. Pupils love coming to school. They wear their uniforms with pride. Pupils enjoy the extra activities provided for them. Responsibilities as councillors, sports leaders, monitors, house captains and ‘trouble- shooters’ are all taken very seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Assemblies provide opportunities to pray, reflect and consider others. This adds to pupils’ personal development and wider understanding. Behaviour is good because expectations are high and pupils want their ‘golden time’. Inspectors agree with pupils who feel that, at times, some staff could be ‘more strict’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In the past, not all pupils have done as well as expected, particularly in reading. This has improved. Pupils are making better progress. A range of subjects and activities promote pupils’ personal development well. Physical education (PE) and sport are popular with pupils. A week-long project enables pupils to study art in depth and develop their own creativity. After-school activities add to pupils’ enjoyment of school. Pupils learn how to appreciate the world around them but their understanding of people from different cultural backgrounds is not developed well.

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better?

The curriculum has changed to ensure that learning is planned more carefully. In mathematics, better planning and resources help staff to teach key concepts in a logical order. Improved testing enables staff to find out how well pupils are doing and adapt their planning to meet pupils’ needs. This is leading to improvement. An above-average proportion of pupils met expectations in mathematics this year. Not enough of the most able pupils exceeded expectations. Leaders have realised that staff need more training to develop their knowledge of how to get the very best out of these pupils in mathematics.

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better?

In the past, reading has not been taught well enough. Some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have gaps in their learning. This is improving. In lessons, teachers check that pupils have learned what they are expected to know. Pupils have more challenging texts to read. Better assessments enable staff to target additional support. An above-average proportion of pupils met or exceeded expectations in reading this year.

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better?

Results in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 are above average. Extra support is now in place for those unable to read well. Pupils with SEND are known well and they receive lots of help from staff. Leaders are working hard to find out what they can do to help all disadvantaged pupils enjoy school life and achieve well. The most able pupils are not always challenged to reach the highest standards.

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better?

Leaders have recognised that some pupils joining the school are unable to read well enough. To improve this, they have extra sessions to practise their phonics (letters and the sounds they represent). This is having some impact but not all teaching 1–2 October 2019

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assistants know how to teach phonics well. They are unsure which books pupils should have to improve their early reading.

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Pupils know that, if they behave well, they can choose a reward at the end of the week. They said that a few pupils who misbehave are not always dealt with properly. Pupils feel safe in school and free from bullying. They know how to keep safe online. They enjoy school because ‘teachers make learning fun’. They value the trips out of school arranged to help them study topics in depth.

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New appointments to the senior leadership team have added further capacity to improve. Governors have improved their monitoring of the school’s work, including the use of the pupil premium, and are holding leaders to account. Support from the local authority has enabled senior leaders and governors to carry out their work more effectively. Most parents and carers are supportive but would like better communication with school leaders and staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All required checks are made when appointing new staff. Safeguarding training for staff, including in the ‘Prevent’ duty, is up to date. Procedures for raising concerns about pupils are in place. Concerns raised are acted upon quickly and appropriately. Child protection records are maintained and stored securely. Pupils are taught about the risks to their safety and what to do if they have concerns about keeping safe in and out of school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not learn as well as they should in phonics. Leaders should arrange further training for teaching assistants in teaching phonics and in selecting suitable books for pupils to practise their early reading.  The most able pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders must ensure that all staff provide challenging work for the most able pupils, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Some parents expressed concerns about the school’s communication. Leaders should develop better links with parents.

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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. 1–2 October 2019

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

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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. 1–2 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110326 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Rebecca Mead and Sue Finch (co-chairs)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11–12 October 2017

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Information about this school

 Baddow Hall Junior School is an average-sized school serving an area of Chelmsford.  Most pupils arrive in Year 3 having attended Baddow Hall Infant School.

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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 visited lessons with senior leaders to observe pupils at work. We carried out learning walks to observe the quality of education provided for all pupils, including the most able pupils and those with SEND.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, teachers, including a recently qualified member of staff, and the chair and two other members of the school’s governing body. An inspector met with a representative of the local authority. We also met with two groups of pupils.  Inspectors observed the school’s work. We scrutinised pupils’ books. We looked at safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures, self-evaluation and improvement planning, minutes of meetings of the governing body, records of 1–2 October 2019

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behaviour and attendance, and other information provided by school leaders.  Inspectors considered 65 free-text responses sent by parents, 65 responses on Ofsted’s online Parent View questionnaire and questionnaires completed by 20 staff and 68 pupils.  The following subjects were considered as part of this inspection: reading, writing, mathematics and PE.

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Inspection team

John Mitcheson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Crane Ofsted Inspector 1–2 October 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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