Whybridge Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Whybridge Junior School Blacksmith’s Lane, Rainham, Essex RM13 7AH

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Outcome

Whybridge Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly school. Pupils get along well and support each other. For instance, older pupils act as ‘play buddies’ and organise games for their peers at playtimes. Pupils understand that it is important to be kind. For instance, they collect items for the local food bank and raise funds for charity.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They work hard in lessons. This is because staff expect all pupils to achieve their full potential. Pupils appreciate the rewards they receive when they do well, such as a ‘gold trophy’ from the headteacher.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe here. They know that they can turn to staff for help if they feel worried. Pupils behave well. They know what is expected of them and behave sensibly. Incidents of poor behaviour, including bullying, are unusual. Staff deal with any problems quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want learning to be memorable. They provide pupils with experiences that bring their learning to life. For example, pupils in Year 3 recently took part in an ‘Egyptian’ day. They used historic objects to explore the life of the pharaohs. Pupils said that this helped them to understand what it was like to live in the past.

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

Leaders have clear aims for the quality of pupils’ education. They want all pupils to be curious about the world they live in. Leaders and staff work together to fulfil these aims. Pupils enjoy finding out more about themselves, their community and the wider world.

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

Leaders review and adapt subject plans regularly to ensure that expectations for all pupils are high enough. This work has been successful in reading, writing, mathematics and science. In these subjects, teachers are confident about what they need to teach pupils and the order they should teach it. They plan tasks carefully so that pupils build and deepen their knowledge progressively. When pupils need it, teachers provide them with 16–17 October 2019

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effective extra support, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils achieve well as a result.

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Leaders are making important changes to plans for other subjects, such as geography, art and history. Currently, plans do not set out clearly enough what pupils should learn and remember in each topic. Leaders and teachers have started to identify the important content pupils should study and in what order. Leaders’ choices are ambitious. Teachers have also received training to improve their subject knowledge. This is helping to develop their expertise in planning and sequencing lessons effectively. However, this work is not complete.

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Leaders and teachers place great importance on pupils’ reading. They make sure that pupils develop into fluent and confident readers. Pupils read books that help them to practise and apply their phonics knowledge. Alongside this, teachers encourage pupils to read widely and for pleasure. Pupils explained how much they liked hearing their teachers read aloud to them every day. Pupils said that this made them want to read more, both in and out of school.

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Pupils take part in extra-curricular activities which appeal to their interests. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils have equal access to extra-curricular experiences. For instance, pupils have drumming tuition and attend a music club. Pupils also take part in lots of sports clubs, as well as a ‘healthy eating’ club. Leaders and staff prioritise teaching pupils about keeping healthy and how to look after themselves.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. This means that pupils can get on with their work and that teachers can teach without being disrupted. Relationships between pupils and staff are respectful, both in classrooms and at breaktimes. Staff encourage pupils to make a positive difference to their school and community. For example, pupils take on the role of ‘monitors’ in classrooms. They are keen to help their teachers and fellow pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have clear procedures to keep pupils safe. When concerns arise, leaders take all the necessary steps to secure pupils’ welfare.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff are well trained. They provide staff with regular updates on the signs and symptoms of different risks to pupils’ well-being. Staff are vigilant and identify concerns promptly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know the importance of speaking up if they feel unsafe. Pupils learn about possible risks to their welfare, including when they go online. Older pupils attend personal safety workshops run by the local police. Pupils said that this helps them to feel safe. 16–17 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders know that subjects such as geography, art and history are not planned as effectively as they should be. They are taking clear steps to address this. This includes drawing on expertise within the trust to support them in this work. However, leaders’ work is not complete. Leaders should make sure that subject plans contain clearly defined and ambitious aims for what pupils should know and by when. Leaders should make sure that teachers use these subject plans to plan and sequence lessons effectively.  Leaders have invested in training for teachers so that they have the necessary subject knowledge to plan and teach all subjects well. Leaders should continue to make this a priority.  Leaders intend that their work to revise curriculum plans will be complete within the next 12 months. This is a realistic timeframe. Leaders should check the impact of their work carefully so that pupils achieve to the best of their abilities in all subjects.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Whybridge Junior School, to be good.

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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. 16–17 October 2019

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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. 16–17 October 2019

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School details

Website www.whybridge-jun.havering.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 January 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized junior school. There is a high proportion of pupils with SEND and an above-average number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.  The school is part of the Hornchurch Academy Trust and became an academy on 1 September 2017.  The school has a ‘local standards group’ appointed by the academy trust. The school’s headteacher is also the chief executive officer of the trust.

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Information about this inspection

 I held meetings with several senior and middle leaders, including the head of school and leaders who oversee the provision for pupils with SEND. I also met with the chair of trustees, chair of the local standards board and the trust’s principal improvement adviser.  I looked in detail at reading, mathematics and geography. I completed a range of inspection activities to explore each subject in depth. I met with subject leaders, conducted lesson visits with leaders, spoke to pupils about their learning and reviewed pupils’ work.  I checked the effectiveness of safeguarding at the school by reviewing documents, 16–17 October 2019

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school records and talking to staff and pupils. I also considered the views of parents and carers and discussed safeguarding with governors, school leaders and staff.  I visited break times and observed pupils’ behaviour.

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Inspection team

Jennese Alozie, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 16–17 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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