The Raglan Junior School

Inspection of a good school: The Raglan Junior School Raglan Road, Bush Hill Park, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 2RG

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Outcome

The Raglan Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy school. They said that they feel very safe, and that pupils are kind to each other. They also said that school is a friendly place. Pupils know that adults are always available to help if they have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to be successful in their learning. They also want pupils to become responsible and active citizens. Lots of interesting activities bring learning to life. The school offers a wide range of subjects, with specialist teaching in music, art and physical education for all pupils. Leaders provide all year groups with a range of additional workshops and educational visits.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the ‘golden rules’. They understand how following them leads to good behaviour in lessons and around the school. They say that staff pick up any poor or unkind acts quickly, and that they deal with them. School records show that bullying is extremely rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of pupils attend at least one of the large number of after-school clubs that the school runs. There is a wide choice of after-school clubs available, which includes sports, music, arts, crafts and computing.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is broad, interesting and varied. Pupils develop their knowledge and skills well as they move through the school. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in reading. They also do well in writing and in mathematics.

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

School leaders have high expectations of all pupils. Subject leaders have identified the key knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. Each subject is well planned. Plans build on what pupils already know, and they prepare them for the move to Year 7. Teachers make sure that pupils learn the essential vocabulary needed in each subject. Pupils use key terms accurately and confidently. 26–27 November 2019

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Teachers and support staff receive regular training to help them meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These pupils receive academic and emotional support that helps them learn better.

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Reading is given high priority across the school. Pupils who struggle get specialist support to help them catch up quickly. Pupils show interest in reading a wide range of books. This helps pupils improve their knowledge and skills in all areas of learning.

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The mathematics curriculum is demanding, and pupils enjoy the challenge it provides. Pupils have regular opportunities to revisit and practise what they have learned. This is helping them to improve their understanding of important facts and methods. Many pupils can solve mathematical problems, using increasingly more efficient methods.

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Throughout the school, pupils are taught by specialist music teachers who model singing and playing with confidence. They use their strong subject knowledge to draw good musical responses from pupils. Pupils follow a well-designed programme. By Year 6, they can compose their own pieces and perform these using instruments they have learned to play. Many pupils have opportunities to sing and perform to audiences within the school, at festivals and in competitions.

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Teaching of the curriculum is less well developed in geography, and in design and technology. Teaching is less confident in these areas. This is because staff do not have secure subject-specific knowledge and skills.

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Leaders ensure that pupils have lots of experiences to support their learning and enrich their lives. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about school trips they have been on. These include a day at the seaside to study coastal erosion, observing a debate at the local council offices and a visit to the British Museum to see Egyptian artefacts.

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Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good. They listen carefully to teachers and are respectful when others make contributions in class.

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Teachers work in teams and have regular opportunities to plan together. This helps them to improve their teaching skills. It also helps them to manage their workload. Teachers say that school leaders listen to them and are proactive in considering their well-being. Staff feel proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Keeping children safe has a very high profile in this school. Everyone understands that this is a shared responsibility. All senior leaders have completed enhanced training in safeguarding. They ensure that staff are confident and know how to spot and respond to concerns that arise. Governors fulfil their responsibilities in this area.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through work they do in lessons and in focused 26–27 November 2019

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events. All pupils take part in online safety workshops. The school also organises parents’ events to help reinforce important safeguarding messages.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers’ knowledge and skills in geography, and in design and technology, are not as strong as in other subject areas. Leaders need to strengthen the implementation of their plans by providing more subject-specific training for teachers. Leaders need to ensure that geography and design and technology are taught consistently well so that pupils achieve well in these 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 first section 8 inspection since we judged The Raglan Junior School to be good on 2–3 March 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. 26–27 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110471 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 2–3 March 2016

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Information about this school

 The school federated to The Raglan Infant School in 2011, with one headteacher and one governing body. The current headteacher has been in post since April 2012. The current deputy joined the school in 2014.  It is a significantly larger-than-average sized junior school and has four forms of entry in each year group.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection I looked at reading, mathematics and music in detail. I met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and pupils.  I had meetings with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team and the special educational needs coordinator. I also met with other teachers and spoke with some support staff.  I met with four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. I also spoke with a representative of Enfield local authority.  I talked with pupils in meetings, during visits to lessons and at breaktimes and 26–27 November 2019

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lunchtimes.  I took account of 137 responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. I also considered 17 staff survey responses and the views of the 59 pupils who responded to the pupils’ survey.  I looked at records of employment checks made on school staff. This was to make sure that the school follows safer recruitment practice. I also checked the school’s policies and procedures for keeping children safe.

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Inspection team

Katerina Christodoulou, lead inspector Seconded Inspector 26–27 November 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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