Scargill Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Scargill Junior School Mungo Park Road, Rainham, Essex RM13 7PL

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Outcome

Scargill Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Scargill Junior School. They want to come to school every day. They said that they like coming to school because they find learning fun.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have strong relationships with adults. In class, pupils try hard and are enthusiastic about their learning. They have a good understanding of what bullying is, including online bullying. They said that on the rare occasions it happens, or if pupils are unkind to one another, adults sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons, at breaktimes and when moving around the school. Pupils like to help each other. The playground buddies from Years 5 and 6 support younger pupils when they are feeling upset or worried during lunchtime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of opportunities to take on extra responsibilities. Pupils are proud to be house captains, school councillors, eco-warriors and playground buddies. These responsibilities help to build their confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They also know how to keep themselves safe outside of school. Through their e-safety training, they know what to do if someone they don’t know attempts to contact them online. Pupils know the importance of eating healthily and leading a healthy lifestyle. They exercise regularly at school through their daily mile walk. Pupils take part in many extra-curricular activities including sports, French, science, choir and sewing club.

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

School leaders and trust leaders have worked hard to improve the school. They know what they want pupils to learn in all subjects and by when. They make sure that teachers provide pupils with a good quality of education in most subjects. History, geography and art are well organised and taught effectively. However, in science, design and technology, and music further work is needed to ensure that curriculum plans are delivered well. The 17–18 December 2019

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actions that leaders have already taken give confidence that they can make the improvements needed.

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Overall, reading is taught well throughout the school. Pupils enjoy listening to teachers reading stories to them every day. Leaders and teachers work hard to develop pupils’ pleasure of reading. For example, Year 6 pupils told us about how their reading corners have recently been upgraded with high-quality reading materials. Most pupils achieve well in reading by the end of Year 6. A small number struggle because their knowledge of phonics remains weak. Staff who support these pupils do not always identify these weaknesses and therefore do not always provide the necessary support.

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Leaders’ planning for pupils’ learning in mathematics is strong. They have high expectations for what pupils can achieve in this subject. They have trained teachers well and ensured that they have strong subject knowledge. Pupils are fluent in number and show a good understanding of how mathematical concepts link together. They can solve problems and talk about how they have worked out answers. Pupils achieve well in mathematics.

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History is taught well. The curriculum has been carefully planned to make sure that pupils are learning more over time. Pupils remember important content they have been taught previously. For example, pupils spoke knowledgeably about what they learned regarding the British Empire when studying the Victorians. They used this knowledge to talk with understanding about the Windrush era, immigration and migration.

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Leaders understand the difficulties faced by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They provide well-informed support plans to make sure that the curriculum is adapted for those pupils. Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support in their learning from well-trained adults they trust. Pupils with SEND achieve well from their starting points.

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Staff prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand the school values of ‘Praise’ - perseverance, respect, aspiration, independence, sensitivity and enthusiasm. They listen to the views of others and are able to talk about tolerance and about respecting faiths and cultures other than their own.

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Trust leaders challenge and support school leaders effectively. Staff said that their well- being is taken into account and that leaders have reduced their workload whenever possible.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the safety and welfare of pupils are paramount. The safeguarding team has extensive knowledge of the most vulnerable pupils and their families, and supports them effectively. They act promptly to protect pupils from the risk of harm.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and vigilant. They understand the signs that a pupil’s safety may be 17–18 December 2019

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at risk. They know what to do and whom to talk to if they have concerns. Pupils know whom they can talk to if they have worries or concerns they need to share. They said that they trust adults in the school to help them sort out any issues they may have.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum for the vast majority of subjects is well sequenced, thought out and delivered. The recent redesign of plans and strong teaching in history, geography and art ensures that pupils develop strong knowledge and skills in these subjects. Leaders need to make sure that this is also the case in science, design and technology, and music.  Most pupils achieve well in reading by the end of Year 6. A small number of pupils are not able to decode words accurately or quickly enough. Gaps in their phonic knowledge are not identified promptly enough or these gaps filled. Leaders need to ensure that further training is provided to improve staff teaching of phonics for all pupils.

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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 predecessor school, also called Scargill Junior School, to be good on 18–19 June 2015.

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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. 17–18 December 2019

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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 December 2019

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School details

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

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Hornchurch Academy Trust and converted to an academy on 1 September 2017.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, the chief executive officer, the deputy headteacher, the group SEND coordinator and subject leaders. We spoke to the chair of the trust board by telephone.  We met with groups of pupils, curriculum leaders and teachers to discuss the quality of education at the school.  We made visits to classrooms. These visits were conducted jointly with senior leaders.  We listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of reading.  We spoke to pupils about their learning and experiences at school.  We focused on reading, mathematics and history on the first day of this inspection. We looked at other subjects on the second day.  We talked to parents and considered 27 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. We also looked at 18 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. 17–18 December 2019

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 We considered a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, development plans and curriculum documents including progression maps. We looked at SEND documents, behaviour records, first aid procedures, risk assessments, behaviour records and attendance information.  We met with the designated safeguarding leaders and checked documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Andrew Hook, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jason Hughes, team inspector Ofsted Inspector 17–18 December 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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