Oak Farm Junior School

Inspection of Oak Farm Junior School Windsor Avenue, Hillingdon, Uxbridge UB10 9PD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 4–5 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

The last few years have been a difficult period for the school. Several changes in leadership and teaching staff have resulted in a period of instability. The quality of education declined.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Now, leaders want pupils to achieve well. Teachers’ expectations of what pupils should and can do are rising. Pupils are now reaching higher standards in some of their learning. However, this is not the case across all subjects or for all pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that they enjoy coming to school. They said that teachers make them feel welcome. Pupils like the many activities that make school exciting, including trips, clubs and sports days.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour at lunchtimes is not as good as it could be. This is because supervision at these times is not effective in managing behaviour. There is some reported bullying. Most pupils agreed that adults were good at sorting it out. Some parents, carers and pupils disagree. Pupils quickly learn to appreciate others by showing respect and kindness. Around school, pupils mostly behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and most parents acknowledge the improvements since the new headteacher started in September 2019. The environment is calmer and more orderly. There is a clear vision and the school values are at the heart of the improvements. However, it is early days and many of the changes are only just being rolled out. It is too early to see the impact.

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better?

The quality of education is improving but is not yet good enough. Leaders have credible plans to improve the planning and teaching of all subjects. Leaders have made a good start in implementing their plans but some lack the detail needed to ensure a clear progression year on year. Despite the planning provided by subject leaders, teachers do not follow these plans consistently. They do not build on what pupils have learned before. As a result, pupils sometimes fail to remember more over time. Teachers do not always make sure that pupils have the knowledge they need before exploring more complex ideas. Sometimes, teachers do not consider the abilities of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). At times, teachers’ knowledge and practice are not as strong as they should be. Teachers are developing new approaches to check pupils’ learning. This is beginning to help them identify and fill gaps in pupils’

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better?

Leaders do not identify with precision what pupils should be reading each year. As a result, teachers read the same books that pupils have read in the past. This means that pupils’ reading does not develop as well as it should. School leaders are working hard on developing pupils’ enjoyment of reading. They are increasing the range of vocabulary that pupils use. There are lots of books for pupils to read in the school and to take home. 4–5 February 2020

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Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning. They behave well so that teachers can get on with teaching. Pupils are proud to take on responsibilities, such as school council member or sports ambassador. These pupils talk confidently about how to make a difference to the school. Pupils learn about keeping healthy. Pupils’ success and achievement, both in and out of school, are celebrated for all to see.

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Leaders have improved the way they identify pupils with SEND. They put a range of support in place but some teachers do not plan learning that focuses on these pupils’ individual needs. This means that some pupils with SEND struggle to learn what they should.

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Support from the local authority has helped senior leaders and governors to carry out their work more effectively. Governors have attended training and sought external advice since the last inspection. They now have a better understanding of the role of the governing body. Governors have improved their checks on the school’s work. Most parents are supportive but would like better and more frequent communication with school leaders and staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, meet their statutory duties to safeguard pupils. They are developing a strong safeguarding culture and robust procedures. Staff receive regular training. They understand how to keep children safe. This includes potential risks in the local area. Staff record and report their concerns. Pupils know how to keep safe, including in their local area. They can talk about what it means to keep safe because of learning in their personal, social and health education sessions, where they have looked at ways to keep safe when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not consistently deliver the curriculum well. This includes their use of assessment to check on what pupils know and can remember. Some pupils do not learn as well as others do. Sometimes, teachers do not meet pupils’ needs as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the knowledge and skills to deliver the planned curriculum. They should make sure that teachers follow the agreed subject plans. Leaders should develop teachers’ use of assessment to check what pupils learn and remember, including pupils with SEND.  Although leaders have introduced new plans for the teaching of reading, it is not taught consistently well across the school. Leaders should ensure that the teaching of reading is effective. They must sharpen their procedures for identifying gaps in pupils’ knowledge and experiences, and make sure that these are addressed and nothing is left to chance.  Lunchtime staff do not supervise lunchtimes as well as they should. As a result,

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime is not well managed. Leaders need to review the 4–5 February 2020

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way breaktimes are organised so that staff are active in their supervision of pupils and any concerns are promptly addressed.  Some parents expressed concerns about the school’s communication with them. Leaders should develop better links with parents so that they hear their views on a regular basis and act on feedback.

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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.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 4–5 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121515 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 31 October–1 November 2017

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Information about this school

 The governing bodies of this junior school and the adjacent infant school established a hard federation with effect from September 2019. There is now one governing body for both schools.  The headteacher was appointed full-time to the school in September 2019 after working with the school on a part-time basis from June 2018. He is in post until July 2020. The federation is currently recruiting a headteacher to oversee both schools in the federation.

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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 met with the headteacher, the assistant headteachers, the SEND leader, members of the governing body and subject leaders. We also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, writing, science and geography. This included discussions with leaders about how they plan the curriculum to ensure that pupils systematically learn and remember more, the guidance they 4–5 February 2020

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give to teachers and how they ensure that teachers gain strong subject knowledge. We also visited lessons, spoke with groups of pupils in some of those classes about their learning and scrutinised pupils’ work. We had discussions with the teachers of the classes visited. We also considered other subjects as part of the inspection.  We checked the school’s policies and records and spoke with the designated safeguarding leader, senior leaders, governors, pupils, staff and parents to check on the school’s culture of safeguarding.  We also checked a range of other documentation. We had formal meetings with staff and pupils, and spoke with pupils during social times. We observed pupils arriving and leaving school. We also considered the 55 responses to Ofsted’s survey for parents, Parent View, the 28 responses from staff and the 83 responses from pupils.

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Inspection team

Michelle Thomas, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Rai Ofsted Inspector 4–5 February 2020

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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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