Eckington Junior School

Inspection of Eckington Junior School School Street, Eckington, Sheffield, Derbyshire S21 4FL

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 4–5 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are happy, polite and enthusiastic. When they are taught well, they are keen learners, who want to know more. They have excellent relationships with staff. They know they are well looked after. Staff are always available to them if they have a worry.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to achieve the different wristbands as a reward for good behaviour. They know they must behave well and work hard to gain the coveted gold wristband. They know that if their behaviour falls below the school’s high standard then they might lose their band, and no one wants that.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils find it more difficult to manage their behaviour and emotions. These pupils get extra support from the learning mentor and in the nurture group. Staff teach pupils how to cope when they are feeling sad or anxious. Pupils say there are very few incidents of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not receive a good standard of education. Learning is not well planned in some subjects. Some pupils’ reading knowledge is not well developed. Teachers do not expect pupils to achieve as well as they could. The school’s curriculum for personal development is not good enough.

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better?

Leadership has not been stable for some time. Since September 2019, leaders have quickly determined what they need to do to make the school better. The staff are working hard to make improvements. However, many of these changes are new and have not yet led improvements in the quality of education that pupils receive.

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better?

Leaders are reviewing the curriculum for reading. It does not yet show how teachers will develop pupils’ knowledge. The expectation for how well pupils should read is not high enough. Pupils are not routinely taught to use a range of reading techniques, such as inference and prediction. The texts teachers use are sometimes not ambitious enough. Pupils sometimes do not understand the author’s meaning in the books they read, because they have gaps in their knowledge of vocabulary.

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better?

Some pupils join the school with reading skills and knowledge below where they should be. Staff teach these pupils phonics to help them to catch up. However, these pupils are not supported well when in class. They are not given the resources or help they need when reading or writing.

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better?

In the past, what pupils learn has not matched the national curriculum’s ambition or coverage. Leaders have now planned what they want pupils to learn. Nevertheless, this has not yet been put into practice in all subjects and year groups. In some subjects, teachers do not have the knowledge to teach well. The ambition for what pupils should achieve in some subjects is not high enough. 4–5 February 2020

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Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not achieve well. This is the same for some disadvantaged pupils. Teachers do not adapt the curriculum enough. Some pupils express frustration that they are not supported better. Until recently, the leader for the provision for pupils with SEND has not had the support to check that pupils get the right help. However, staff support pupils who have physical or emotional special needs well.

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Leaders have recently introduced a new mathematics curriculum, building on improvements made in the last academic year. They know what to teach when, and how this will build on what pupils have learned before. Frequent revisiting of knowledge helps this to stick in pupils’ memory. Pupils are achieving well in mathematics.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development is not good. Pupils do not learn enough about British values, being healthy, or equality and diversity.

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When the curriculum is well planned, pupils show determination and independence. Yet, sometimes pupils are switched off from their learning. This is often when what teachers ask them to do lacks ambition or does not meet their needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that the school’s culture for keeping pupils safe is strong. All staff, including cleaners and lunchtime staff, are vigilant to possible concerns. Leaders have provided staff with up-to-date training on the latest guidance. They know what the local risks are to pupils. Leaders check attendance, behaviour and safeguarding records to spot pupils who might be at risk. Staff develop close relationships with families. They provide help and support as soon as concerns are raised.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are developing the curriculum for reading. However, it is not yet defined well enough to show how pupils’ knowledge of reading will be developed as they move through the school. It does not develop the breadth of reading knowledge that pupils need. Sometimes, the reading materials teachers use are not ambitious enough. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum for reading is ambitious and develops pupils reading knowledge effectively, including how to infer and predict.  Teachers do not use the school’s phonics programme to support the weakest readers. Pupils do not have access to resources or support in class to help them 4–5 February 2020

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to read and write well. Leaders must ensure that staff use the school’s phonics programme to support pupils to read and write.  The curriculum is not adapted well enough for some pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. The support in place for these pupils does not always enable them to access the curriculum. The provision does not always meet their needs. Leaders must ensure that the support and curriculum for SEND and disadvantaged pupils are appropriately adapted to meet their needs and monitored carefully to make sure that these pupils achieve well.  Leaders have reviewed the school’s curriculum and have planned what they want pupils to learn in each subject. However, these plans have not been implemented in all subjects or year groups. Sometimes, the ambition for what pupils should be able to achieve is not high enough. Teachers’ subject knowledge is not always strong enough to teach all subjects effectively. Leaders should make sure that

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staff have the subject knowledge to teach the curriculum well, and that the curriculum is ambitious enough to enable all pupils to achieve well.  The school’s curriculum for personal development does not help pupils to understand tolerance, equality and diversity, British values or how to live healthy lifestyles. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum provides pupils with broad and meaningful opportunities for personal development.

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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

Website www.eckingtonjuniorschool.co.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Eckington Junior School converted to become an academy on 1 April 2017. The school joined the Learners’ Trust multi-academy trust. When its predecessor school, Eckington Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall.  Three different headteachers have been in post in the last three years. The interim headteacher has been in post since September 2019.

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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 did deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and history. This included lesson visits and discussions with teachers. We talked with pupils about their learning and looked at examples of pupils’ work in these and other subjects.  We held meetings with the headteacher, the trust improvement partner, the leaders for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, subject leaders, teachers 4–5 February 2020

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and support staff. We also spoke with two members of the governing body. We held telephone discussions with the chair of the trust. We considered the 18 responses to the online parent questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and the 10 responses to the staff survey.  We looked at a range of documents, including: the school’s own evaluations of the curriculum; curriculum plans; plans for improvement; the most recent published information on the achievement and progress of pupils; and information relating to the arrangements for safeguarding pupils.

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Inspection team

Helen Williams, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Angela Kirk 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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