Eagley Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Eagley Junior School Chapeltown Road, Bromley Cross, Bolton, Lancashire BL7 9AT

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Outcome

Eagley Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at this school. They feel valued and cared for. Pupils achieve well academically and personally. Staff expect all pupils to work hard and behave well. Pupils live up to these expectations. They are kind and polite to each other and with staff. Playtimes are good humoured. In lessons, pupils listen carefully and try their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils who I spoke with said that they feel safe in school. They said that bullying is rare. Pupils said that if it did happen, teachers will deal with it promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate in a wide array of after-school clubs, such as dance, music and drama. They enjoy learning outside in the wooded area near the school. Pupils are proud to belong to the school orchestra. They take part in yoga and meditation sessions which help them to relax. Pupils are enthusiastic about the daily one-mile run around school and the ‘Wednesday Wiggle’. They said this exercise has improved their fitness and helps them to concentrate better in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are very supportive of the school. A typical comment was, ‘Staff are approachable and encourage the children to try their best.’

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

The headteacher, since his appointment in September 2018, has wasted no time in improving the quality of education at the school. He is well supported by the new deputy headteacher. Senior leaders have worked closely with staff to develop an ambitious and interesting curriculum. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to help pupils learn well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of the curriculum. Staff work together to ensure that these pupils receive effective support.

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

Leaders have made reading a high priority. Pupils read daily in school. Older pupils enjoy reading to younger pupils. Any pupil who needs to catch up with their reading receives 4–5 February 2020

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plenty of help. Most pupils become fluent in reading by the time they leave school. However, leaders know that some of the books that Year 3 pupils read do not match the sounds that they know. Consequently, some books are too hard or too easy for these pupils. Leaders also recognise that some of the books which older pupils read are not matched well enough to their reading ability. Leaders have improved the range of books available in classrooms. In addition, they have purchased a structured reading programme, which includes a range of high-quality texts. This is currently being introduced in all year groups.

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Pupils do well in mathematics by the time they leave Year 6. Topics are taught in a logical order. The subject leader checks how well the curriculum is delivered. Pupils know more and remember more because their knowledge builds on what they have learned before. Pupils develop their number skills well.

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The curriculum in most subject areas is well planned. Leaders have identified the knowledge and skills they want pupils to gain. In science, pupils used their previous learning, and their findings from a residential visit to Whitby, to explain how natural selection and evolution occurs. The curriculum in some subjects, such as history, has been developed more recently and has not had time to be fully implemented. Leaders have identified that further work is required to embed these changes.

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Pupils move calmly in and around the school. They work hard in lessons. Pupils attendance is above the national average.

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Pupils learn about different faiths through visits to places of worship. This helps pupils to learn about the importance of treating all people with respect. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities, such as peer mentors and working in the school library. They benefit from a very wide range of sports and residential visits.

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Leaders are considerate of staff workload. Staff welcome the training that they receive to develop their subject knowledge. Many governors are new. They are attending training courses to improve their understanding of their responsibilities. Governors are aware of the school’s strength and priorities for improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are committed to keeping pupils safe. Leaders check staff’s suitability to work with pupils before they start to work at the school. Leaders make sure that staff have up- to-date safeguarding training. Staff know how to spot risks to pupils and how to record any concerns. Leaders follow up any concerns with external agencies quickly. Records are accurate and detailed. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, both inside and outside school. Staff and parents are confident that pupils are safe in school. 4–5 February 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders see reading as a high priority. They have recognised that the reading curriculum needs more structure to help pupils in Year 3 consolidate their knowledge of the sounds that letters make and to help older pupils choose books that more readily match their reading ability. Leaders have taken positive steps to tackle this issue. They should now implement the new approach to reading in all classrooms.  The changes leaders have made to the curriculum in some subjects, such as history, are recent and have not had sufficient time to become embedded across the school. This means, occasionally, pupils do not progress through the curriculum as effectively as possible. Leaders need to ensure that the changes they have made in all subjects are implemented consistently well across all year groups. This will ensure that pupils know more and remember more.

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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, Eagley Junior School, to be good on 14–15 February 2012.

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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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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. 4–5 February 2020

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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. 4–5 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10111075 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 4–5 February 2016

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher was appointed in September 2018.  A new deputy headteacher was appointed in September 2019.  The membership of the governing body has changed significantly since the last inspection. A new chair of governors was appointed in December 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, I met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and groups of subject leaders and teachers.  I met with three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  I spoke to pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. I also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  I reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans and attendance and behaviour records. I also looked at minutes of governing body meetings.  To inspect safeguarding, I looked at safeguarding policies and reviewed the school’s record of checks on the suitability of staff and governors. I met with the designated 4–5 February 2020

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safeguarding leaders. I also spoke to pupils and staff about safeguarding and considered parents’ views.  I spoke with parents before school to gather their views. I considered the 66 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 66 free-text responses. I considered the 22 responses to the staff survey and 140 responses to the pupils’ survey.  I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, history and mathematics. I visited a sample of lessons in these subjects, met with subject leaders, reviewed pupils’ work and had discussions with teachers and a small group of pupils. I observed staff listening to pupils read.

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Inspection team

Ahmed Marikar, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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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