Auriol Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Auriol Junior School Vale Road, Stoneleigh, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 0PJ

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Outcome

Auriol 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 this caring and inclusive school. They like their teachers and feel safe. Staff have high aspirations for all pupils to achieve personal and academic success. Teachers expect pupils to work hard. Pupils respond very well to this. They enjoy their lessons, are eager to learn and they achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite. They listen attentively to teachers and to each other. Pupils appreciate the encouragement their teachers give to help them express their views. Pupils grow in confidence as they move through the school. They contribute well to their community, for example by being playground ‘buddies’ and activity ‘leaders’. Pupils insist that bullying is rare. Should it occur, they trust the adults to sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During the inspection, pupils brimmed with excitement. Half of them spent a day performing at the town’s professional theatre. Pupils showcased the talents they had practised in their performing arts clubs. Pupils benefit from these and other after school activities to extend pupils’ interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very positive about their school. However, some parents feel that their concerns are not addressed. Leaders are taking helpful steps to improve communication between home and school.

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

Pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has remained strong over time. Leaders believe firmly that pupils’ reading skills lie at the heart of learning in almost all subjects. The school has developed high-quality reading provision. When pupils need extra help, they get it and they catch up. Pupils leave the school with the skills that they need. They fully understand the detail of what they are reading. They become familiar with the work of many authors. This supports and inspires them to develop their own writing style. They select interesting grammar features and vocabulary, as an author does. 3–4 March 2020

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Leaders have increased their focus on the foundation curriculum subjects. They have made sure that pupils learn what they need to know in a sensible order. Teachers are helping pupils to remember more of their learning so that they can build upon it over time. In some subjects, such as science, the sequence and content of lessons are very detailed. This helps teachers to develop pupils’ thinking and add to what they already know. However, in some subjects, there are prior gaps in pupils’ learning. They have not yet developed the vocabulary to express their ideas clearly in geography, for example. P upils are positive about the creative opportunities they have in subjects such as music and art and design. They are justifiably proud of the artwork they produce in the style of famous artists.

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Strong relationships between adults and pupils are a feature of the school. Teachers know their pupils very well. They tailor learning to meet pupils’ specific needs. Leaders are strengthening the staff’s expertise to provide for pupils’ emotional well-being. There are effective procedures to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Their needs are well understood and met. Pupils with hearing- impairment, who are placed in the school, are very successful. They take part in everything that their class does.

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Pupils behave very well in lessons because their learning interests and engages them Pupils can explain clearly what bullying is. They say that there are times when friends fall out, but unkind behaviours are not repeated. Adults respond quickly and effectively when pupils use classroom worry boxes to post any anxieties. Pupils have a range of opportunities to hold a position of responsibility, such as by being a school councillor. They perform their responsibilities sensibly. Pupils like to help, whether they have a dedicated role to play or not.

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The headteacher leads with determination. Well-designed plans help the enthusiastic staff team to keep improving the school. Leaders support staff to develop their professional skills. They have built an effective staff team. Leaders have ensured that teachers have manageable workloads. As a result, teachers now spend more time to ensure learning is planned to meet pupils’ needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

A team of deputies ably supports the designated leader. Together, they make sure that all staff and volunteers are fully trained to keep children safe. All staff understand what their responsibilities are. They know how to report concerns, however small they may seem.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand the risks that pupils might meet in the community. They have implemented a curriculum that aims to support pupils to develop skills they need to make sensible choices to keep themselves safe. Pupils understand that there are risks with social media, for example. They know there are rules that help to stay safe when using technology. 3–4 March 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Recent improvements in science and the foundation subjects are helping pupils to learn and remember more. However, pupils are not achieving equally well across all subjects. Leaders should ensure that, in all subjects, pupils build knowledge and skills over time deepening their understanding by applying what they know more fully, so they achieve their very best.

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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 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 (Auriol Junior School), to be good on 6-7 May 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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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. 3–4 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122308 Type of school Junior

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Auriol Junior School converted to become an academy school within the Bourne Education Trust on 1 May 2017. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school has a 10-place resource provision for pupils with hearing impairment. These pupils are placed by the local authority as a result of having an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this inspection

 I did deep dives in three subjects: reading, science and geography. This included discussions with leaders of the subjects, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils. I heard some younger pupils read.  I met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders and other members of staff. In addition, I met the chief executive of the Bourne Education Trust, one of the trustees, and a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body.  As well as speaking to parents in the playground at the end of the day, I took into account 103 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, including 71 free-text 3–4 March 2020

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comments. I considered the 37 responses from staff to Ofsted’s survey.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons and around the school, including at playtimes. I gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussions.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised, including subject plans and safeguarding documents, and information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance. I reviewed the school’s record of staff and volunteer recruitment checks and documents related to safeguarding and child protection. I spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about the school’s safeguarding arrangements.

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Inspection team

Linda Jacobs, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3–4 March 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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