Porchester Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Porchester Junior School Standhill Road, Carlton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG4 1LF

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2021

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Outcome

Porchester Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Porchester is an inclusive and happy school, where pupils get the help they need to be successful learners. Pupils are proud to belong to this caring and nurturing school. One pupil described the school as ‘our family away from home’. Pupils represent the ‘Pride of Porchester’ through their respect for each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the positions of responsibility they hold. Prefects and the health and safety pupil ambassadors contribute purposefully to school life. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about their newly devised child behaviour policy. They are rightly proud of their achievements. Pupils feel they are listened to and that their views help to improve the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They say bullying is not a big problem. They are confident that when it does happen, adults act swiftly to sort it. Pupils behave well in lessons. Adults look after pupils and understand their needs. Skilled staff provide the nurture some pupils need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and want to do well. All staff have high expectations of pupils’ learning. Pupils feel confident to try new learning. They are resilient. Pupils told the inspector: ‘Making mistakes is fine, it is new learning.’

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

Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum that sets out what pupils should learn and when. In subjects such as geography, teachers use assessment skilfully to find out what pupils already know before they start to teach a new concept. Pupils revisit previous learning often. This helps them to know more and remember more. Pupils enjoy geography. They use the learning walls to help them remember what they have learned.

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

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The support for pupils 12 and 13 October 2021

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with varying needs is well organised. These pupils receive the help they need from well- trained staff. Teachers make suitable adaptations to ensure pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The new mathematics curriculum is well sequenced. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning. The ‘reactivates’ and daily ‘flashbacks’ at the start of lessons help teachers to see what pupils have remembered. Leaders ensure there is a focus on developing pupils’ mathematical vocabulary. Pupils discuss their mathematics learning with confidence. Leaders are confident the new approach will lead to better outcomes for pupils.

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Leaders make sure that pupils have many opportunities to read. They say reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Teachers read to pupils daily. Pupils know how important reading is to their success in life. Pupils spoke to the inspector about their favourite books and authors with enthusiasm. Pupils who are at earlier stages of reading get the good- quality teaching they need through a well-sequenced phonics programme. This helps them to catch up quickly. The vibrant library and classrooms promote a love of reading.

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Pupils learn a range of subjects and enjoy interesting and exciting topics that teachers plan. The ‘KORE’ curriculum focuses on developing pupils’ knowledge, opportunities, reading and equality. This has developed pupils’ resilience, independence and knowledge. Pupils are keen to learn. They strive to earn house points and gold tokens. In addition to their lessons, pupils enjoy a range of activities, including swimming, sports competitions and residential visits.

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Pupils understand the importance of respect for all. One pupil told the inspector, ‘You have to be different to stand out. Everybody is unique.’ While leaders promote diversity through the curriculum, some pupils found it difficult to talk about different faiths, cultures and fundamental British values. Leaders have started to address this.

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Governors and the Flying High Trust have offered strong support to school leaders, including over the course of the pandemic. They have worked effectively to secure school improvements. The quality assurance and standards team continues to support leaders to develop their curriculum, through regular visits and meetings. Leaders at all levels do all they can to manage teachers’ workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that safeguarding is everyone’s priority. Staff receive regular training to help them spot concerns. Safeguarding records are thorough and well maintained. Strong communication between staff ensures that concerns are addressed swiftly. Leaders ensure that all the necessary checks have been made on staff who work with pupils. Pupils know they can talk to adults in the sensory room if they have a concern. This helps pupils feel safe in school.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have planned a curriculum that teaches children how to stay safe, including online. 12 and 13 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have worked hard to improve the school’s curriculum. They have precisely identified the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn. Leaders now need to ensure this is fully embedded in all subjects, so that pupils know and remember more.  Some pupils find it difficult to talk about their understanding of fundamental British values, and of other faiths and cultures. While key learning points are promoted through assemblies and displays around the school, leaders need to ensure that this aspect of the curriculum is taught more explicitly to pupils. This will help to deepen pupils’ understanding of this aspect of their social and cultural development.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Porchester Junior School, to be good in October 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 . 12 and 13 October 2021

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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. 12 and 13 October 2021

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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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 Flying High Trust, a multi-academy trust based in the East Midlands.  A new headteacher and chair of governors have been appointed since the previous inspection.  Porchester Junior School converted to become an academy school in July 2017. When its predecessor school, Porchester Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, curriculum subject leaders and teachers from across all year groups. The inspector also met with the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the director of inclusion, quality assurance 12 and 13 October 2021

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and school improvement, and members of the governing board, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with several groups of pupils to talk about their learning across the curriculum.  The inspector did deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. The inspector spoke with the leaders of these subjects. She visited lessons, spoke with pupils and teachers, listened to pupils read and looked at pupils’ work and documentation to understand the quality of education.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed school policies, procedures and records. She spoke with the designated safeguarding lead. The inspector also spoke to staff, trust members, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector considered 44 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including 33 free-text

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comments. She considered the views of staff from meetings with groups of staff and from the 30 staff who responded to the confidential questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 October 2021

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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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