Church Crookham Junior School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Church Crookham Junior School Tweseldown Road, Fleet, Hampshire GU52 8BW

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 January 2022

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn well at this happy and successful school. Leaders’ drive and determination that all pupils will succeed permeate throughout all aspects of school life. Staff have bought into this vision, ‘Achievement for all’. They put pupils’ needs first. Staff are proud to work at the school, wearing their Church Crookham hoodies as a badge of honour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Classrooms are hives of activity and learning. The school’s values, such as kindness and respect, encourage pupils to make the right choices in what they say and do. Pupils behave well in lessons and try their best. Termly ‘Fabulous Fridays’ help pupils develop their confidence. Pupils enjoy trying new activities, such as campfire cookery, yoga and creating Japanese-style cartoons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is very rare and pupils do not worry about it. Leaders investigate any claims thoroughly. Pupils feel safe and looked after. As one pupil said, ‘We can talk to our teachers – they are there for you.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of what and how pupils learn. The curriculum is ambitious and well considered. However, leaders know that there is still work to do with assessment and ensuring that the curriculum fully celebrates diversity and difference.

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

Reading has a high profile. Staff use many strategies to promote pupils’ love of reading, including virtual author visits and daily story time. Pupils who cannot read fluently follow a systematic phonics programme to help them catch up. Trained staff deliver these lessons with precision and skill. However, the books that these pupils read are not matched well enough to the sounds they know. This is slowing the progress that these pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make in learning to read. 18 and 19 January 2022

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Leaders have identified this. They have ordered books tied into the phonics programme and are waiting for these to be delivered.

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Mathematics is well planned and taught. Teachers have good subject knowledge. They start lessons with a recap of past learning to help pupils remember and practise methods and strategies. For example, pupils in Year 6 appreciate practising long division on a regular basis so that the method becomes automatic.

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Leaders have carefully considered what they want pupils, including those with SEND, to learn in all subjects. Expert subject leaders ensure that teachers understand exactly what they are teaching and how best to deliver it. For example, in history, pupils learn effectively how to use historical sources to construct claims about the past. Leaders and teachers identify the needs of pupils with SEND accurately and teachers match work to needs well in all subjects.

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Teachers use assessment precisely in English and mathematics. For example, pupils complete ‘exit cards’ at the end of each mathematics unit. Teachers and leaders use these well to adapt future planning and allocate catch-up sessions. However, in foundation subjects, teachers do not know exactly what key information pupils are remembering over time.

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Pupils behave well. Lessons are free from disruption. Leaders aspire for their curriculum to teach pupils about all aspects of life. For example, in religious education, pupils learn and remember content about religious traditions and concepts. Teachers strive for pupils to make connections with experiences. However, in some subjects, the content that pupils study does not reflect the diversity of modern Britain. Pupils’ understanding of protected characteristics is superficial.

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Leaders have created a supportive ethos for pupils and staff alike. Staff say that the headteacher’s door is always open to them, for advice or a listening ear. Leaders are considerate of staff workload and well-being.

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Governors are well informed about the quality of education in the school and hold leaders to account effectively.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that the effectiveness of assessment in the foundation subjects may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors take their responsibilities to safeguard pupils seriously.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and alert. For example, recent training has made sure that staff can recognise signs of child criminal exploitation. Staff know pupils well. They are perceptive to changes in pupil behaviour. Staff pass on any concerns to the safeguarding team 18 and 19 January 2022

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immediately. Leaders keep detailed records. They respond decisively to concerns. Leaders are persistent in their approach to getting the right help for pupils.

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Governors make sure that safeguarding procedures are robust. They check safer recruitment records and confer with staff and pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, pupils who are not yet reading fluently are given books to read that are too hard for them. They struggle to read words and this hinders their progress. Leaders need to make sure that teachers carefully select books to match these pupils’ current phonics knowledge, so that all pupils learn to read fluently as quickly as possible.  Teachers do not know precisely what they should be checking pupils have learned in the foundation subjects. This means that they are potentially not building on pupils’ learning over time. Leaders should ensure that teachers know what the most important information is that pupils should retain, so that they can check how well the curriculum is being delivered and whether pupils are learning and remembering more.  Pupils’ understanding of equality, the protected characteristics and discrimination is not deep enough. Leaders should explore and implement opportunities for pupils to learn

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

about diversity and difference across the curriculum.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in March 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. 18 and 19 January 2022

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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. 18 and 19 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

9 and 10 March 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the previous headteacher had suffered from a period of ill health and sadly passed away. The then deputy headteacher became headteacher in September 2017.  There have been other significant changes in senior leadership since the previous inspection. The current deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2018 and one of the assistant headteachers joined in September 2019.  The school has increased in size since the previous inspection. It became a five-form junior school in all year groups in September 2020.  The school does not currently use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school. 18 and 19 January 2022

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 The inspector held a wide range of meetings with the headteacher and other leaders in the school. She met with five governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. Deep dives included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work and talking to leaders, teachers and pupils. The inspector heard pupils read to adults from the school.  The inspector also examined pupils’ work and spoke to leaders about some other subjects, including computing, and design and technology.  The school’s safeguarding arrangements were reviewed. This included safer recruitment checks and record-keeping of concerns, as well as speaking to pupils and staff.  The inspector also gathered evidence to explore the impact of pupils’ behaviour on learning, the school’s wider curriculum offer and how well leaders support staff with their workload.

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 Responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey and free-text comments were considered by the inspector. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 January 2022

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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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