Park Hill Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Park Hill Junior School Parkfield Drive, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2JJ

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Outcome

Park Hill Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy attending this nurturing school. Staff are caring and supportive. Parents value the clubs and experiences offered to pupils. Pupils respond to the challenge of upholding the school’s values with enthusiasm. Pupils know that kindness is important and they respect each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They enjoy the range of clubs in school time and at the end of the day. Relationships between staff and pupils are built on respect. Pupils feel safe at the school. They know who to talk to should they have a problem. If bullying happens, pupils say it is dealt with quickly by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have a strong desire for pupils to achieve well. Pupils experience a broad range of subjects that they enjoy. Leaders are continuing to develop the curriculum. For example, they are checking that all subjects have a clear learning sequence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about online safety and road safety. This helps pupils to understand how to protect themselves in their local community and the wider world.

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

Leaders are developing the school’s curriculum. The curriculum is well designed in most subjects. In mathematics, for example, teachers understand the subject-specific language that pupils need to explain their thinking and reasoning. This is helping pupils to talk about their work and explain their understanding. In history, leaders have thought about the importance of pupils understanding the time periods they learn about. Teachers build upon pupils’ chronological understanding so pupils can place events they learn about in order. Staff know which pupils need extra support to close gaps in learning and are helping them to catch up. However, in a small number of subjects the order of learning is less clear. 10 and 11 March 2022

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Some curriculum plans are not fully developed. A few teachers lack training and the subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum well.

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Teachers check that pupils have understood the things they have been taught. They adapt their teaching effectively to close any gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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At the start of Year 3, a few pupils have fallen behind with their reading. Specialist staff help them to catch up. Pupils read well-chosen books that are matched to the letter sounds they are learning. Pupils enjoy reading books from the library and reading with their classmates. Any pupil who misses out on reading at home reads with an adult in school.

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Leaders ensure that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are met well. Teachers make appropriate adjustments to their teaching to ensure the work given to pupils is well matched to their needs. Because of this, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils’ personal development is high on the school’s agenda. Pupils speak confidently about the school’s values, such as integrity. This work helps most pupils to develop into confident learners. Pupils and parents value the range of trips that are on offer. They welcome the range of visitors into the school. COVID-19 has affected leaders’ ability to offer all the experiences they would like, but they have plans to address this.

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Staff are proud to be part of this school. Leaders support staff well-being and are mindful of workload. Staff appreciate leaders’ efforts to make the school’s assessment system useful and manageable. Governors provide regular challenge to leaders and support them to develop the school further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that all staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Staff are well trained. They are quick to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. When staff report concerns, leaders respond quickly. If required, leaders meet with external agencies to provide the best support for pupils and their families at the right time. Staff then take positive action to protect pupils so that pupils get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Governors are well versed in their roles and they hold leaders to account. For example, they look at the employment checks for new staff. This helps to keep pupils as safe as possible.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have begun to review subject content where it needs refreshing. In a small number of subjects, pupils’ learning needs further attention. Leaders have not ensured that teachers are clear about what pupils should learn and when. Consequently, pupils 10 and 11 March 2022

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make less progress in these subjects. Leaders should make sure that teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn and when.  Teachers have not had relevant training in how to deliver some subjects. This reduces the effectiveness of teaching in some subjects and the progress pupils make. Leaders need to ensure that teachers have sufficient specialist subject knowledge, including an understanding of relevant pedagogy, so that they can help all pupils learn as much as possible.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2011.

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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 .

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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. 10 and 11 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211203 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jonathan Cousins

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School details

Headteacher Liz Bradbury (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with Thorns Community Infant School.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club for pupils through a third party.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This is the first routine inspection that the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken this into account in their evaluation.  The inspector carried out deep dives into reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector spoke with the executive headteacher, the head of school and other members of staff. The inspector met with five members of the governing body. 10 and 11 March 2022

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 The inspector reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding, including the employment checks completed when staff are appointed.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector reviewed the responses to the staff survey. The inspector also met with parents and to gather their views on the school.

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Inspection team

Richard Kentish, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 March 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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