South Green Junior School

Inspection of a good school: South Green Junior School Hickstars Lane, South Green, Billericay, Essex CM12 9RJ

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Outcome

South Green Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a happy place to be. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with their teachers and with each other. They look after one another. For example, older pupils take younger ones under their wing, so they settle quickly. If someone is having a bad day, then a peer is there to cheer you up.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They pay close attention to their teachers when asked to, and demonstrate the values of the school. Pupils talk about how they are responsible, resilient and kind to one another. Pupils understand what bullying is and are confident to report it if they see it happening. When there is a case of bullying, it is ‘nipped in the bud’. Pupils commented that they feel safe and secure at school. They know that staff care for them and have their best interests at heart.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their leadership roles. They enjoy the additional opportunities to be play leaders, peer mediators and school councillors, to name but a few. The vibrant eco club plays an active part in improving the school environment.

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

Leaders have high ambition for pupils. They have clear expectations that all pupils will learn and achieve well through a well-organised curriculum. Leaders have designed a curriculum where pupils develop their knowledge step by step. Teachers benefit from extensive training and are confident in the latest innovations and educational research. For example, they share their findings with other schools to develop practice in mathematics. Teachers apply their training well, so that pupils learn and remember more from lessons.

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

Teachers know their subjects well. They plan regular opportunities for pupils to revisit important ideas and concepts. They check regularly on what pupils know and can do. Leaders responded swiftly to the impact of the pandemic by employing additional staff. This was to ensure that pupils who had fallen behind caught back up quickly. 20 and 21 April 2022

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The English curriculum is well established. Staff who teach pupils to read do so well. They make sure that pupils read books that match their abilities, so pupils experience success. Pupils are avid readers. They read a wide range of authors, genres and different text types. Leaders’ relentless focus on reading is also improving pupils’ writing. Pupils write accurately and sustain quality in their work over longer pieces of writing.

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Leaders focus sharply on removing barriers so that all pupils can achieve to the best of their ability. This means that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are thriving. Staff know pupils exceptionally well. They can tell when to make adjustments so that pupils can continue to learn in a calm environment.

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Teaching assistants undertake their roles diligently. They have good subject knowledge and know how to alter tasks so that the pupils in their charge learn well. They skilfully explain and demonstrate the activity so that pupils quickly understand and can be successful. This is particularly helpful in subjects such as mathematics and art. They also use the language of the subject, using technical terms. Teaching assistants reinforce the same high expectations that teachers have.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn to be caring, active and responsible citizens through the array of opportunities available to them, such as fundraising for charity. The school’s reward system is based on the values and characteristics that leaders want pupils to develop. While pupils have positive attitudes to learning, they say that they can on occasion chat too much in lessons. Pupils respond quickly when their usual teacher applies the school’s behaviour expectations, but when others do not, pupils can end up less focused on learning.

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Governors hold leaders to account effectively, asking searching questions that help leaders to reflect on their findings and practice. They check first hand the information they are given. They have made sure that throughout the pandemic that staff workload and well-being were carefully considered. Staff morale is high at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know their role and responsibilities well. They know what to look for should there be a potential issue or concern. There is an established culture to report any concerns to the safeguarding team. Procedures are clear and robustly followed.

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Safeguarding

All staff know how to keep pupils physically safe during the school day. Midday supervisors guide pupils well when they are using the large play equipment.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a detailed understanding of the needs of their pupils, including the most vulnerable. They work closely with a range of external agencies to help pupils get the support they need. 20 and 21 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils say that occasionally, there is too much chatter in lessons, which prevents them from learning to the best of their abilities. This is particularly the case when some adults do not consistently apply leaders’ high expectations. Leaders should ensure that all adults continue to develop pupils’ behaviours for learning and apply the policy consistently and effectively.

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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 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 February 2012.

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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. 20 and 21 April 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

10 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has undertaken the role full time since September 2014. The headteacher and several leaders support the training of staff in other schools. The school is a research hub for mathematics.  The school uses one provider of alternative provision, which is registered.  Pupils have access to a breakfast club run by an external provider.

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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.  The inspector spoke with representatives from the governing body, the headteacher, senior leaders, staff and pupils about the school’s provision. She also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers at the start of the school day.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at less structured times. 20 and 21 April 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, history and art to evaluate the quality of education. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, considered curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and scrutinised samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the leader in charge of SEND provision and scrutinised documentation for SEND. She also observed support for pupils with SEND.  The inspector reviewed the school’s information on behaviour and bullying. She reviewed safeguarding records and spoke with governors, leaders, staff and pupils about safeguarding arrangements.  The inspector considered the 35 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the 30 free-text comments. She considered the 18 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 227 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Liz Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 April 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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