Warren Mead Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Warren Mead Junior School Roundwood Way, Nork, Banstead, Surrey SM7 1EJ

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Outcome

Warren Mead Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Warren Mead Junior is a happy place where pupils behave very well. Adults keep pupils safe. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere in school. Low-level disruption is very rare. Staff and pupils follow the newly introduced behaviour policy well. Everyone understands the school’s rules: ready, respectful and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are passionate about their school and learning. They love many aspects of school life, such as the recent residential visits. Leaders are highly ambitious for every pupil. Pupils rise to the expectations that adults have of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of opportunities to learn about diversity and equality. They care about and respect others. Pupils strive to do their best for themselves, their friends and the wider community. Pupils are especially attentive to the needs of their new Ukrainian friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have made sure that pupils learn about bullying so they recognise it if it were to happen. This includes learning about the role of the bystander and power struggles. Some parents and carers worried about bullying in the past. A few worries remain. New leaders are fast building up the trust of the parent community. The leadership team acts in the best interests of the pupils.

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

There has been much change in leadership since the previous inspection. New leaders have quickly halted any decline in standards. They have introduced a new curriculum and approaches to teaching. Staff have bought into leaders’ vision and are fully committed to what still needs to improve. They appreciate the support they get from leaders. There is a strong camaraderie among staff, who are united in ensuring that Warren Mead Junior goes from strength to strength. The trust and school standards board members provide strong support and challenge to leaders and staff. 24 and 25 May 2022

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Leaders have ensured that there is a clear and logically ordered curriculum in place for all subjects. For example, they have sequenced the mathematics curriculum well. Staff understand how to teach knowledge to pupils in small steps. Recent improvements in assessment have made sure that teachers’ checks tie more closely to what is taught in the curriculum.

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However, there is some variability in how well teachers follow leaders’ intended curriculum in some foundation subjects. Sometimes, teachers come away from leaders’ plans and teach something slightly different. These learning tasks do not connect with, or build closely enough on what pupils already know. Also, teachers’ own subject knowledge is stronger in some subjects than it is in others. Subject leaders are knowledgeable and well placed to support their colleagues to understand exactly what to teach and how learning builds over time.

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Leaders ensure that pupils read a wide range of children’s literature in their reading lessons. This is helping pupils make more adventurous choices for their own reading material. Reading lessons support pupils in growing a wide vocabulary and understanding texts. Those pupils who are not yet fluent readers get accurate phonics teaching. This builds precisely on what they have already learned at the partner infant school.

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The new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), with expertise from the trust, has transformed the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are clear procedures in place for identifying any barriers and needs pupils may have. Parents have seen a sharp improvement in the school’s offer. They appreciate the improved communication about their children. Leaders provide teachers with a wealth of strategies and support. As a result, teachers provide highly effective support in English and mathematics. Pupils with SEND learn well in these subjects. However, there is still some work needed to support teachers to understand how best to ensure that pupils can access other subjects.

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Leaders have planned well for pupils’ wider development. The personal, social and health education curriculum is well designed. For example, pupils understand how to stay healthy, and explained the importance of exercise, vitamins and sun cream. Leaders have made sure that pupils know what makes a healthy relationship.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong safeguarding culture. Everyone understands the part they play. Staff are rigorous in checking the identification of visitors and pre-employment checks. Pupils understand the school’s lanyard system, which helps them recognise safe adults. Staff are well trained and report any concerns to designated safeguarding leads immediately. Leaders’ actions are swift and persistent. Leaders have ensured that staff challenge them to check that they have done the right thing for a child.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know that staff listen to them. They confidently put their name tag in a ‘worry box’ when they want a private word with their teacher. 24 and 25 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of the curriculum in some foundation subjects is inconsistent. Teachers’ subject knowledge is not always as strong as it should be. This means that not all pupils learn and understand as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the expertise they need to deliver the whole curriculum effectively to all pupils, including those with SEND, so that all pupils know and remember what they have been taught.

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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 predecessor school, Warren Mead Junior School, to be good in November 2009.

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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. 24 and 25 May 2022

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Headteacher

Scott Maclean (Executive Headteacher) Kellie Brazier (Head of School) Website www.warrenmead.co.uk

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Date of previous inspection

12 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs in partnership with Warren Mead Infant School. Both schools are operated by the GLF Schools multi-academy trust.  The school standards board oversees the work of both the infant and the junior school and takes responsibility for governance.  Since the previous inspection, there have been three different headteachers leading the school. The current executive headteacher started his role in September 2020. He oversees both the infant and the junior schools, as well as another primary school in the GLF Schools multi-academy trust.  The senior leadership team is also newly formed, including the head of school, who began in post in January 2020, the deputy head of school, who joined in September 2021, and the SENCo, who started in January 2022. Many staff are also new to their subject leadership roles.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision. 24 and 25 May 2022

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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 the evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with senior leaders, staff and pupils.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. The inspector heard some pupils read. The inspector also spoke to leaders, looked at work and considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector met with the chief executive, the director of education and the education partner of GLF Schools multi-academy trust. The inspector met with five members of the school standards board, including the chair and the chair of trustees.

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Information about this inspection

 To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated safeguarding leads for safeguarding. The inspector reviewed a wide range of documents and records, including the school’s record of recruitment checks and records of concerns. The inspector also spoke to staff, governors and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspector met with a range of leaders, teachers and support staff to discuss the wider development of pupils, behaviour, professional development, well-being and workload.  The inspector considered parents’ responses to Ofsted Parent View, and parents’ free- text comments. The inspector also took into account the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 May 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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