Grove Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Grove Junior School Whiteoak Way, Nailsea, Somerset BS48 4YZ

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Outcome

Grove Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They are polite and courteous to each other and adults. Pupils know the school’s values and the rules. They can explain what these are and how they can show these in their everyday interactions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships are positive. Pupils play happily with their peers and older or younger pupils. The vast majority of pupils are well behaved. Pupils report that little bullying takes place. Pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is. They trust adults in school to sort out the occasional issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils demonstrate strong learning behaviours. They strive to do well. Pupils take pride in their work, which is well presented. This is because staff have high expectations of pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported by adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities. Pupils are able to represent the school council, which plays an active role in school. Pupils relish the opportunity to play for their school in sporting events and competitions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak positively about the school’s leadership and how well the adults care for their children. Parents appreciate the inclusive nature of the school where everyone is welcome.

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

Leaders are ambitious for every pupil. They have put in place a well-designed and sequenced curriculum that sets out what pupils should know and remember. There are clear plans to show how new learning builds on prior learning. 28 and 29 June 2022

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Leaders have implemented new curriculums in geography and some other subjects. Pupils enjoy investigating the enquiry questions teachers pose for them. For example, in geography, they use maps and fieldwork to help answer these questions. This deepens their knowledge. However, not all subject curriculums are fully embedded.

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Pupils are enthusiastic mathematicians. They are eager to develop their mathematical knowledge. Pupils know number facts and use calculation methods confidently. Their recall of previous learning is impressive. This helps pupils to communicate their thinking about mathematics. Pupils are able to solve increasingly difficult problems accurately.

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The effective teaching of reading is supporting pupils to understand a range of texts. Pupils enjoy finding out about new words and their meanings. Teachers help pupils practice their fluency in reading. Those who struggle are supported effectively by well- trained adults who help pupils to use their phonics knowledge. However, leaders have not instilled a love of reading for pleasure and enjoyment for all pupils.

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Staff are ambitious for pupils with SEND. Teachers adapt the curriculum so that these pupils have the same work as their classmates, when appropriate. Teachers use assessments well to help them plan tasks that enable pupils to achieve success. They are fully involved in the life of the school.

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Leaders have ensured that there are many opportunities to enhance pupils’ personal development. These opportunities are included throughout the school’s curriculum. Teachers plan many enrichment activities for pupils. One recent activity saw Year 5 pupils create and market products that members of the local business community judged. Pupils know about life in modern Britain and about everyone’s individual liberty and the rule of law.

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Governors want the best for all pupils. They provide valuable support and challenge to leaders in their drive to achieve this. Leaders ensure that staff have suitable professional development. They attend training provided by leaders and the trust. Staff appreciate each other and work well as a team. They appreciate the positive impact the leaders’ actions have had on their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of vigilance to ensure pupils are safe from harm. Staff receive regular training and understand the systems to record and report any concerns. There are robust processes for the safer recruitment of adults who work in school. Governors check these on a regular basis.

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Safeguarding

Leaders identify quickly any families in need of additional support. Leaders in school and outside professionals work together effectively to ensure pupils stay safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, both in person and online. They know how to report anything that may worry or concern them. 28 and 29 June 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not built a culture of reading for pleasure. Consequently, too many pupils are disinterested in reading. Leaders should further promote a love of reading and expose pupils to a range of books and texts that might inspire them.  In a few subjects, the sequences of learning within the curriculum design are not fully embedded. Consequently, pupils are unable to recall their prior knowledge. Leaders should ensure that the new curriculums are implemented effectively so that pupils achieve well in all subjects.

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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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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. 28 and 29 June 2022

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Date of previous inspection

15 October 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Grove Junior School became an academy in April 2018. The school is part of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership Academies Trust, a multi-academy trust of 21 primary schools and 3 secondary schools in North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset.  Grove Junior School is also part of the Whiteoak federation of schools, which includes Hannah Moore Infant School on the same school site.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the leaders and have taken that into account their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, assistant headteachers, special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, a group of staff, representatives of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership Multi-Academy Trust and members of the local governing body and trust board. 28 and 29 June 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons across the school, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work .  Inspectors scrutinised information relating to safeguarding, behaviour and school self- evaluation.  The lead inspector spoke to parents and carers, reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses, and reviewed the responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 June 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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