Juniper Hill School

Inspection of a good school: Juniper Hill School Churchill Close, Flackwell Heath, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP10 9LA

p.1

Outcome

Juniper Hill School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Juniper is a very nurturing and inclusive school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel proud to belong to the Juniper community. Well-being is important to staff and pupils alike. As a result, everyone is treated with respect. Staff motivate pupils to believe in themselves and this helps them develop their resilience.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Kindness permeates the school. Pupils feel happy and safe. They play well together on the playground, making sure everyone is included. Bullying rarely happens. Pupils know that adults will help them if they have any difficulties or disagreements.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders aim to develop the individual character of each child. Pupils speak with passion about their many opportunities to develop their school. For example, litter pickers are proud to involve everyone in making school a better place. Sport is also very important to the pupils. They are delighted that all children get the opportunity to compete and represent the school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations and pupils work hard to meet these. One pupil said they work hard because ‘teachers push you to your limits but not over them’. Pupils behave well in lessons and are enthusiastic about their learning.

p.1

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

Leaders have worked with subject leaders to develop a broad and ambitious curriculum. Curriculum leaders have developed a curriculum that is sequenced to build on pupils’ knowledge, skills and vocabulary over time. Teachers use assessment to check what pupils are doing well and to identify what to learn next.

p.1

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

Teachers use their knowledge of the curriculum and pupils’ abilities to ask probing questions to encourage the pupils to think. Teachers refer to previous learning to help pupils recall what they already know. For example, in music, pupils were able to apply their knowledge of musical notation to read and play from a phrase. Pupils excitedly 5 and 6 July 2022

p.1

2

identified note names and durations. This helped them to play a melody on the ocarina rhythmically.

p.2

2

Mathematics is well structured, enabling pupils to build on prior skills. Right from the start, in the early years, children develop their mathematical understanding. During a fishing game, children independently completed addition and subtraction calculations. They explained their different methods to staff.

p.2

2

Leaders have prioritised reading. Phonics is taught well to those pupils who are developing their early reading. The use of regular assessments helps staff to identify those who are falling behind. Pupils receive additional support to help them catch up. Additional adjustments are made to enable pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) engage and succeed in lessons. Reading books are matched closely with the sounds younger pupils are learning and this helps them to read fluently. However, older pupils who struggle to learn to read do not get to practise their reading with books that are at the right level. As a result, they do not progress with their reading as well as they should.

p.2

2

Pupils with SEND join in with all that the school offers. Staff know pupils well. Careful identification of needs helps pupils to achieve. Adults support pupils well. Leaders work with parents and carers and external agencies to have the best resources. This means that those pupils with physical disabilities learn alongside their peers. All pupils are enthusiastic to learn and are very supportive of each other.

p.2

2

Leaders are committed to providing pupils with a range of wider learning opportunities and this is a strength of the school. Pupils explain that learning about life skills helps them to build their confidence in overcoming challenges. They talk excitedly about the ‘eleven- by-eleven’ challenge. This provides pupils with an impressive range of community challenges to complete by the end of their time at Juniper. Pupils say they ‘love being outside’ during their forest school sessions and have learned to collaborate and use a range of tools.

p.2

2

Governors work closely with the headteacher. They visit the school to meet staff and pupils to evaluate and monitor the changes introduced in the school. Therefore, they know what the school does well and what needs to improve further.

p.2

2

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about being a member of Juniper. They appreciate leaders’ efforts in focusing on their well-being and helping them to manage their workload.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained to spot any concerns about a pupil. Staff use reporting procedures well and leaders respond to these concerns swiftly. Leaders work with pupils, parents, carers and other agencies to provide families with the support they need. Information about child protection concerns is recorded on paper and 5 and 6 July 2022

p.2

3

electronically. As a result, some records are not easily accessible in chronological order. Leaders are in the process of improving their recording system.

p.3

3

Leaders make sure that staff who work with pupils are appropriately checked.

p.3

3

Pupils say that life-skills lessons and assemblies help them to keep themselves safe when online, on the road and in the water.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The weakest readers in key stage 2 do not consistently have books that match their reading ability and this hinders their progress. Leaders should ensure that the range of books are consistently matched to the reading ability of all pupils.  Records about safeguarding and child protection concerns are currently stored in two different systems. Although designated safeguarding leaders have a strong knowledge of their cases and know how to keep pupils safe, recording is not consistent. Some records are duplicated and sometimes it is not easy to determine what actions have taken place and when. Leaders must ensure that all relevant safeguarding details are recorded in a consistent, systematic and efficient manner.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 5 and 6 July 2022

p.3

4

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 5 and 6 July 2022

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10211482 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 23 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection there have been changes to leadership, including the headteacher and special educational needs coordinator.  The school runs a breakfast club.  The school has a specially resourced provision. It caters for 12 pupils in Years 1 to 6 with physical disabilities.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher for inclusion, staff, and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. There was also a telephone call with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 5 and 6 July 2022

p.5

6

visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors met with groups of pupils to talk about their work, behaviour and experiences in school.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector looked at the single central record, reviewed safeguarding paperwork and systems, and spoke to leaders, teachers, support staff, governors and pupils.  The inspector considered the feedback from parents that was submitted to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments, as well as the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

p.6

Inspection team

Tracey Bowen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 July 2022

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7