Audley Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Audley Junior School Queen's Park Road, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 1SE

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2022

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Outcome

Audley Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of this school. They take the school values of growing and learning together to heart. They get on well with each other and enjoy their learning. Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. They said that their school is like a family where everyone cares for everyone else. Pupils feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are highly considerate and respectful of each other. They view staff as trusted adults. Pupils said that all staff are very quick to resolve any difficulties, including any incidents of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to leaders’ high expectations of behaviour and academic achievement. They look forward to their learning. Pupils work hard to develop their knowledge and skills. They are interested in their lessons. Pupils value the opportunity to learn and develop their knowledge in lots of subjects. This helps them to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many events, performances and competitions that they take part in. There are opportunities to visit other schools and settings. These help pupils to develop their interests and talents. They also enrich pupils’ personal development.

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

Being a good reader is at the heart of Audley’s thoughtfully designed curriculum. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their reading knowledge. Pupils value the new library and enjoy reading a wide range of books. They said how much they appreciate listening to their teachers read. This helps to foster a love of reading across all year groups. From the start of Year 3, pupils who find reading difficult are given the support that they need to catch up.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. In most subjects, leaders have considered the key knowledge that they want pupils to know and the order in which this should be 27 and 28 September 2022

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taught. However, in a few subjects, leaders’ thinking about what pupils must learn is less well developed. At times, there is too much content in the curriculum. This does not allow enough time for pupils to recap and consolidate learning before they move on to a new concept. This slows down pupils’ progress.

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Teachers are knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach. In most subjects, they design learning carefully, using a range of well-thought-out strategies to make sure that pupils learn key subject content. Teachers check pupils’ learning effectively. They use this information to identify misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This helps pupils to build their knowledge securely over time.

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Teachers accurately identify pupils who need extra help. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Carefully thought-out support helps pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum.

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Pupils are polite and courteous. There is a harmonious atmosphere in classrooms and around the school. Pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning support their academic success.

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Leaders ensure that pupils benefit from a rich and broad range of experiences beyond the taught curriculum. In their personal, social and health education, pupils learn about life in modern Britain. There are opportunities for pupils to take part in lots of out-of-school clubs and sports. These opportunities help pupils to become more confident and encourage them to take pride in themselves and their school. Leaders and pupils place great importance on their contribution to the wider community. This includes supporting charities and visits to the local hospice.

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Governors know the school well and they carry out their duties effectively. They value the work of the leadership team. Staff appreciate the way that leaders have considered their workload and welfare. Leaders make decisions carefully, with staff workload and well-being in mind.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at Audley Junior School. Leaders have created an environment where everyone knows their responsibilities well.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all records, policies and procedures are in place and well understood. They make sure staff training is up to date and that staff know what to do if they have any concerns that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff report any issues quickly. Leaders take timely and appropriate action in response to any concerns raised. The safeguarding team works well with a variety of other agencies to keep children in school safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about safety, including how to be safe online, through the curriculum. 27 and 28 September 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn. At times, there is too much curriculum content for teachers to deliver. This hinders them from ensuring that pupils can recap and consolidate on their previous learning before they are moved on to new ideas. This hampers pupils’ progress. Leaders should refine their curriculum thinking in these subjects so that teachers know what pupils should learn, and then provide pupils with the chance to revisit new learning so that they 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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2013.

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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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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. 27 and 28 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240245 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider.

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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.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, other leaders and staff at the school. The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, art and design, 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 looked at 27 and 28 September 2022

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other subjects as part of this inspection. He also observed pupils reading to trusted adults.  The inspector met with groups of pupils to talk about their work, behaviour and their experiences of school. He also met with groups of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector viewed the school’s website and policies, met with the leaders in charge of safeguarding, spoke with pupils, staff and governors, and checked relevant safeguarding documentation and records.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at playtime and lunchtime.  The inspector considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View. He also considered the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Mike Tonge, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted 27 and 28 September 2022

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