Jupiter Primary School

Inspection of Jupiter Primary School Jupiter Drive, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 5NT

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 27 and 28 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Jupiter is a happy and inclusive school, where every child is valued. Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils follow well-established routines which help create a calm and caring atmosphere. There are respectful and harmonious relationships between everyone within school. The values of respect, resilience, responsibility, kindness, aspiration and curiosity shine through. Pupils are polite and conduct themselves well at all times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand what different types of bullying are. They say it rarely happens. They trust adults to sort it out if needed. Staff care deeply about supporting pupils and take time to get to know them well. This makes pupils feel safe and confident to share any worries they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are supportive of each other. They show tolerance and appreciate each other’s differences. Pupils like their time out on the playground. They are energetic and enjoy using the playground equipment. They cooperate and help each other if they get hurt. Pupils are keen to play an active role in their school. Applying for roles of responsibility, such as play leader or head girl or boy, supports pupils to learn about democracy.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. They are passionate about reading and it is a high priority. Everyone understands the school’s approach. Staff are well trained and confident in teaching phonics. Children in reception learn to read right from the start. Adults regularly listen to pupils read. They give precise support which helps pupils use their sounds and knowledge to read books accurately and fluently. Leaders carry out frequent checks to ensure all pupils progress. Pupils at risk of falling behind receive immediate support to catch up and keep up. Pupils enjoy reading and sharing their books.

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better?

Typically, subjects have well-designed curriculum plans. For example, in science and mathematics, leaders carefully sequence and break down knowledge. This ensures pupils understand new ideas and content. Teachers receive training which ensures they have secure subject knowledge. They understand what they need to teach and when. They conduct regular checks to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and take swift action to address these. Work in books shows pupils build on prior learning and deepen their knowledge. In some foundation subjects, curriculum plans are not as well sequenced. Leaders are still in the process of agreeing on the specific end points pupils should achieve and how best to assess their progress.

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better?

Leaders have high ambitions for pupils with SEND. Leaders have a clear understanding of pupils’ needs. Strategies, such as zones of regulation, help pupils to regulate their feelings and emotions. Teachers know how to adapt learning. Their effective adaptations and high-quality support enable pupils with SEND to be successful when working alongside their peers. 27 and 28 September 2022

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Children in early years foundation stage are happy and enthusiastic. There are rich opportunities on offer which they are curious to explore. There is a strong focus on vocabulary and talk. Staff model this through their interactions with children. They have a clear vision to develop a curriculum of the highest quality.

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Pupils say personal, social, health and relationships education is their ‘favourite subject’. This is because they learn about things in their everyday lives. Pupils are very clear about what a healthy relationship should look like. They know where they could go for support if needed. Pupils understand why they learn about different religions. They are respectful and eager to learn so they ‘don’t say anything that might offend someone’.

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Staff, including those early in their career, feel very well supported. Leaders provide a range of professional development opportunities to help them improve. Leaders consider staff’s workload and help promote positive well-being.

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Over the last few years, there have been many changes within the school, including changes to leadership. There have been variations in the quality of communication, which some parents have found difficult. They are hopeful that this will improve with the newly appointed leadership team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Leaders have rigorous procedures that ensure everyone receives regular training and updates. There are effective systems in place to log concerns. Everyone knows how to use them. Staff know the importance of logging any low-level concerns immediately. Detailed records show leaders act quickly to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise pupils’ safety. External agencies, such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, support the school. They are part of a national project supporting pupils to be safe online. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, especially online. They talk knowledgeably about keeping accounts private and not sharing personal information.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are areas of the curriculum that are not fully developed. In these subjects, the precise sequence of learning, curricular aims and assessment process are not defined as clearly as they need to be. This means that staff do not have a consistently clear understanding of what content to teach and how to check that pupils have remembered the key knowledge. Leaders must ensure the whole 27 and 28 September 2022

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curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced so pupils are ready for the next stages of their education.  The many recent changes in leadership have affected the quality and consistency of communication between school and parents. This has left parents without the information they need to support their children and the school. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, should review how they communicate and engage with parents.

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How can I feed back my views?

to 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

Date of previous inspection 20 and 21 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Jupiter Primary School is part of the Danes Educational Trust.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, including the headteacher, governors and trustees. The inspectors also spoke to other leaders, staff, pupils, parents and the trust’s director of education.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, art and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, 27 and 28 September 2022

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spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. In early reading, this took the form of listening to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors also spoke to pupils in the lunch hall and on the playground.  As part of the evaluation of the school’s safeguarding processes, the inspectors reviewed the school’s single central record and met with the designated safeguarding lead.  The inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school development plan, curriculum plans and school policies.  The inspectors reviewed the 70 responses that were submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and also considered the 43 free-text responses from parents. The inspector also considered 30 responses to the Ofsted staff survey.

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Inspection team

Karen Stanton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lynda Walker 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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