Bushey Manor Junior School

Inspection of Bushey Manor Junior School Grange Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire WD23 2QL

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 2 and 3 March 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are proud to be part of this aspirational school community. Pupils feel safe and well cared for by staff. They told inspectors, ‘The school is like a second family for us all.’

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to learn. They have positive relationships with staff, who help them achieve their best. Pupils respond well to the high expectations that staff have for them. They strive to achieve the school’s values of being aspirational, respectful and kind. During whole-school assemblies, pupils enjoy celebrating the success of others who show these values.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful to everyone, and they work hard in their lessons. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere throughout the school. Bullying is rare. If there is any unkindness between pupils, staff deal with it quickly and effectively.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They value the care and attention that their children receive. One parent, who represented the views of many, said, ‘Bushey Manor is a fantastic place for children to thrive. My child is happy, keen and has developed into a life-long learner.’

p.2

better?

Leaders have ensured that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have access to a rich curriculum. For most subjects, leaders have identified the knowledge that pupils should learn. They have considered the order in which pupils should learn it so that it builds on what pupils already know. Subject leaders have made links between key knowledge across different subjects. This helps pupils to make connections and remember more. Teachers adapt activities and resources for pupils with SEND as appropriate so that those pupils are able to participate successfully in the same lessons as their peers.

p.2

better?

Teachers have good subject knowledge, and they present information well. They are good at noticing when pupils have misconceptions or are not learning as well as they could. When this happens, teachers adapt their teaching to support pupils. This means pupils achieve well across many subjects.

p.2

better?

In a small number of subjects, leaders have not broken down the key knowledge that pupils need to learn into small chunks. This means that, in some subjects, pupils find it harder to learn what leaders intend. It also means that teachers are less able to identify precisely what the pupils have learned or what they need to revisit in order for pupils to learn as well as they might.

p.2

better?

Reading is a priority. Leaders have set up a strong culture through which they foster pupils’ love of reading. Teachers support pupils who are falling behind with reading 2 and 3 March 2023

p.2

3

to make rapid progress. Pupils say they enjoy reading and are proud of their new library.

p.3

3

The quality of pastoral care is a strength at this school. Leaders provide pupils with tools to support their ‘five ways to well-being’. Pupils receive support from a local charity to teach them about ways to look after their mental health. They enjoy learning about how to take care of themselves.

p.3

3

There are several opportunities for pupils to learn beyond the national curriculum. Each year group, for example, enjoys a residential trip. This helps pupils to develop team building skills, their ability to cope when things do not work out as planned, and the confidence to try new things.

p.3

3

Pupils learn to respect those who have different lifestyles to their own. Teachers make sure that there is a diverse range of texts in school so that all pupils can enjoy reading and feel represented in the stories that they read.

p.3

3

Leaders lead with a strong moral purpose and are outward-looking. They collaborate with stakeholders well and set high expectations of pupils and staff. This leadership underpins the school’s strengths. Staff appreciate the support that leaders give them. They say that leaders and governors consider their professional development and their workload.

p.3

3

Governors bring a wide range of skills and abilities to their roles. They have an accurate understanding of the strengths in the school and of what needs to improve.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders are aware of potential local safeguarding risks. They provide staff with regular training so that they know how to keep pupils safe. Leaders update staff about local and national safeguarding trends and information. Staff report and respond to safeguarding concerns quickly. Leaders engage external agencies to support pupils when needed.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports pupils to know how to stay safe. This includes being safe when online. Pupils know there is someone to talk to if they have a worry or a concern.

p.3

Safeguarding

Governors provide effective oversight of safeguarding procedures, including the procedures for safely recruiting staff. 2 and 3 March 2023

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not broken knowledge down into manageable chunks. This makes it harder for pupils to learn new concepts. Because of this, pupils’ knowledge is not as well developed as it could be in those subjects. In these subjects, teachers are not always able to check how well pupils are learning new knowledge. Leaders should identify the precise knowledge teachers need to teach in all curriculum areas so that pupils learn and remember more, and so that teachers have a clear understanding of what they need to ensure pupils have learned.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

or 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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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. 2 and 3 March 2023

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10255016 Type of school Junior

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Headteacher Mary Ann Cooper (Federation headteacher) Website www.busheymanorjm.herts.sch.uk/

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 11 and 12 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 In September 2015, the school became federated, in a soft federation, with Bushey and Oxhey Infant School. Both schools retained separate governing bodies but had joint governance through committees with delegated powers.  The school became a hard federation on 1 September 2016. Since then, both schools have been overseen by a single governing body.  Bushey Manor Junior School and Bushey and Oxhey Infant School remain registered separately with the Department for Education. Each school is inspected separately by Ofsted.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2019 as the federation headteacher with responsibility for both schools. 2 and 3 March 2023

p.5

Information about this inspection

 The inspector(s) carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body. She also met with representatives of the local authority.  The lead inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, the pupil survey and the staff survey, along with written comments from parents.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised during the inspection, including

p.6

Information about this inspection

curriculum plans, school development plans, behaviour records, attendance records and safeguarding records.  Inspectors spoke with pupils and staff to gather information about the culture of safeguarding at the school.  Inspectors also conducted meetings with leaders to discuss the safeguarding of pupils. This included scrutinising the school’s single central record of recruitment and vetting checks.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil in their school.

p.6

Inspection team

Bridget Harrison, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Nathan Lowe His Majesty's Inspector 2 and 3 March 2023

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