Uplands Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Uplands Junior School Finchfield Road West, Finchfield, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV3 8BA

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Outcome

Uplands Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ values of respect and ambition for all are at the heart of everything Uplands Junior School does. Leaders’ intentions for an ambitious curriculum designed to represent their pupils’ different faiths and backgrounds are fully realised.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders set high expectations for behaviour. They provide support and motivation to pupils to help them learn how to make friends and develop tolerance and respect for each other. Leaders are quick to spot and act on any potential incidents of bullying. As a result, behaviour is exemplary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils have the opportunity to develop leadership skills and learn to become good citizens. This starts with the many types of pupil ambassadors trained to help other pupils in different aspects of school life. For example, ‘trick box’ ambassadors help any worried children on the playground.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school, where they enjoy each other’s company and say that they feel safe. For example, on the playground at lunchtime, music plays through a boom box. Regardless of where pupils were upon hearing the song ‘Sweet Caroline’, they burst into song and dance. It was a very special time that they enjoyed together.

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

This school is exceptionally well led and managed. Leaders show a commitment to improving standards for all pupils. They prioritise effective next steps for school development. Staff fully support the vision of leaders. They say that leaders listen to them and respond to ideas to make the workload manageable.

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

Leaders have very high ambitions for all pupils. They ensure that all pupils, regardless of their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have access to the same broad curriculum. Teachers use the information provided by the special educational needs 28 and 29 March 2023

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coordinator (SENCo) to plan any adaptations to lessons as needed. As a result, leaders realise their ambitions, and pupils with SEND make good progress.

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Leaders have decided what they want pupils to know in all subjects by the end of each year. They have considered the sequence of learning and the vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. In some subjects, they have been explicit in the knowledge they want pupils to learn each term. This helps teachers to know how to build learning over the year. However, in other subjects, leaders have not yet completed the reviews of the knowledge they want pupils to know at each stage of their learning. Leaders have plans in place to complete these reviews.

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Subject leaders and teachers have strong subject knowledge. They plan their lessons together, selecting activities that will support the key knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. There is consistency in teaching across the year group because teachers plan together. Pupils are making good progress throughout the school. Teachers use assessments well to identify gaps in knowledge or any misconceptions. They use these to help them provide the support pupils need.

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Leaders’ monitoring informs any changes they make around how teachers teach. Staff value the training they have to enable them to make these changes. These routines help pupils to recall information quickly and apply it to new tasks.

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Reading is a high priority in school. Leaders have given considerable thought to the text they want pupils to read to help them develop a love of reading, a knowledge of different authors, and exposure to different genres. There is a well-planned phonics programme that all trained staff use to help those pupils at the early stages of reading. Pupils love reading and say that they have lots of opportunities to read in school.

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Pupils demonstrate strong positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do well. Attendance is good in school. The school has planned an extensive range of opportunities that consistently promote the personal development of pupils. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is coherently planned through rich experiences in the curriculum. For example, pupils enjoy visiting different places of worship.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding in school. Keeping pupils safe is the highest priority for all staff. Leaders ensure that staff have regular training. This training reflects the safeguarding needs of their pupils.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know their families very well and quickly identify potential concerns. They use their network of other professionals to get the families the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through a well-planned curriculum. Digital ambassadors create safeguarding posters about how to stay safe online. They share these with parents and pupils. Pupils say that they feel safe in school. 28 and 29 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are still reviewing the knowledge they want pupils to know and remember at each stage of their learning in some subjects. As a result, pupils are not helped as well as they could be in these subjects. Leaders should complete their planned reviews to identify the important knowledge they want pupils to know and remember at each stage of their learning.

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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/outstanding. 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 November 2012.

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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10226981 Type of school Junior

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provision

Appropriate authority The governing body

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provision

Date of previous inspection 28 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a junior school for pupils aged 7 to 11 years.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The lead inspector held meetings with a representative from the governing body, the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the local authority, the school improvement partner, the SENCo, teachers and pupils.  The lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website and additional documents provided by leaders during the inspection.  The lead inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the lead inspector discussed the curriculum 28 and 29 March 2023

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with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader. Pupils’ case files were reviewed.  The lead inspector met with staff to discuss their workload and the support they receive to carry out their roles.  The lead inspector observed pupils at other times of the day to evaluate their behaviour.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Amanda Green, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 March 2023

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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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