Buxton Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Buxton Junior School Buxton Junior School, Mosley Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9DR

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Outcome

Buxton Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Being ‘ready, respectful and safe’ runs through Buxton Junior School like words in seaside rock; they are consistent and at the heart of everything that happens. Pupils understand these expectations and do their best to live up to them every day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is positive. Pupils work collaboratively in lessons and get along well with each other when they play outside. They are eager to earn the many awards on offer, including star points, ‘above and beyond’ awards and ‘V-squared’ certificates. ‘Hot chocolate Friday’ with the headteacher is highly prized. Pupils understand what happens in the event of poor behaviour. They say that the ‘warnings and cautions’ system works well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of and enjoy the school’s extensive and diverse outdoor space. They are eager to show visitors their outdoor learning areas, gardens and the octagon outdoor classroom. They talk with pride about the food that they grow, prepare in the school’s kitchen and then eat. The vegetable soup and potato salad are particular favourites.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are determined that their school will be ‘the greenest in Buxton’. They talk knowledgably about the recently installed solar panels and air source heat pump. They understand how these help to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

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

Leaders ensure that all pupils master phonics. As pupils join the school, any gaps in their knowledge and understanding of phonics are identified and addressed as a matter of urgency. The school’s phonics programme is taught consistently well. Pupils quickly become fluent readers. The reading ambassadors and librarians motivate their peers to read regularly and widely. However, beyond phonics, the reading curriculum is not fully sequenced. It does not set out in detail which aspects of reading pupils are expected to 28 and 29 March 2023

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master at each stage of their education. This means that leaders cannot be sure that content is being taught in the best order.

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The majority of the curriculum is meticulously planned and sequenced. Although at an early stage of implementation, it is being delivered well. A significant proportion of pupils’ learning takes place outdoors. Pupils thrive on this. Leaders have thought carefully about how the outdoors is used to deliver and enrich the curriculum. In some subjects, including mathematics, science and modern foreign languages, pupils recall what they have learned with ease. The school’s ‘I do, we do, you do’ strategy helps pupils to think carefully about and remember what they have learned. However, a small number of subjects are not yet fully planned or implemented as well. This means that pupils do not yet receive the same quality of education across all subjects.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive a wide range of help and support. This support is well tailored. In the vast majority of cases, pupils with SEND achieve well and keep up with their peers. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of plans that are in place for pupils with SEND. In some cases, the targets that are set for these pupils are not explicit enough. They do not make clear what pupils are expected to achieve. Plans do not make clear what support will be put in place in order for pupils to achieve their targets.

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Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. They learn to be respectful and inclusive. Pupils have a secure understanding of protected characteristics and what these mean in law. They learn about a wide range of religions, cultures and beliefs. They talk knowledgably about their visits to different places of worship. They are proud of the many roles that they play, including anti-bullying ambassadors, anti-stigma ambassadors, I- vengers and eco-councillors. They take these roles seriously.

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Senior leaders know their school well. They are ambitious and hardworking. Any changes they make are well considered. They are supported by a highly cohesive team of staff, who are unanimously proud to work at the school. Pupils, parents and carers share the same positive view.

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Governors provide leaders with an effective balance of challenge and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school’s safeguarding policies and procedures are consistently understood and applied. Staff know the common safeguarding risks in the local area. They are alert to these. Leaders take the actions needed to keep pupils safe. The school’s pastoral support worker provides a wide range of help and support for pupils and their families all year round. There are effective links with the local infant school, which ensures continuity of support for pupils. Leaders know their community well. 28 and 29 March 2023

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Pupils know how to stay safe in a wide range of situations, including when learning online, when they are near roads and from strangers. They know how to get help should they need it.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Beyond phonics, the reading curriculum is not fully sequenced. It does not set out in detail which aspects of reading pupils are expected to master at each stage of their education. This means that leaders cannot be sure that content is being taught in the best order. Leaders should ensure that the reading curriculum is fully sequenced so that pupils can achieve more highly.  A small number of subjects are not yet fully planned or implemented. This means that pupils do not receive the same quality of education across all subjects. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are fully planned and implemented and result in pupils knowing and remembering the intended content.  In some cases, the targets that are set for pupils with SEND are too broad. They do not make clear what pupils are expected to achieve. Plans do not make clear what support will be put in place in order for pupils to achieve their targets. Leaders should ensure

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

the plans for pupils with SEND make clear what pupils are expected to achieve and set out the support that will be put in place to achieve these.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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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 10254926 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 and 9 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post after the previous inspection. There have been no further significant changes since the last inspection.  The school operates a breakfast club each morning.  The school does not use any alternative education providers.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. The inspector 28 and 29 March 2023

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listened to pupils read. He also looked at curriculum documentation for science, modern foreign languages and personal, social and health education.  The inspector met with four representatives of the governing body. He took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector met with safeguarding leaders. He reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and governance.  The inspector visited an assembly, the playground during breaktimes and the dining halls.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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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