Jotmans Hall Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Jotmans Hall Primary School High Road, Benfleet, Essex SS7 5RG

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastic about learning. The school mascot’s name, ‘ERIC,’ reminds and encourages pupils to live up to the values of effort, respect, independence and communication.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy opportunities to take on positions of responsibility, such as serving as anti- bullying ambassadors or digital leaders. Pupils and their families appreciate staff’s efforts to ensure the well-being of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe at school. They know staff are prepared to listen and help with any concerns about their experiences inside or outside of school. Bullying is uncommon. When bullying does occur, staff quickly make sure it stops.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils share leaders’ high expectations for learning and behaviour. They know that learning is important, so they work hard in lessons and behave well. Pupils also have fun learning beyond the classroom. They enjoy and benefit from the educational visits to sites of local interest, along with the many extra-curricular clubs available.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a broad range of subjects. However, some pupils who have fallen behind in their learning do not catch up quickly enough. They struggle to access lesson activities and do not achieve as well as they should.

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

Leaders understand the importance of pupils learning to read well. They have introduced a phonics programme, which is helping children in early years to learn new sounds 10 and 11 May 2023

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quickly. While staff have received appropriate training to teach the phonics programme effectively, there remains some pupils, particularly those pupils with SEND, who are not catching up fast enough. This is because leaders’ programme to support these pupils is not precise enough. For example, these pupils have additional teaching of phonics, but they are not accessing books that contain sounds and words they have already learned. This results in these pupils struggling to develop their confidence and fluency in reading. In some classes, teachers read stories daily, and pupils talk enthusiastically about books they are reading. However, some teachers do not read to their class regularly and do not promote a love of reading as well as they could.

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Leaders have identified the precise knowledge they want pupils to learn for most curriculum areas. In these cases, teachers ensure that new knowledge is introduced clearly and that it builds on what pupils have learned before. However, in other curriculum areas, such as mathematics, leaders have not fully identified in enough detail the knowledge that pupils need to learn. They have not broken the knowledge down into manageable chunks for pupils. This makes it difficult for teachers to use assessment well or plan well-ordered lessons that build pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time. Teachers do not know what pupils have already learned or remembered. As such, sometimes, teachers set tasks that pupils find too difficult.

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Staff are skilled at identifying the learning and developmental needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders recognise that there is more work to do to ensure that parents of pupils with SEND are more involved in agreeing appropriate adaptations for their children. Pupils with SEND have a mixed experience in the classroom. Where curriculum planning and delivery are stronger, they learn well. However, like their peers, where the effectiveness of teaching is less developed, pupils with SEND do not make the progress that they should because teachers cannot plan appropriate adaptations.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Lesson routines help pupils to behave well. Staff model politeness by using consistent language and by considering pupils’ needs.

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Leaders’ approach to personal development is strong and supports the school’s values. The curriculum content gives pupils opportunities to communicate how they feel. High- quality pastoral care helps pupils, including children in early years, to learn to manage their emotions. Pupils celebrate diversity and can explain how they value difference and uniqueness. In the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

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Staff are proud to work at the school and say leaders are attentive to workload and their well-being. Governors are keen to support the school in its improvement efforts. They continue to review and improve their approach to monitoring the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 May 2023

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There is a sound culture of safeguarding across the school. Appropriate training supports staff well to spot if a child is at risk of harm. Staff at all levels understand the risks pupils face, including risks in the community. Safeguarding concerns are recorded promptly to safeguarding leaders. Safeguarding records show leaders’ detailed and appropriate actions in response to concerns raised. Leaders use a range of effective support from other agencies to ensure pupils and their families get the help they need.

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Staff teach pupils how to stay safe. Pupils know about risks to themselves, including when going online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not identified the precise knowledge pupils need to remember, nor have they broken it down into manageable chunks. This makes it difficult for teachers to check that pupils have learned the knowledge necessary to move on to the new learning or understand more complex concepts. Leaders should identify the precise knowledge that pupils should learn in all curriculum areas, ensuring that teachers can plan sequences of lessons so that pupils are able to build on prior knowledge.  Some pupils have fallen behind with reading because the support offered through the reading programme is not precise enough. For these pupils, the books they receive do not always contain the sounds they know, so they struggle to read with confidence or fluency. Leaders should ensure that all pupils receive books that match the sounds they know. Leaders should also ensure that pupils falling behind in the reading programme

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

have sufficient opportunities to practise and develop their reading fluency.

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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 June 2013.

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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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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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268483 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school leadership has changed significantly. The senior leadership team was restructured following the retirement of the then headteacher and special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) in 2019. The current leadership structure has been in place since September 2020.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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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.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils read to an adult. 10 and 11 May 2023

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 The inspector evaluated the curriculum plans and spoke to leaders and pupils about several other subjects.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers, the SENCo and subject leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the local governing body (LGB), trustees and a school improvement advisor from the local authority.  The inspector reviewed a range of information, documents and policies, including minutes of governors’ meetings and information about pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised the single central record and reviewed safeguarding paperwork and systems. The inspector spoke with leaders, teachers, support staff, members of the LGB and pupils to evaluate the culture of safeguarding in school.  The inspector considered 37 responses, along with 34 free-text comments, to Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also considered 18

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responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff.  To gather pupils’ views, the inspector spoke to several groups of pupils. She also spoke to pupils when visiting lessons and at breaktime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Bridget Harrison, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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