Boughton Leigh Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Boughton Leigh Junior School Wetherell Way, Brownsover, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 1LT

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Outcome

Boughton Leigh Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Boughton Leigh Junior School is a happy and friendly place to be. Staff greet pupils every day with a smile, and pupils respond well to the warm and positive relationships in school. Staff have high expectations of how pupils should behave and are excellent role models in how to do so. Pupils display positive behaviour at all points of the day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard in lessons. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They take great pride in their work, and books are presented to an impressively high standard. In some areas of the curriculum pupils achieve very well. However, this is not yet the case in all subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The zoned playground ensures there is something for everyone to enjoy. Pupils particularly enjoy exploring the wildlife garden. The ‘play shack’ provides many additional toys and resources that pupils can access.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes pupils’ personal development exceptionally well. The school has high ambitions that pupils are ‘ready for life’. Pupils understand that the school’s values of being supportive, tolerant, aspirational, respectful and successful are important, saying ‘everyone should live by these’. A wide variety of opportunities allow pupils to practise and demonstrate these values in different aspects of school life.

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

Reading is prioritised. The school uses high-quality texts in all areas of the curriculum. Pupils develop the skills to understand and interpret these well. There are many opportunities for pupils to read widely and to listen to stories being read to them. This helps develop a love of reading. Inspirational visits from poets deepen their enjoyment and understanding of different types of literature. However, the school does not identify carefully enough the needs of those pupils who do not yet read confidently. The gaps 26 and 27 September 2023

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some pupils have in their phonics knowledge is not accurately identified. This slows down these pupils’ progress. Also, books these pupils are given to read are sometimes too easy.

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The school has identified the precise knowledge pupils need to learn and when in most other subjects. Where this is the case, teachers deliver the planned curriculum well, which enables pupils to build successfully on their prior learning. This is particularly effective in mathematics, where ‘maths meetings’ support pupils to address any misconceptions they might have. However, in some subjects, the key knowledge has not been clearly identified, so teachers are unclear what to teach and when. As a result, pupils do not learn and remember the key knowledge that is vital to make good progress through every area of the curriculum .

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The SEND resource base ‘Launchpad’ provides an excellent level of education, care, nurture, and emotional support for its pupils. Dedicated and skilful staff address individual pupils’ needs with expertise. Highly effective organisation, and clear communication with class teachers, ensures all pupils have full access to the curriculum. Pupils thrive because staff understand their individual needs extremely well. Any pupil in school can access this expert provision, should they become overwhelmed. George, the therapy dog, complements this specialist provision.

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The school places great emphasis on pupils’ personal development. Popular after-school clubs, such as art and crafts, times-tables club, choir, basketball, science, computing and forest school, add to pupils’ enjoyment. Pupils learn about different religions and cultures through the curriculum. This helps prepare them for life in modern Britain. Lessons in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education ensure that pupils understand the importance of healthy lifestyles and relationships. There are many exciting opportunities to learn about careers they might like to have in the future. This helps to raise their aspirations. Pupils develop their social skills by taking on responsibilities, such as school councillors, eco-warriors, well-being warriors and by becoming members of the school’s House of Commons and House of Lords.

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Leaders are highly regarded by staff in school. The school has a team of dedicated and committed staff members. They are proud to be part of the Boughton Leigh family and work together well in the best interests of all pupils. Those responsible for governance know the strengths of the school well and understand where further improvements are needed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The way the school assesses pupils’ gaps in phonic knowledge is not always accurate and underestimates what pupils can do. This means pupils are not receiving the precise teaching they need to make rapid progress from their starting points. The school 26 and 27 September 2023

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should ensure that accurate phonics assessments are in place for pupils at the early stages of reading and check that all staff are able to address these gaps and teach phonics well.  The school has not identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn in a few subjects. Consequently, pupils are not always taught the things they need to successfully build on their learning. The school should ensure the curriculum outlines, in detail, the precise knowledge pupils need to learn and in what order in all subjects.

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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 2014.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.boughtonleigh-juniorschool.co.uk/

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 All members of the senior leadership team are new to post. All are in temporary roles.  This is a larger than average junior school.  This school has a SEND resource base for pupils with speech, language, and communication needs.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education 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 have taken that into account in her evaluation of the school. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, subject leaders, and the SEND coordinator.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 inspector also looked at samples of pupils’ work in a range of subjects, including PSHE, and geography.  The inspector spoke with members of the local governing board, including the chair.  The inspector spoke to parents on the school playground.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at different times of the day, and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans and information on the school’s website.  The inspector talked informally with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. In addition, they took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff’s, pupils’ and parents’ views.

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Inspection team

Keri Baylis, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 26 and 27 September 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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