Nook Lane Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Nook Lane Junior School Nook Lane, Stannington, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S6 6BN

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2023

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Outcome

Nook Lane Junior School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Steven Arbon-Davis. This school is part of Peak Edge Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jim Dugmore, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Dave Cates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nook Lane Junior School is a friendly and welcoming school. There are strong relationships between staff and pupils. Staff know pupils and families well. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are happy and safe. The school has the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, courteous and welcoming of visitors. They behave very well throughout school and at breaktimes. In lessons, pupils are highly motivated. They want to learn and contribute. This is because their lessons are interesting and engaging.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have successfully built a strong sense of inclusivity throughout the school. Pupils are respectful of differences between people. They have knowledge of different faiths such as Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. Pupils know what it means to be a member of a faith community. Through a topic on Black History Month, pupils learn about significant figures from history, such as Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from leadership roles such as school councillors and curriculum councillors. Through these roles, they influence decisions made by leaders. For example, Reading Curriculum Councillors campaigned for investment in books and a visit from an author. 18 and 19 October 2023

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

Pupils benefit from a carefully planned curriculum. Learning follows a very clear sequence. The school has identified the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. The curriculum is designed so that pupils build their knowledge over time. Teachers regularly revisit previous learning to help pupils to remember important knowledge. For example, in history, themes such as empire, war and government are woven into different topics. Pupils also have secure knowledge of chronology and how different periods of history relate to each other. Learning is often enlivened through themed days. During the inspection, the pupils in Year 3 were immersed in an Egyptian day. This helps to make learning memorable and enjoyable.

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

Pupils enjoy mathematics and learn well. The school is reviewing its approach to mathematics and this is having a further positive impact. Staff receive high-quality professional development and are inspired to get the best possible outcomes from pupils. If pupils struggle with mathematics, teachers quickly identify and address any gaps in their knowledge. They are given the support they need to keep up.

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

The support for pupils with SEND is of a very high quality. Staff have the training that they need to support and adapt learning for pupils with SEND. Pupils in the integrated resource receive a bespoke curriculum that is tailored to meet their individual needs. Where necessary, adaptations to the curriculum or the focused support of adults ensure pupils with SEND always learn well. Staff have the same high ambitions for what pupils with SEND can achieve as they have for all pupils.

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

Pupils behave consistently well. They live up to the high expectations that adults have of them. There are clear routines that pupils understand and follow. They feel that everyone is treated with fairness.

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

Reading is a very high priority at the school. Staff promote a love of books and literature. There is a strong commitment to ensuring that every pupil can read. However, reading is not always taught consistently well, because pupils who are still learning to decode words using phonics do not make the progress that they might.

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

Through a strong curriculum for personal, social and health education, pupils are well prepared for life in wider British society. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and what it means to be a good friend to someone. They live and breathe the school’s values of being ‘organised, ready and helpful’. They are respectful and tolerant. They learn to keep themselves safe, including when using technology.

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

Staff report that the school is a happy and supportive environment. They talk about being members of the ‘Nook Lane family’. Parents are extremely positive about the school. Many parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire commented positively on the care, support and nurture that their children receive. Leaders take diligent action to make sure that pupils are safe. However, school records do not consistently reflect the actions taken to keep pupils safe. 18 and 19 October 2023

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Governors know their role well. They are passionate and knowledgeable. Governors and trustees share the same high ambitions for all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

On occasions, records do not fully reflect the actions taken to support vulnerable pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s diligent approach to safeguarding is not always reflected in safeguarding records. This means that leaders do not always have clear enough oversight of safeguarding records. The school needs to ensure that safeguarding records consistently reflect the actions taken to keep pupils safe.  The school needs to improve the teaching of the phonics curriculum. A minority of pupils, who are still at the early stages of learning to read, do not learn the phonics code as rapidly as they could. The school should ensure that all staff have the necessary skills to support pupils effectively in their phonics 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. 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 predecessor school, Nook Lane Junior School, to be good in March 2019.

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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. 18 and 19 October 2023

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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 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). 18 and 19 October 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Peak Edge Multi-Academy Trust.  The school contains a resourced provision with places for 13 pupils with autism.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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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 the school and has taken that into account in this evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other members of the leadership team. He also met with governors and representatives of the trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives in English, mathematics and history. As part of this process, he met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, listened to pupils reading and looked at their work in books. The inspector also scrutinised pupils’ work in other curriculum subjects. 18 and 19 October 2023

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 The inspector examined safeguarding records. He also spoke with staff about safeguarding and other aspects of their work.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their experience of school. He also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during lunchtime.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 October 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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