Town End Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Town End Junior School Alfreton Road, Tibshelf, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 5PB

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 October 2023

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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. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Town End Junior School. Many of them transition from the local infant school. The federation of the two schools is providing new opportunities to ensure smooth and effective next steps. The school also works closely with other local primary schools for the benefit of staff and pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the range of activities on offer at the school, including the weekly forest school. The school provides a variety of sporting opportunities, including basketball, football and the daily ‘get up and go’ activity. The recent achievement of the platinum school sports award is a source of pride for all members of the community. Pupils also enjoy performing in local arts and sporting festivals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well, including in breaktimes. They do not feel that bullying is a problem. When problems occur, pupils say that staff respond swiftly and fairly. Pupils can easily recall the school’s rules and understand the importance of ‘keeping our hands and feet to ourselves’ and ‘speaking kindly and politely to others’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide-ranging curriculum. However, the school does not always provide pupils with the opportunities they need to deepen knowledge and progress skills.

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

A new phonics scheme has recently been introduced. This helps to ensure that pupils who need help to become fluent readers are well supported. Phonics lessons are delivered by trained staff. Pupils are assessed on how well they are learning phonics and this information is used to ensure that their specific needs are met. In English lessons, pupils explore extracts and share high-quality books with their teachers. However, the curriculum 24 and 25 October 2023

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for reading across the school is not yet coherent and pupils sometimes struggle to discuss the books they are reading.

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The mathematics curriculum is well structured. Pupils are provided with appropriate opportunities to develop fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills. Staff confidently check on pupils’ developing knowledge and use this information to adjust the curriculum. Pupils who need additional support get the help that they need. Across the school, pupils are encouraged to use mathematical vocabulary. As a result, pupils generally achieve well in mathematics.

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The newly developed curriculum for physical education (PE) provides pupils with opportunities to understand the rules of competitive games and the importance of staying healthy and active. Staff appreciate the training they have received from the leaders. However, systems to check pupils’ progress are less well developed. In other areas of the curriculum there is further work to do to secure the specific knowledge that pupils need to move on to the next stage in their learning. Some leaders have not yet had sufficient time to work with staff to ensure that the curriculum helps pupils to know more and remember more.

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Pupils listen well in class, and learning is not disrupted by low-level disruption.

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Work to ensure that staff can support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is at an early stage of development. Additional adults provide personalised support alongside external professionals. However, the school recognises that further work is required to ensure that pupils can successfully access all areas of the curriculum.

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The school provides a range of wider curriculum opportunities. The assembly programme marks events of national and religious significance. Pupils are also introduced to key figures representing the school values of tolerance and respect, such as Martin Luther King. Pupils are encouraged to take on junior leadership roles and enjoy taking part in charitable and fundraising events.

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Appropriate steps are taken to work with parents, including to promote the importance of good attendance. The school also works with staff to manage their workload and promote well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Information about the specific learning needs of pupils with SEND is not always precisely expressed. This can mean that pupils are not always supported as well as 24 and 25 October 2023

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they might be. The school should ensure that provision for pupils with SEND fully meets their needs.  In some subjects, the curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherent and well sequenced. Pupils are not provided with opportunities to build knowledge and understanding as well as they could. The school should ensure that the small steps that will enable pupils to know more and be able to do more are clearly identified.  Leaders have not yet secured arrangements to check how well pupils know the curriculum they have been taught. As a result, provision is not always adapted to ensure that pupils are as well supported as they could be. The school should develop a system to check what pupils know and can remember across the curriculum so that appropriate adaptations can be made and support can be provided.

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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 June 2018.

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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). 24 and 25 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Rachel Boswell (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has formally federated with Tibshelf Infant School. The federation was formally constituted in January 2023. The federation has appointed a new leadership structure and formed a new federated governing body. A permanent executive headteacher was appointed in spring 2023.  The school uses one unregistered 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.  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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and PE. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 24 and 25 October 2023

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 The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single 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 observed pupils around school and in lessons. The inspector also observed the school’s management of staff work load and well-being.  The inspector considered responses by parents to Ofsted’s questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Emma Hollis-Brown, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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