Long Buckby Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Long Buckby Junior School South Close, Long Buckby, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN6 7PX

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 October 2023

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Outcome

Long Buckby Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Long Buckby Juniors is a nurturing and happy school. Leaders are ambitious and have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and of their commitment to learning. These expectations are consistently upheld by staff. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils show high levels of focus in lessons. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They interact with their peers and adults respectfully. At break and lunchtimes, pupils play happily together and help each other. Pupils are proud of their school. They appreciate the opportunities the school provides for them. For example, pupils enjoy a range of school trips and taking on different responsibilities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They know that they can talk to adults if they have any concerns or worries. The school has strong relationships with families and the local community. As a result, the school is welcoming and staff know the pupils well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel that the school’s approach to managing behaviour is fair. Pupils understand what bullying is, including cyber-bullying. They feel that on the rare occasion when bullying does take place, staff will resolve it.

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

Leaders have prioritised reading and want all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils enjoy the school’s creative approaches to develop and foster a love of reading. For example, the school has created a reading garden and uses a reading dog.

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

The school’s phonics programme is well taught. Lessons provide pupils with the opportunity to practise blending sounds together to build new words. Reading lessons 17 and 18 October 2023

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use a range of approaches based around the use of reading ‘learning friends’. This supports pupils to develop their comprehension skills. Leaders have selected books that cover a diverse range of themes and cultures.

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The mathematics curriculum is ambitious. Pupils, including those with SEND, practise their mathematical fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills daily. Teachers model how to use a range of different calculation methods. Pupils revisit their prior learning every day. This helps pupils to progress through the curriculum well. Pupils answer questions that encourage them to use and apply the skill they have learned in a new context. This helps pupils to extend their thinking at a deeper level.

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The curriculum planning for some foundation subjects does not identify the precise knowledge that pupils need to learn. Pupils do not always revisit prior learning in some of the foundation subjects. Pupils do not always remember what they have learned in these subjects.

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Pupils with SEND are well supported in lessons. Teachers use a range of adaptations to make learning accessible for these pupils. The school works effectively with external agencies to ensure that pupils’ needs are met.

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Pupils’ behaviour is a strength of the school. Pupils show high levels of concentration and are respectful of each other. They understand that there are some pupils who struggle to manage their own behaviour. Staff consider pupils’ individual challenges when managing behaviour so that consequences are appropriate. The school uses suspensions appropriately.

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The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about different types of families and relationships. Pupils demonstrate a mature understanding of protected characteristics and understand what discrimination is. One pupil said, ‘This school is special because if you have a disability the adults treat you like everyone else and give you the care you need. This school accepts everybody.’

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Pupils have access to a wide range of clubs. Pupils enjoy the opportunities they get to take on an area of responsibility or to engage with the local community. For example, pupils enjoy being a ‘reading garden guardian’ or helping to host a community tea event.

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The school is well led and managed. Staff, including early careers teachers, feel well supported by leaders with regards to workload. Staff value the training opportunities available to them. They said that leaders are approachable and supportive. Governors fulfil their statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 17 and 18 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some of the foundation subjects, the specific knowledge that pupils should learn is not yet precisely identified. This limits how well teachers can check pupils’ learning in these subjects. As a result, teachers do not always help pupils to build their knowledge. The school should ensure that the curriculum sets out exactly what pupils should learn and when in these foundation subjects. The school should ensure that there is a consistent approach to assessing what pupils know, so that pupils achieve as well as they should in these 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 January 2015.

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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). 17 and 18 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector checked the work pupils had produced, looked at subject plans and spoke with pupils and subject leaders for several other subjects. 17 and 18 October 2023

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 The inspector met with leaders responsible for behaviour, personal development and the provision for pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of 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 spoke with parents at the start of the school day.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body including the chair of the governors.  The inspector spoke with the local authority’s school improvement partner.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including any free-text comments, as well as the results of Ofsted’s survey for

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Inspection team

Luella Manssen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 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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