Earlswood Junior School

Inspection of Earlswood Junior School Brambletye Park Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 6JX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘A place to learn together’ is very much pupils’ experience at Earlswood Junior School. Pupils value the broad and ambitious curriculum they are offered, which is enhanced through specialist teachers in music and physical education (PE). The school has high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, the majority of pupils are achieving well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well here. They know what is expected of them. This is underpinned by the ‘SMILE’ behaviours of self-regulation, manners, independence, listening with respect and empathy. Pupils fully understand these and learn about them weekly. Pupils feel safe, including from bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a range of enrichment and leadership opportunities for pupils. Pupils talk excitedly about these and how they support them to develop confidence beyond the curriculum. The school has a ‘pupil parliament’, which acts as the voice of the pupils in whole-school decision-making. Trips and visits are carefully planned to reinforce the wider curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Earlswood Juniors is at the heart of its community. The school has established strong links with the surrounding area. Pupils learn about being responsible local citizens. For example, they grow produce to sell at the local farmers’ market.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious, broad and accessible for all pupils. Teachers know what they need to teach and the most effective ways to teach it to ensure pupils remember their learning. The school has identified the vocabulary that links learning together. Teachers regularly revisit learning and check effectively that pupils remember their learning.

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. The adaptations and support in place mean that all pupils are learning successfully across the curriculum. However, in some subjects, the tasks set are not allowing all pupils to develop a really deep understanding, which means they do not achieve as well as they could. The school has prioritised a love of reading, and pupils learn to read well overall. Staff are trained to deliver the catch-up programme and support any pupils who have fallen behind, which is largely effective.

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better?

The school sets high expectations for behaviour, and pupils are keen to live up to these. Lessons are calm and purposeful. Pupils are engaged in their learning. On the rare occasion when behaviour does not meet expectations, staff are swift to address this. The school has prioritised support for all pupils through a strong pastoral offer. Specialist, trained staff provide support in the ‘lodge’ throughout the course of the school day for pupils’ well-being. The school has high expectations for pupils’ attendance. There is a robust strategy in place to identify and address poorer 8 and 9 November 2023

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attendance. The school is rightly focused on improving the most disadvantaged pupils’ attendance.

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The school’s approach to developing pupils’ personal development is exemplary. Every pupil is expected to be an active citizen. All pupils’ opinions are taken seriously and pupils recognise the importance of their views. For example, pupils organised a fun run to raise money for a national charity. Pupils are aspirational about their learning because of the opportunities they are given. The school has prioritised the most disadvantaged pupils with a wide range of opportunities to nurture their talents. These include specialist teachers in the curriculum alongside thoughtfully planned clubs and trips.

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The school has very carefully considered ways to engage the whole community. It provides workshops for parents alongside opportunities for families to attend planned celebration events. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Governors provide effective support and challenge for leaders. Staff are highly appreciative of the school’s constant and highly effective consideration of their workload and well-being. They are proud to work at this school. The school has designed a rigorous training programme to support and develop staff further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The task design in some curriculum subjects does not support all pupils to move swiftly on in their learning or develop a really deep understanding. This means that some pupils do not always achieve as highly as they could. The school needs to provide suitable tasks across all subjects that support all pupils to make the most progress possible.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 8 and 9 November 2023

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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). 8 and 9 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is a larger-than-average sized junior school that is federated with a local infant school.  The school is led by a headteacher who leads across both schools in the federation.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school provision included in this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 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. 8 and 9 November 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, music and PE. For each deep dive, the inspectors 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 inspectors also heard pupils read.  The inspectors met with leaders, staff, pupils and those with responsibility for governance, including the chair of the local governing body.  The inspectors observed the before- and after-school provision, breaktimes and lunchtimes, and the start and end of the school day.  The inspectors scrutinised minutes of the local governing body meetings.

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 The inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator to discuss the provision for pupils with SEND. They visited lessons to look at the support these pupils were receiving.  The inspectors considered the responses to the confidential staff and pupil surveys. They took account of the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.

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Inspection team

Emma Law, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Vallence Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 November 2023

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