Fleetville Junior School

Inspection of Fleetville Junior School 228 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 4LW

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Clare Whitehouse. This school is part of Spiral Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Marcus Cooper, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Robin Douglas.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Fleetville Junior School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 21 and 22 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Fleetville love to learn. They are proud of their school and like to celebrate and share in others' successes. Pupils and adults in the school show a great deal of kindness, consideration and respect for each other. Consequently, pupils feel safe and attend school enthusiastically.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the staff's high expectations. They behave exceptionally well. They listen carefully and work hard. As a result, most pupils produce work of a high quality. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Promoting pupils' personal development is a strength. Due to well-sequenced planning, pupils learn a depth of knowledge that helps them make sense of the world. For instance, in history, they learn about past injustices such as, apartheid and link this to modern discrimination. Pupils are very clear about right and wrong. As a result, they are well-prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can attend a wide range of clubs that appeal to them. These cater to various pupils' interests, such as journalism and fencing. The school also has a growing number of animals that pupils love to care for.

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better?

Leaders have constructed an ambitious curriculum. They have chosen the precise knowledge they want pupils to learn in most subjects. As a result, knowledge builds well on what pupils have already learned. Leaders continue to refine some subjects. These do not yet contain enough detail about the precise knowledge that pupils will learn. This makes it harder for teachers to break down the teaching into small steps, so that pupils can learn all the knowledge they need.

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better?

Reading has a high priority across the school. In each year group, the school has chosen some core books that pupils read. These books are carefully selected to reinforce pupils' knowledge in other subjects. For instance, pupils' read a book set in Tudor times that helps them empathise with people from the past.

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better?

Teachers regularly check how well pupils are reading. Where there are gaps in knowledge or pupils are not reading fluently, they receive precise support to help them catch up. This helps all pupils to develop into fluent and confident readers. All pupils learn to build more sophisticated vocabulary and understand more complex texts. The words chosen for discussion are suitably challenging, which benefits pupils greatly, as they learn a broad and rich vocabulary.

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better?

Pupils with SEND are well-supported and learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Teachers know how to adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND. They 21 and 22 November 2023

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provide pupils with the precise support to help them access the curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well. In the classrooms, no learning is lost because pupils know and follow the school rules. Teachers apply these equally and fairly. Pupils understand that their own and others' education is important, so, they make the most of every learning opportunity. They show interest and enthusiasm through their questions and the work they produce.

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Pupils’ personal development is promoted extremely well. The school provides a rich extra-curricular offer, including visitors and trips, which enriches the class learning. The school teaches pupils about the wider world and their place in it. Leaders pose thought-provoking questions for pupils. As a result of pupils’ well-developed knowledge, they can make informed and compassionate decisions.

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The trust, school leaders and the governors work closely together. They share the same values and goals. The trust provides support to the school and checks how well the school is performing. Governors support the school with community projects. Staff are supported with their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the small steps of knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn are not identified precisely. Teachers sometimes do not help pupils build towards an understanding of more complex knowledge as pupils have not been taught the underlying knowledge they need to do so. The school must ensure that, in all subjects, the knowledge that pupils should learn is precisely identified and broken down into smaller components, so that teachers plan activities and sequences of lessons that build towards pupils understanding more complex concepts.

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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. 21 and 22 November 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 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). 21 and 22 November 2023

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Information about this school

 Fleetville Junior School became an academy in June 2012. When its predecessor school, also called Fleetville Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted in 2011, it was judged outstanding overall.  In addition to the board of trustees, the school also has a local governing body.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 21 and 22 November 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading; mathematics; physical education; art; and history. They scrutinised work, visited lessons and spoke to pupils.by looking at workbooks, carrying out some lesson visits and talking to pupils.  Inspectors evaluated other aspects of the curriculum, including pupils’ writing and personal, social and health education.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of staff, leaders 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 inspectors examined a range of documents provided by the school, including leaders’ school development plans and the school self-evaluation document.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector

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also met with some members of the trust, including the chair, vice chair and CEO and all members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime and in lessons. They visited some of the clubs that pupils attend.  One inspector met with parents before the start of the school day and visited breakfast club.  Inspectors considered 243 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View. This included 116 comments from parents in the free-text facility. Inspectors also considered the 31 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Jessie Linsley, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Laura Hewer Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 November 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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