Towers Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Towers Junior School Windsor Road, Hornchurch, Essex RM11 1PD

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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Outcome

Towers Junior School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this happy school. It is a safe environment where good relationships and a strong sense of community ensure that every individual is known, valued and encouraged to be their best. Pupils enjoy coming to school because they feel safe and enjoy learning. They are supported to value their individuality, culture and respect for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident that, if they have any concerns, staff will listen and help them. This helps pupils to feel safe. If pupils have any worries, they can always drop a note in the rucksack of ‘Timmy the Trouble Monitor’ bear, an idea launched by the pupil-led ‘well- being committee’. These worry notes are checked daily by leaders and even the smallest issue is always addressed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is positive and pupils show enthusiastic attitudes to learning. They achieve well across a number of subjects. There is a variety of roles of responsibility for pupils, such as ‘reading’ or ‘science ambassadors’. The school provides a well-designed programme of enrichment. Through educational visits, pupils explore the local area and famous landmarks linked to what they learn. For example, pupils spoke with joy about their recent trips to the Science Museum and Rainham Marshes.

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

Reading is prioritised to allow access to the full curriculum and foster a genuine love of reading. Pupils have opportunities to visit the local library and pupils read daily. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to read, including the mock ‘coffee bar’, the reading corner in the ‘Hub’ and even the staged bathtub in the school foyer to promote the idea that ‘one can read anywhere’. 19 and 20 November 2024

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Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum in all subjects that matches what is expected nationally. The important knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember has been identified and logically sequenced. This supports pupils to build their understanding cumulatively over time. For example, in science, pupils conduct experiments measuring the effects of different surfaces on friction. They then gather the data and record their results in a bar graph. This supports pupils to understand and solve more-complex investigations such as calculating results in key stage 3.

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Teachers typically have good subject knowledge and present information clearly. For instance, they use real objects and visual representations to help pupils to deepen their understanding of more abstract concepts. However, on occasion, misconceptions are not consistently checked. This means that some pupils have gaps in their learning, and sometimes are not sufficiently prepared to learn new content.

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The needs of pupils with special educational need and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified accurately and quickly. These pupils access the same learning as their peers. The school works effectively with a range of external professionals who provide a range of specialist training for staff.

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Pupils are well motivated to learn. This is because routines are firmly established right from the effective transition programme with the local infant school. The school has robust procedures to monitor pupils’ attendance. Pupils attend school regularly and they enjoy coming to school. If attendance rates drop, the school quickly takes action to support pupils and their families. For those few pupils, their attendance at school improves over time.

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The school places pupils’ wider development at the core of what it does. Pupils learn about rights. They explain the importance of the right to be safe, for example. Pupils are acutely aware of how to keep safe online. They know not to trust strangers on the internet and not to share their personal details.

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Staff feel very well supported by leaders and those responsible for governance. The school has a sharp focus on supporting good emotional health. For example, well-being sessions for staff provide support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, pupils’ knowledge and understanding are not checked effectively. In these instances, some pupils develop gaps and misconceptions in their learning. The school 19 and 20 November 2024

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should ensure that assessment is used consistently to check understanding and to identify and address misconceptions.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in December 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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not currently make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The headteacher of the infant school is currently the acting executive headteacher of the federation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the acting executive headteacher. They also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 The inspector gathered the views of pupils and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.  The inspector evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Lisa Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 November 2024

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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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