Grange Park School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Grange Park Junior School Lansbury Drive, Hayes, Middlesex UB4 8SF

p.1

Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

p.1

Outcome

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

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Grange Park Junior School. The school’s motto of ‘striving to be the best that we can be’ is embedded into the life of the school. The school has high expectations of pupils. Pupils achieve well across an ambitious curriculum. Pupils understand the core values of kindness, empathy and equality. They value the high level of support and care they receive from staff. Pupils are happy and safe.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and behave well. They know that if they are worried about anything they can speak to any adult or put a concern in the ‘worry box’. Staff deal with rare incidents of poor behaviour very effectively. Pupils appreciate this support and trust leaders to help them. Relationships between staff and pupils are extremely strong.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Opportunities to develop new talents and responsibilities are an important part of the school’s provision. For example, the school has recently invested in a swimming pool and aspires for all pupils to become proficient swimmers. Pupils contribute to the wider community, for example through raising awareness of road safety. Pupils also enjoy the educational visits that staff organise to enrich their learning, including visits to places of worship, a local theatre and concerts, where the school choir performs.

p.1

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

Leaders, including governors, are passionate about providing the best-quality education for their pupils. Pupils study a wide range of subjects. The school has planned and sequenced the curriculum carefully. It has also given careful thought to the adaptations needed so that pupils with different abilities and needs access learning successfully. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Sometimes, however, the curriculum does not provide opportunities for pupils to extend their 12 and 13 November 2024

p.1

2

understanding of ideas in a subject, for example by using what they know to explore more advanced subject content. This means that pupils do not deepen their learning as effectively as they could.

p.2

2

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. Leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn. For example, in mathematics, teachers design activities that require pupils to revisit and reuse knowledge that they have learned previously. This helps to secure and strengthen pupils’ understanding. However, in a few subjects, teaching expertise is not as strong. This means that, in these subjects, pupils are not able to develop the same depth of understanding as they do in most other subjects. Leaders have a clear strategy to develop staff expertise further, but this is still work in progress.

p.2

2

Pupils enjoy reading. The school follows a systematic reading programme to support pupils in developing their reading. Those who struggle to read with fluency are given specific support to ensure that they keep up with their peers and are able to access the curriculum fully. Pupils experience a wide and diverse range of texts that foster their positive attitudes towards reading.

p.2

2

Pupils behave well in and around the school. The atmosphere is calm and orderly. Pupils really value the school’s rules and rewards such as the disco dodge ball. Robust and effective systems are in place to ensure that pupils continue to attend school regularly and on time.

p.2

2

Work to foster pupils’ personal development is a strength. Pupils are very well prepared for life beyond their school. Pupils learn about different cultures, beliefs and religions. They are taught about respect and equality and learn that discrimination is wrong. Opportunities to perform, work together and compete in sporting events help to develop pupils’ resilience and confidence. Pupil leadership roles are well established and support pupils to become ‘leaders of tomorrow’. Pupils relish the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through the school council, being a ‘junior travel ambassador’ or a member of the sports crew.

p.2

2

The school has made recent successful changes to improve its work. Leaders are supported and challenged well by school governors. Staff morale is high due to the collaborative culture that exists at the school. Leaders support staff with their well-being and workload. Staff said that they are proud to work at the school.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 12 and 13 November 2024

p.2

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, teachers’ subject-specific knowledge and subject- pedagogical knowledge are not securely developed. This means that some teaching is not helping pupils to develop deep and detailed knowledge. The school should ensure that staff have the subject knowledge that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively.  Sometimes, the curriculum does not provide pupils with suitable opportunities to deepen their learning. This hinders pupils from being able to enrich their understanding of key ideas and concepts. The school should ensure that the curriculum provides pupils with the opportunity to further develop their knowledge and understanding, and use what they know to access more advanced subject content.

p.3

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.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2019.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 12 and 13 November 2024

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 12 and 13 November 2024

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Website www.grangeparkjuniorschool.co.uk/

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 There is a new headteacher since the last inspection.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the lead inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders. She also met with members of the governing body, including the chair. She spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: English and mathematics, and music, art and physical education. For each group of subjects, 12 and 13 November 2024

p.5

6

the inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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’ interest first.  Throughout the inspection, the inspector met with groups of staff. She also considered opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspector took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and the free-text responses.

p.6

Inspection team

Sahreen Siddiqui, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7