Oakdale Junior School

Inspection of Oakdale Junior School Oakdale Road, Redbridge, South Woodford, London E18 1JX

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this welcoming school. They listen well in lessons and focus positively on their learning. If pupils have a problem, they know that they can talk to a trusted adult or report it in the ‘worry box’ that is available in every classroom. Staff deal with any issues straightaway.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well in classrooms and around school. They understand and apply the ‘Oakdale Charter’ to develop respect, reflection, resilience, resourcefulness, and responsibility. Pupils are proud of the ways they contribute to the school. For example, in their roles as sports leaders they help younger children on sports day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils to achieve well in a wide range of subjects. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported by staff to do their best. As a result, by the time they move to the next stage of education, most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school also provides an exemplary range of enriching activities for pupils’ personal development. Pupils attend clubs, both at lunchtime and after school, including gardening, taekwondo, and drama. They learn about different faiths and enjoy a cultural day, when they teach others about their own heritage and culture.

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

The school’s curriculum matches the scope and content of what is expected nationally. In most subjects, it identifies the important content that pupils need to learn and is structured to build on pupils’ previous learning. For example, in art and design, Year 3 pupils begin to learn how to mix colours when using watercolour paints. By Year 6, this learning extends and expands to creating detailed watercolour paintings of the sea.

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

However, in a few subjects the school is making changes to the curriculum. These changes are not yet fully embedded, and consequently the school has not precisely identified the important content it wants pupils to learn and secure over time. As a result, in these subjects, teachers are not as clear about the small steps in pupils’ learning that they need to check and build on. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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

The school prioritises learning to read. Pupils who need extra support are identified carefully. Where pupils need to catch up, they are offered additional sessions to help build up the phonics knowledge they need, with support from highly trained staff. Pupils use their phonics knowledge to blend sounds and read texts matched to their ability. They also use their comprehension skills well to make predictions for the plot and answer questions about the text they read.

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

Pupils with specific learning needs, including pupils with SEND, are supported in appropriate ways in lessons. The ‘rainbow room’ offers effective support for pupils’ well-being and emotional needs. Teachers adapt resources and provide well-planned additional support to help these pupils access learning in all subjects. For example, in 26 and 27 November 2024

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mathematics in Year 3, pupils learn three-digit number subtraction. Pupils at an earlier stage focus on developing their knowledge of number bonds to become confident in addition before they are introduced to subtraction.

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Typically, across the curriculum, teachers encourage pupils to discuss their current learning and explain what they know already to help make links in the topics they study. For example, in history, in Year 6, pupils recall previous learning about invasions by the Vikings and compare this to invasion techniques seen during the Second World War.

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The school has high expectations for pupils’ attitudes to their learning, including ensuring that they understand the importance of good attendance. Pupils are enthusiastic participants in lessons. They are polite and respectful to the staff and to each other.

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The school provides extensive enriching opportunities for the pupils’ personal development. Pupils debate and discuss thoughtfully a wide range of different topics and understand the importance of tolerance. They enjoy the trips they take, for example to museums and places of worship. Pupils also benefit from visitors to the school such as the recent historical workshops about Ancient Egypt.

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Governors and leaders at all levels understand what the school does well and what it needs to do to continue to improve. Staff are proud to work at the school and are Well trained and supported. Parents and carers appreciate the nurturing education provided by the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school has not identified precisely the important content it wants pupils to learn over time. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure the curriculum in all subjects is well-sequenced and coherent so that teachers know exactly what pupils should learn and can identify and address any gaps in pupils’ understanding effectively.

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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. 26 and 27 November 2024

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Headteacher Danvir Visvanathan (Executive Headteacher) Carley Smith (Head of School) Website www.oakdalejuniors.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 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.  Inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher, the head of school, senior leaders, and subject leaders. They also held meetings with the members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, art, and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also spoke with groups of staff and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’

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work in other subjects.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys completed by parents, pupils, and staff.  Inspectors checked the school’s policies and records, including those related to behaviour and pupils’ wider development.

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Inspection team

Eleanor Ross, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katerina Christodoulou Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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