West Byfleet Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: West Byfleet Junior School Camphill Road, West Byfleet, Surrey KT14 6EF

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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Outcome

West Byfleet 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 are safe in this welcoming and caring environment. Staff have high expectations for pupils and encourage them to have high aspirations for themselves. Pupils are keen to capture every opportunity to do their best. They enjoy learning and achieve well, particularly when developing reading skills. One parent, like others, rightly said that the school, ‘focuses on developing a positive learning experience for its pupils’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s approach to behaviour is built upon a set of core values that permeate the school ethos, such as creativity and kindness. Pupils behave well. They are polite and courteous. They show empathy towards each other. Pupils demonstrate resilience when faced with demanding work. They respond positively to the school’s consistently high expectations of behaviour. Pupils know and follow the rules and routines. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils feel assured that they can tell staff anything. They know that staff will always listen and sort out any concerns swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending the range of clubs the school offers, including cooking, music and sports. They are proud to represent the school, including pupil leaders, school councillors and reading ambassadors. Parents and carers are very positive about the recent developments that the school has introduced.

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

The school has undertaken considerable work to review the curriculum. Staff have identified the important knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. School-wide training equips staff to deliver this well-planned curriculum in a systematic way. Staff explain information clearly. Teachers routinely check what pupils know and remember. Staff identify and address misconceptions appropriately. They use questioning effectively. 28 and 29 January 2025

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This helps pupils access and understand new content. Occasionally, opportunities to strengthen pupils’ understanding of subject-specific vocabulary are not maximised. This leads to pupils learning the subject content superficially rather than deeply. This then limits their ability to explain their understanding.

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The school has high expectations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff know and address the barriers faced by pupils with SEND. The school has thought carefully about how the curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Staff draw on a range of adaptive teaching strategies to scaffold pupils’ learning effectively. They support pupils well in accessing the curriculum.

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Reading is at the centre of the curriculum. Staff deliver the programme as intended. Pupils develop key reading skills and comprehension well. This includes pupils who need to further secure their knowledge of phonics. Pupils love reading and listening to stories. Many become confident fluent readers. They appreciate the high-quality texts closely linked to the curriculum that teachers use throughout the school.

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Pupils are well-motivated learners. They participate in the whole life of the school with enthusiasm. They are keen to show where they demonstrate the school’s values of ‘aspiration, resilience, opportunity, creativity and kindness’. They explain thoughtfully why it is important to look out for others. They appreciate the high-quality pastoral support they receive.

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The well-considered personal development programme helps pupils to learn about different cultures, religions and beliefs, including fundamental British values. They understand the importance of respecting other people’s views and opinions. Pupils know to never give up. They are aspirational in their pursuits. Teachers enable pupils to have an age-appropriate understanding of protected characteristics, consent and personal boundaries.

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Staff enjoy working in the school. They speak highly of the support and guidance they receive from school leaders. Staff appreciate that the school considers their workload and well-being. They celebrate the strong culture of teamwork that is promoted within the school.

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There have been some recent changes at all levels of leadership. Governors and school leaders have a secure knowledge of the school’s context and next steps. The school has taken swift actions to address areas of school improvement, some of which are in their early stages. There are positive signs of growth and impact, including developing the school’s pedagogy. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, the school does not ensure that teaching routinely develops pupil’s vocabulary and understanding effectively. Where this happens, it limits pupils’ progression through the curriculum. The school should ensure that teachers check and develop pupils’ understanding of subject-specific vocabulary securely so that pupils deepen their knowledge of the curriculum.

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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 February 2016.

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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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 September 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been several changes in leadership, at all levels. The headteacher was appointed in September 2024. The chair of governors took up the post in September 2024. The two inclusion leaders were appointed in June 2023 and June 2024, respectively.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the 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, the chair and members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority, senior leaders and other members of staff. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some 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’ interests first.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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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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