Arnett Hills Junior Mixed and Infant School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Arnett Hills Junior Mixed and Infant School Berry Lane, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 4BT

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Outcome

Arnett Hills Junior Mixed and Infant 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?

At Arnett Hills, the sense of community is palpable. Pupils of all ages play happily together at breaktimes. Older pupils look out for younger ones. Pupils praise the ethos of kindness. They know how to be empathetic and respectful because they experience this consistently from staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations for achievement are high. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive highly effective support. Children in the early years rapidly develop their knowledge and skills. Pupils live up to the school’s motto of ‘every child is a success story’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live and breathe the school’s values of integrity, community and empathy. Behaviour is excellent. Pupils take considerable pride in their learning. They are confident and friendly and greet people with a smile. Pupils have excellent manners. They open doors for peers and staff. They eagerly tidy away after themselves and others. The safe, orderly culture helps them to develop their curiosity and imagination.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are highly enthusiastic about the wide range of opportunities on offer at the school. They develop a tremendous sense of achievement through participation in extra-curricular activities such as drama, sports and art. Pupil leaders value their roles such as play leaders. Older pupils have a ‘job’, which they fulfil responsibly. These experiences build positive character traits. The school prepares pupils well for secondary school. 1 and 2 April 2025

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

The school has embedded its vision for a high-quality education. Leaders have an accurate view of the provision’s strengths and areas to improve. This means they put the right actions in place for pupils. Leaders work collaboratively with staff to design and improve the curriculum. Subject leaders and staff praise this team approach. Staff are highly motivated because they are well trained and supported in their roles.

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

The curriculum is ambitious. It identifies what pupils should learn and when. From the early years, children build strong foundations in areas that prepare them effectively for learning in key stage 1. Teachers ensure pupils’ learning builds closely on what they already know. This means pupils’ depth of knowledge grows over time. For instance, in key stage 1, pupils learn foundational skills in writing. In Year 4, they use noun phrases with considerable success in sentences. Year 6 pupils have highly detailed knowledge of grammatical terms. Pupils achieve well.

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

Teachers mostly deliver the curriculum effectively. For example, in the early years, staff expertly develop children’s language and communication skills through play. Teachers use their expertise to design learning activities that help pupils grasp the intended knowledge. However, sometimes teachers do not anticipate common problems pupils may encounter when practising what they have learned. Teachers check that pupils are learning but, on occasion, they do not identify the misconceptions some pupils have. This leaves some pupils with gaps in their learning that are not addressed. In these instances, pupils do not learn as successfully as they might.

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

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Staff teach phonics well. When pupils fall behind, they get the help they need to catch up. Pupils quickly learn to read with fluency and confidence. The school chooses texts carefully to ensure these underpin learning across the curriculum. Pupils develop the knowledge and skills they need to understand complex texts. Pupils are enthusiastic about the books they read for pleasure.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND early and accurately. This allows staff to put effective support in place. As a result, pupils with SEND learn well across the curriculum.

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

The school has high expectations for behaviour and attendance. Staff teach pupils learning behaviours consistently and effectively. Pupils quickly refocus when staff address any minor disruption. The school works closely with families to remove any barriers to attendance. Staff skilfully support better punctuality. Consequently, attendance is high, and pupils’ conduct is exemplary.

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

The school provides strong pastoral support for pupils. Where required, pupils get effective help with their emotional well-being. For example, they learn to identify their emotions. This means they learn to manage these and engage successfully with learning.

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

Pupils enjoy a coherent programme for personal development. They learn important content, for example about different types of societies. They extend their knowledge 1 and 2 April 2025

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through relevant and exciting trips and visits, for instance to the British Museum. The school ensures disadvantaged pupils participate fully in these. Pupils develop rich and mature attitudes such as articulating their deep understanding of diversity and equality.

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Governors have the skills and knowledge they need for their role. They support and challenge the school effectively, for example regarding improvements to the curriculum. Governors know the school well. They play a key role in creating the highly positive culture.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, when pupils practise what they have been taught, their learning is not structured and checked as well as it might be. Where this happens, pupils have misconceptions and gaps that do not get addressed quickly. This hinders the learning of pupils in these situations. The school should ensure that staff get the support they need to deliver the curriculum as well as possible.

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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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Amanda Bunten and Rachel Clarke

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed since the previous inspection.  There are two co-chairs of the governing body.  The school does not use 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 deputy headteacher, other leaders, staff and pupils. As part of evaluating governance, he met with a group of governors, including the co-chairs.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and 1 and 2 April 2025

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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 reviewed a wide range of documents, including curriculum plans, school development plans, policies and documentation for behaviour and attendance.  The inspector considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free- text comments submitted by parents during the inspection. He also considered responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Charlie Fordham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 April 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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