Michael Drayton Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Michael Drayton Junior School The Woodlands, Hartshill, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 0SZ

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

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Outcome

Michael Drayton Junior is a ‘community school’ in every sense of the word. It has formed strong links with parents, carers, feeder infant schools and local residents. Pupils respect and care for both the local and wider community. For example, pupils sing at the nursing home nearby, donate to the foodbank and raise funds for charities in the area.

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Outcome

High expectations underpin the school’s calm ethos. Staff want the best for pupils. Careers week helps raise aspirations and inspire pupils to be successful. Teachers motivate pupils with ambitious activities. Pupils rise to this challenge. Most achieve well and reach their potential, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Outcome

Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. They know that they can talk to staff if they are worried about anything. Pupils display high standards of behaviour in lessons and at playtimes. Outdoor play areas are exceptionally well equipped. Exciting activities add significantly to pupils’ enjoyment of school and their personal and social development.

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Outcome

Pupils relish the extensive range of enrichment opportunities. These include annual residential visits for each year group to build pupils’ self-confidence, independence and enhance their learning. For example, Year 5 pupils visit Barcelona to practise their Spanish.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is ambitious, engaging and accessible to all pupils. It sets out precisely what pupils need to know and the order in which they should learn it. Teachers have good subject knowledge and model new learning clearly. They check pupils’ understanding and address misconceptions promptly. However, checks on how well pupils retain and retrieve 7 and 8 May 2025

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prior learning are less well established. Where this is the case, some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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Staff check pupils’ reading ability when they join Year 3 and provide appropriate support where needed. Pupils read daily and have access to a wide range of texts and authors. Early readers, and those who struggle, benefit from additional phonics sessions and well- considered effective strategies. This develops the skills they need to become confident and fluent readers.

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There are effective systems in place to identify pupils with SEND. The school works in partnership with parents and external professionals to ensure that pupils with SEND receive appropriate support to meet their individual needs. Expectations are high as all pupils follow the school’s curriculum.

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Pupils’ conduct and their attitudes to learning are positive. They listen carefully, work collaboratively and respond appropriately to instructions. This ensures that classrooms are calm and purposeful spaces and learning is free from disruption. Most pupils attend regularly. However, too many disadvantaged pupils are persistently absent. This directly affects their academic achievement particularly. These pupils attain below their peers and do not reach the standards they should.

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The school has developed an exceptional extra-curricular programme, which offers pupils a wide and rich set of experiences. An abundance of clubs, educational visits and visitors extend and enrich pupils’ learning. Pupils’ leadership skills develop through roles such as ‘learning detectives’ and as play leaders. There is a strong focus on pupils’ mental well-being to ensure they blossom in all areas of their school life. Caring for the school animals helps pupils to feel calm and reduces their anxiety.

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Pupils learn about others from different faiths and backgrounds. They have a detailed understanding of fundamental British values and appreciate the importance of equality. These values are strongly embedded within the school. British culture is celebrated through events, including a celebratory lunch on Victory in Europe Day. As a result, pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

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When needed, the school goes above and beyond to provide support for pupils and their families. Parents are full of praise for the school. They are particularly grateful for what most describe as ‘exceptional management’ and handling of a recent incident when pupils were stranded in Barcelona. Effective and swift action taken ensured that every pupil returned safely and without any upset.

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The school is led and managed well. The governing body has a clear oversight of the school’s strategic direction. Members know the school well. They provide the right balance of challenge and support. Staff appreciate the school’s consideration of their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 May 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s approach to checking how well pupils remember the key knowledge they learn is not fully established. This means that some key gaps in pupils’ learning are not identified or addressed well enough. The school should continue to develop its systems to assess what pupils know and remember across all subjects.  Approximately a third of disadvantaged pupils are persistently absent. This means that they miss vital learning and fall behind their peers. The school should continue to work closely with parents of pupils who do not attend regularly to raise attendance and increase these pupils’ outcomes. It should also continue to reduce gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.

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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 April 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. 7 and 8 May 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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Inspection number 10378243 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The number of pupils on roll has increased since the previous inspection due to becoming a five-form entry school.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement 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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and senior leaders. They met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the governors. The inspector also had a telephone discussion with a school improvement officer at the local authority.  The inspector focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: early English and mathematics, and music and religious education. For each group of 7 and 8 May 2025

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subjects, they visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also spoke to subject leaders for these areas.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: checked the school’s single central record; spoke to senior leaders about safeguarding procedures; took account of the views of 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 a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and plans for improvement. Records of attendance and behaviour incidents were checked.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at playtime and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  The inspector considered the responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff on site through discussion with these

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groups and from their online questionnaire responses.

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 7 and 8 May 2025

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regulates and inspects to 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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