Parkland Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Parkland Junior School Brassey Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 9QJ

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sally Simpson. This school is part of Swale Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Michael Wilson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Goodson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils offer a delightful welcome to everybody at this caring and happy junior school. Pupils are keen to introduce visitors to the school’s llamas, ducks and chickens. They take true pride in caring for these animals. These rich experiences underpin the highly nurturing ethos of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is excellent from the classroom to the school field. Relationships are supportive and kind. Pupils respect the views of others and proudly celebrate differences. The school’s values of honesty, aspiration, resilience, positivity and cooperation permeate school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Support for pupils’ mental health and well-being is a strength. Pupils learn to manage their feelings and make positive choices. Extensive pastoral care and therapeutic activities are transformative for pupils who have experienced worries. One parent represented the views of many when they said that the school ‘always goes above and beyond to help’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations are consistently high for everyone. Pupils achieve well. Results were lower than usual in national assessments for mathematics at the end of key stage 2 in 2024, so the school has focused on strengthening mathematics provision further. Pupils are now achieving well, applying concepts and skills with great success in lessons. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are thriving with strong support. Pupils flourish academically and emotionally. 7 and 8 May 2025

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

The curriculum is engaging, broad and ambitious. All subject curriculums are well designed, with key knowledge, skills and vocabulary clearly identified. Everyone benefits from strong professional development across the trust. Teachers, including those early in their careers, show secure subject knowledge and present information skilfully in lessons. In areas such as computing and science, the school harnesses technology and innovation to create awe and wonder for pupils. For example, the school’s bespoke ‘bee curriculum’ boosts pupils’ scientific knowledge through real-life experiences when they put on beekeeper suits and tend to the school’s bee colony.

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

The school provides precise and effective support for any pupils who struggle to read. As a result, pupils develop fluency, confidence and enthusiasm for reading. They enjoy a rich and diverse range of books. In 2024, results dipped in the national English grammar, punctuation and spelling test at the end of Year 6. The school identified spelling as a priority area to help pupils achieve better, and improvements are clear. Pupils plan, edit and write accomplished texts across a range of styles. They are rightly proud of their ‘publishing books’ which demonstrate creativity, accuracy and skill.

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

The school makes skilful adaptations to help pupils with SEND, including visual prompts and targeted interventions. Teachers, staff and leaders collaborate successfully to identify gaps and agree specific ways to meet pupils’ individual needs. Teachers check pupils’ understanding frequently. They identify gaps and address misconceptions well. However, learning activities are not always designed to ensure that pupils deepen their understanding when they are ready. This can hinder some pupils from moving on to new learning when they have grasped essential knowledge.

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

Pupils’ learning behaviour is impressive. They try their best and work hard. The school provides extensive pastoral support. This helps pupils to feel safe, happy and able to manage their feelings. The school has been successful with its work to help pupils attend school regularly. Support for families has helped to improve attendance continually each year.

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

Personal development is exceptional. Pupils develop a strong sense of equality and care for society. They are well prepared for secondary school. Eco projects, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities and a junior careers programme help pupils to be aspirational and responsible citizens. Pupils flourish with a range of opportunities to develop their talents in sport, music and performance. Enrichment experiences enhance pupils’ lives, from inspirational visitors to the residential activity trip. Pupils were thrilled to develop food preparation skills at a hotel, where chefs helped them to create their own healthy eating menus. Disadvantaged pupils benefit greatly from the school’s extra-curricular offer, as the school ensures that nobody misses out.

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

Leaders are dedicated, compassionate and inspirational. Staff morale is buoyant, reflecting positive well-being for all. Trustees and governors provide highly effective 7 and 8 May 2025

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support and challenge to the school. Leaders at all levels meet statutory duties with diligence. The school and trust are unified, focused and ambitious, with pupils at the heart of every decision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, pupils are not supported to move on to new learning as soon as they are ready. This can prevent some pupils from developing a greater depth of knowledge and skills. The school should ensure that learning activities help pupils to access more advanced learning when they have learned essential knowledge securely.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2020.

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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. 7 and 8 May 2025

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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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of Swale Academies Trust.  This school is part of The Parkland Federation, formed with the infant school on the same site. Leaders are responsible for both schools.  The federation runs a daily breakfast club and after-school club, led by school staff and attended by pupils from both schools.  This school does not currently 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 have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, including the acting special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, subject leaders, trust leaders, teachers and support staff.  The inspector met with a trustee and four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspector also met with the CEO of the trust.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. He discussed and evaluated pupils’ work across a range of subjects.  The inspector heard pupils reading in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. He observed reading activities to learn how staff provide support to pupils.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the responses to the pupil and staff surveys and spoke to a range of pupils and staff to learn their views about the school.  The inspector spoke to parents before school and took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Scott Reece, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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