Brook House Junior School

Inspection Report Brook House Junior School

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107037 Unique Reference Number Sheffield LEA 277688 Inspection number 27 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 Inspection dates Ms Joan McKenna CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School Road School address Primary Type of school Beighton Community School category Sheffield, South Yorkshire S20 1EG 7 to 11 Age range of pupils

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0114 2487754 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0114 2511948 Fax number 365 Number on roll Mr Healings Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr S Alexander Headteacher 7 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277688 27 September 2005 - 7 to 11 28 September 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Brook House is a large junior school. The local area is less disadvantaged than the average nationally, and fewer children than found in most schools are entitled to free school meals. The large majority of children are of white British heritage, with just a very small number from minority ethnic groups, all of who speak English fluently. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than in most schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Brook House Junior School, 27 September 2005 to 28 September 2005

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. It is most successful in ensuring children's personal development and well-being. A strong commitment to providing high quality care and support for all groups of pupils and effective arrangements for these result in children feeling safe, secure and well looked after. Close partnerships with other schools and outside agencies enhance this aspect of the school's provision well. Relationships are good and children respect the feelings and needs of others. They behave well. They are given good opportunities to affect the quality of school life and they make a particularly effective contribution to promoting environmental issues. Children participate enthusiastically in the wide range of extra-curricular activities, especially in the arts and sport. They enjoy school. Their academic achievement is satisfactory. They enter the school and leave the school with above average standards, although

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Grade: 3

results vary across subjects from year to year. Teaching is satisfactory. Some is better, but the quality is not sufficiently consistent. Teachers assess children's progress but do not make enough use of the information to target work to their needs. Leadership and management are satisfactory, stronger in the pastoral areas than the academic. Procedures for checking effectiveness are not adequate and so the school's view of itself is not always accurate. Progress since the last inspection has been satisfactory, positive in some aspects but with some issues still to be tackled. There is the capacity for improvement within the school, but the role of managers at all levels needs to be broadened to ensure this is brought about. Value for money is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English, mathematics and science by promoting greater consistency in teaching and achievement. • Ensure that information from assessing pupils' progress is analysed effectively and used to identify specific actions to help their learning. • Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the school more thoroughly and ensure that the information gained is used to promote consistent and effective practice. • Enable managers at all levels to operate effectively by clarifying and broadening their roles.

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Grade: 3

Children enter the school with above average standards. They also reach above average standards in national tests in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. Results vary across subjects from year to year. They have been lower in mathematics than in the other two subjects although they improved in 2005 due to a focus on developing children's problem solving skills. On the other hand, results in English declined in 2005 from being high in 2004. Results at the higher levels in the tests also fluctuate. Although results are always above the national average, there is no clear and consistent trend of improvement in all of the core subjects. 2 Inspection Report: Brook House Junior School, 27 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 Children's achievement is satisfactory. Although steady progress is made from Years 3 to 6 overall, it is not consistent across classes as well as subjects. Some targets set

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Grade: 3

for groups of children are met, but not all. There is no significant variation in the achievement of different groups of children, although higher attainers do not always make good progress because the work they are set in some lessons is too easy for them.

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Grade: 2

Children's personal development and well-being are good. Children are attentive in lessons and try their best for teachers. They really like being part of this school, as seen in their very good levels of attendance. This prepares them well for their future world of work. Children behave well; older ones act as good role models for the younger ones as they play outside or move around the school. They respond well to the high expectations of adults. There is a happy, yet purposeful, atmosphere in the school, built on first class relationships. At playtimes, children are involved in a range of activities such as selling healthy snacks - a very successful school initiative that helps children to understand the principles of healthy eating. There are many opportunities for children to affect the quality of school life. They make significant contributions through both the school and eco councils to the quality

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Grade: 2

and development of their surroundings both in and out of school. They evaluate the impact of their work. Through this they are gaining key skills for the future. Children have a well-developed sense of respect for the feelings and needs of others. They have a keen understanding of their local heritage but, as yet, do not learn enough about what it means to live in a modern, multicultural society.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory and children make sound progress. Inspectors also saw lessons with better features. In the best lessons, teachers make it very clear to children what is expected of them, match work closely to children's abilities and use teaching methods that interest them. However, in some lessons, more able children are asked to do work that is too easy. Children enjoy lessons and work hard. They are keen to learn. Time is used well in many lessons which keeps children engaged and interested, but occasionally the way lessons are organised means that children learn at too slow a pace. Lesson planning is generally satisfactory, but the quality of it is not sufficiently consistent and this contributes to a variation in the quality of teaching. The teaching of children with learning difficulties is satisfactory, with some good support given by learning support assistants. Teachers know children well. They collect a wide range of data about how well children

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Grade: 3

perform in English and mathematics, but they do not make enough use of that data 3 Inspection Report: Brook House Junior School, 27 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 to prepare better-targeted work for different groups of children. The school knows this is an area for development and is actively working to improve its use of data. The school's own view of the quality of its teaching and learning is not as accurate as it should be; this is because procedures for monitoring and evaluating its work are not sufficiently robust.

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Grade: 2

The school's curriculum is broad and rich and meets national curriculum requirements. English, mathematics and science are thoroughly covered. Information and communication technology is well resourced and used. The school is rightly proud of its work in the arts - music, drama and dance - a highlight of which was the school's production of 'Joseph and His Technicolour Dream Coat' at the Crucible Theatre. The school offers a wide range of enrichment activities, including residential visits to Whitby and to France. Its environmental education has recently been recognised by the Eco Schools Silver Award and children are given many opportunities to learn about ecological issues. Extra-curricular activities and the opportunities children have to enter local competitions, in sport as well as the arts, are extensive and well attended. Children are given very positive opportunities to contribute to the local community

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Grade: 2

and to develop skills that will help them in their future study and work. Provision to help children develop a sensible attitude towards their own health and safety is good. The curriculum meets pupils' needs well.

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Grade: 2

This is a strong aspect of provision, with some outstanding elements. Children's well-being is at the heart of the school's work. Guidance for children in need extends significantly beyond the physical, as adults take time to support children's emotional health. There is exemplary support for vulnerable children. Staff call on the skills of outside agencies to support children with learning difficulties when appropriate and this helps them to make similar progress to their peers. Arrangements for child protection and health and safety are secure. There are effective links with other schools, which help children as they move from one to another. Children also care for others, as, for example, when older children act as 'Buddies', to help younger ones settle in. Children feel safe and know there are adults they can turn to for help. Parents are very happy with the levels of care the school provides. Guidance and support to help

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Grade: 2

children improve their work are given, but weaknesses in assessing and checking their progress limits its effectiveness.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. They are most successful in ensuring good personal development for children where the strong commitment from 4 Inspection Report: Brook House Junior School, 27 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 the headteacher and all other adults results in the many positive outcomes for children. Effective relationships and links with parents and external agencies contribute well to this. However, leadership of the academic aspects of the school is only satisfactory. There is a desire to raise standards and some action is taken to bring this about, such as the recent focus on improving problem solving in mathematics, but strategies to promote improvement are not comprehensive or rigorous enough. In particular, monitoring and evaluation procedures are inadequate, and as a result, the school's view of pupils' progress and the quality of teaching is overgenerous. Improvement

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Grade: 3

plans do not indicate how identified priorities are to be tackled or how success will be measured. The deputy headteacher has worked effectively to improve management processes within the school. Curriculum coordinators are keen but not yet fully effective, due to a limited definition of their role. There is the capacity for improvement within the school and managers at all levels need to be enabled to carry out appropriate responsibilities. Governors are supportive of the school and have good general knowledge of it, but need a more informed and detailed understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses in order to promote maximum improvement and to evaluate the effectiveness of provision. 5 Inspection Report: Brook House Junior School, 27 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Brook House Junior School, 27 September 2005 to 28 September 2005

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so friendly and making us feel welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn very much. What we liked most about your school - Your teachers and other adults care for you very well and make sure that you are safe. - You get on well together and look after each other. We like the way Year 6 children help Year 3 children settle into the school by being their 'Buddies'. - You behave well and work hard. - You enjoy your work and try hard to do what your teachers ask. This helps you learn. - The school puts on a lot of extra activities to help you have fun, like the clubs and trips out of school. We know you enjoy these very much. - You help to make life in school and in your community better, for example, by the way you help the environment. What we have asked the school to do now: - Make sure that all of your lessons in English, mathematics and science are of the same good

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

standard. - Give you more information about how well you are doing and how to improve your work. - Make sure that the staff and governors have a clearer idea of where the school is not doing so well so that it improves as quickly as it can. We hope that you continue to be happy at school.

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