Kingsway Junior School

Inspection Report Kingsway Junior School

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117168 Unique Reference Number HERTFORDSHIRE LEA LEA 280002 Inspection number 16 March 2006 to 17 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs. Jackie Cousins LI Reporting inspector

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

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Briar Road School address Primary Type of school WD2 6HE Community School category 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 01923 672583 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01923 670875 Fax number 204 Number on roll Mr.Paul Turtill Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss. Ros Taylor Headteacher 19 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280002 16 March 2006 - 7 to 11 17 March 2006 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average-sized junior school is on the edge of Watford. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The school has an above average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. A considerable proportion of these have social and emotional problems or moderate learning difficulties. The majority of pupils are from White British families and a small minority of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. No pupils are at an early stage of learning to speak English as an additional language. A few pupils are from Travelling communities or are looked after by the local authority. On the whole, the school has overcome its past difficulty of recruiting teachers of appropriate experience and quality.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Kingsway Junior School, 16 March 2006 to 17 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Kingsway Junior School is a sound and improving school and this inspection confirms the school's own judgements about itself. The headteacher's leadership is particularly effective in promoting pupils' personal development, which is good. The majority of pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. Most pupils make satisfactory progress because of the sound teaching. A very good range of after-school clubs is offered to pupils. Most parents are pleased with what the school does for their children. In particular, almost all parents say that their children enjoy school and feel that their children are safe and well cared for. One parent said, 'Overall we are very happy with the progress of our child at school and the attitude and feedback from the teacher.' Pupils are especially proud of their swimming and their achievements in information and communication technology (ICT). In 2005, the Year 6 test results were broadly

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Grade: 3

average in English, mathematics and science, even with an above average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. However, a below average proportion of pupils attained the highest level. The role of the science and ICT co-ordinators is not well developed and so they do not analyse pupils' progress and attainment effectively. The links between the infant and junior school are weak and should be considerably strengthened so that the transfer is easier for pupils. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. Pupils' progress is now tracked effectively in reading, writing and mathematics from year to year. The library and ICT equipment have been significantly improved. The inspection confirms the school's judgement that it is in a good position to improve in the future. This is because of an effective school development plan, strong leadership of the senior management team and a

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Grade: 3

stable teaching staff who are keen to improve standards. The school offers sound value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Ensure that a greater proportion of pupils attain the highest level in national tests in English, mathematics and science. - Improve the role of co-ordinators in science and ICT to ensure that standards and pupils' progress in these subjects are effectively analysed and tracked from year to year. - Develop a smoother transition for pupils from the infant to the junior school.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory. When pupils enter the school in Year 3, their prior attainment is broadly average. Most pupils make sound progress. School data show that pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve satisfactorily. The majority of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make sound progress in developing their literacy and numeracy skills and achieve well with regard to their specific targets. Standards attained in the national tests in 2005 by pupils in Year 6 were broadly average in English, mathematics and science. This is because teachers develop basic 2 Inspection Report: Kingsway Junior School, 16 March 2006 to 17 March 2006 skills effectively and use marking satisfactorily. However, the achievement of more able pupils was not high enough. The attainment of boys and girls is broadly similar. Standards have been broadly average for the last three years. Overall, standards do

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Grade: 3

vary slightly from year to year depending on the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. The school did not meet its challenging targets in 2005. This was partly as a result of problems in recruiting enough good teachers who had high expectations of pupils. Standards are rising in the school and attainment in Year 4 is above average in mathematics and science. This is partly as a result of teachers improving their use of assessment. Standards of ICT meet expectations in Year 6.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Pupils enjoy coming to school, have positive attitudes towards work and take pride in their achievements. Pupils behave well in lessons and at break times, and behaviour improves as pupils get older. Pupils in Year 6 care for and support younger ones by leading and organising activities and games for them at lunchtimes. A well established 'playground buddy' system means that older pupils look after those who may experience problems from time to time. Attendance is broadly average. Pupils know how to stay safe and understand that taking regular exercise and eating healthy food is good for them. Nearly nine out of every ten pupils attend a physical activity club. Pupils make a positive contribution to the community through initiating fund-raising and through activities that encourage them to care for

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Grade: 2

their environment. The school council has made a number of suggestions, which have been followed up to improve the quality of school life. Pupils acquire satisfactory skills that will enable them to develop their future well-being.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Much teaching is now good but this has yet to affect the standards attained. The most effective teaching has considerable strengths. These include the use of good teaching methods that make learning deeper and more memorable. In a literacy lesson, for example, the interactive whiteboard was used particularly well to analyse and create poetry. Teachers plan lessons effectively so that time is used well. This means that pupils learn to work quickly and accurately. Teachers usually share objectives with the pupils, which help them to be clear about what it is they are learning in each session. Assessment procedures in reading, writing and mathematics are good and are used satisfactorily to improve standards. Pupils who find learning difficult are supported well by a knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator and by teaching assistants who are effective in helping them to meet their targets. The use of criteria against which

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Grade: 3

all pupils assess their success in a lesson has begun, but the more able pupils are not 3 Inspection Report: Kingsway Junior School, 16 March 2006 to 17 March 2006 always set criteria for success or sufficiently challenging targets that will enable them to develop higher level skills from the National Curriculum. Targets for pupils are displayed well in classrooms but some do not explain specifically what is expected of pupils.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and all national requirements are met. Sound planning for English, mathematics and science allow pupils to make satisfactory progress. The use of ICT in other subjects is good. This means that pupils have many opportunities to develop their skills across the curriculum. Pupils use the internet well to research many projects. They have, for example, researched the Second World war, mountains and famous artists. All pupils are benefiting from better opportunities to use computers in the updated suite where pupils have their own terminals to work from and good teacher expertise to call upon. A particularly wide range of clubs extends pupils' involvement in, and enjoyment of, sports, music and the arts. A good range of visits and visitors enriches the curriculum. The infant and junior school do share information about pupils' attainment but they do not link their planning of subjects so that pupils'

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Grade: 2

The quality of care and guidance shown for pupils is good. Pupils' achievement is monitored closely, particularly in English and Mathematics, and teachers know how well pupils are doing in these subjects. Pupils are consulted regularly and targets are shared with them. Support and guidance for pupils' personal development is good and is a strong feature of the school. All staff know their pupils well and, with the support of a wide range of external professional agencies, go to great lengths to ensure pupils' well-being. Child protection arrangements are in place and all staff are aware of what they should do if they are concerned. All legal checks are carried out on staff and other people who work with the pupils to ensure that they are kept as safe as they can be. Procedures to ensure pupils' health and safety are very thorough. The school conducts risk assessments on all practical activities involving pupils. Although the care aspects

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Grade: 2

of induction into Year 3 are good, overall procedures to ensure greater continuity between the infant and junior schools are underdeveloped.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher, working in close partnership with the senior leadership team, provides for both the academic and personal achievement of all pupils, to satisfactory effect. The head teacher has a strong commitment to the well-being of all pupils, which she has quickly transferred to other members of staff, some of whom are new to the school. Pupils who have not 4 Inspection Report: Kingsway Junior School, 16 March 2006 to 17 March 2006 settled in other schools are integrated particularly effectively into Kingsway Junior. School self-evaluation is thorough and includes the views of staff, governors, pupils and parents. It forms the basis of school improvement planning in which targets are realistic and measurable. The school improvement plan is well structured and evaluates detailed targets for developments over the next three years. This is assisting the school

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Grade: 3

to raise standards and pupils' rate of progress. Subject leadership is satisfactory overall. Subject leaders for English and mathematics effectively track pupils' academic progress, but this is not yet carried out by the subject leaders for science and ICT. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is effectively organised. Given an effective school development plan, a good senior management team and rising standards in Year 4, the capacity for further improvement is good. Governors fulfil their role satisfactorily. They know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and hold the headteacher to account for quality and standards in the school. They monitor the quality of education adequately. Prudent financial management resulted in the school having an above average amount of money saved, but much of this has now been spent on enlarging and updating the ICT suite and maintaining staffing levels in

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Grade: 3

smaller year groups. As a result, the school provides sound value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Kingsway Junior School, 16 March 2006 to 17 March 2006 .

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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: Kingsway Junior School, 16 March 2006 to 17 March 2006

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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 3 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 3 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 3 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 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 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 helping us to find out about your school. We enjoyed watching lessons and talking to you. It was interesting to talk to your teachers and watch two assemblies. You go to a sound school which is improving now that it has new teachers. The school is in a good position to improve because your progress is watched more carefully in English and mathematics and the senior teachers have good plans for the future. The good things about your school include the fact that you work hard in lessons. Your behaviour is mostly good. An effective team of senior teachers have some good ideas about ways to improve the school. Teachers work hard to make lessons interesting, often using ICT. All the staff care for you well. You have a really good range of after-school clubs that many of you attend. You are encouraged to lead healthy and safe lives. For example, nearly all of you attend physical activity clubs. You seem really

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

proud of your swimming and ICT achievements. I have asked your school to look at how they can make things even better. I hope that you will help teachers by listening to them carefully. The most important things are to: - Use your targets successfully so that more pupils attain the highest levels in English, mathematics and science. - Ensure that senior teachers look at your work carefully to make sure that you make good progress in science and ICT. - Improve the links between the infant and junior schools so that transfer between them is made easier. Keep up the super work at Kingsway Junior School.

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