Four Lanes Community Junior School

Inspection Report Four Lanes Community Junior School

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116247 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 285343 Inspection number 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 Inspection dates Linda Kelsey Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Hanmore Road School address Junior Type of school Chineham Community School category Basingstoke RG24 8PQ 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 01256816326 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01256811320 Fax number 332 Number on roll Mr Barry Thorn Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Martyn Gamble Headteacher 26 February 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285343 9 May 2006 - 7 to 11 9 May 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 by one of Her Majesty's inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Four Lanes Community Junior School shares its site with the infant school from where most pupils transfer at the age of seven. Pupils start school with standards above average coming from homes in a favourable part of Basingstoke. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is average. Few pupils have a free school meal and a small proportion of pupils have English as an additional language. The community centre housed within the junior school building is an integral part of the school and its facilities for adult education, after school care and parenting classes are shared by the infant school. The report on this facility is attached as an annex to this report.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Four Lanes Community Junior School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006

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Grade: 2

This is an effective school which knows itself well. Its key strengths are its team work and the happy, calm and purposeful learning environment it provides for all pupils. Standards are above average and well above in English. They have been significantly higher than schools nationally for the last three years. Achievement is good overall, although more able pupils, particularly the girls, could do better in mathematics and science. The school recognises this area for development and has put in extra support through its excellent partnership work with other schools. Targets for 2006 are in line with the average for similar schools. They could be more ambitious for the higher achieving pupils who are capable of reaching level 5 in mathematics and science and already do so in English. Pupils' personal, including spiritual, moral and social development is good. Their cultural development is well promoted through music, art and drama. However, the school

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Grade: 2

rightly recognises that more work is required to extend their multicultural experiences. The good care, guidance and support pupils receive ensures they develop as confident learners who have positive self-esteem, behave extremely sensibly and show caring attitudes to one another. Pupils make a very good contribution to their community with many involved in class or school council activities. Representatives of the councils who met with the inspectors told them how proud they were of the school motto andquot;Flying Togetherandquot; and how much they appreciate the way the school enables them to achieve this. They are especially proud of the good impact of their idea to introduce water bottles. One boy summed this up by saying andquot;water is good as it keeps you going longer!andquot; Members of staff know the pupils well and relationships are very good between pupils and their teachers. Pupils' behaviour is outstanding. They clearly enjoy school as

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Grade: 2

attendance figures are above average. There are good assessment procedures, teachers know what the pupils are capable of doing and generally plan their work accordingly. However, this data is not used well to support those pupils who are more able. Pupils do not benefit from the setting of personal targets to help their progress. This is recognised as an area for development. Teaching is good overall with some that is outstanding in Year 6. Most lessons proceed at a brisk pace; there are good summaries and a strong focus on learning with supporting resources like Information and Communication technology (ICT). The provision for ICT has improved since the last inspection and pupils use these skills in lessons to enhance their work and make learning more enjoyable and exciting. The school sees this as a key factor in ensuring boys also perform equally well at the school. Good questioning techniques that deepened pupils' thinking skills was a feature of

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Grade: 2

most of the lessons observed. However, on occasion questions were not as well targeted as they could be and in this situation it was noticeable that boys were much more confident to voice their opinions than girls. 2 Inspection Report: Four Lanes Community Junior School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 Pupil progress is monitored carefully. Group targets help pupils know what to do to improve. However, there is limited use of targets to aid individual progress. Marking is not sufficiently focussed on identifying what pupils need to do to improve. There are well-deployed teaching assistants who work effectively in supporting pupils with learning difficulties. Innovative developments over recent years have produced a good curriculum that generally meets pupils' needs very well. Basic skills are given good attention with a particular emphasis on English. There is some good creative work on display around the school and many pupils take options for learning a musical instrument, singing in

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Grade: 2

a choir or competing in sport. The provision for extra curricular activity is excellent; visits and visitors are used well to strengthen and enliven the curriculum. The school is actively working towards further improving the provision for the more able mathematicians with sensible plans in place to extend creativity, problem-solving and thinking skills across the curriculum. The quality of care, guidance and support is good for all pupils. They work in a safe and secure environment. Pupils told inspectors that andquot;someone always listens to any worries if we have anyandquot;. The headteacher provides good leadership. He has a clear view of strengths and weaknesses in the school, rightly recognising that the roles of the senior staff in monitoring and challenging teaching and learning are under-developed. This was highlighted at the time of the last inspection. Governors are very supportive; they

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Grade: 2

monitor aspects of the school following a specific focus such as the recent development of ICT. The school has outstanding links with the community centre which provides adult education, parent support groups and extended school activities for pupils. It also has very good links with the infant school which shares its site and the secondary schools to which most pupils transfer. The school provides good value for money and has the capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

This area is good although in mathematics standards fell in 2005 to below the 2003 figure and from a particularly high point in 2004. In science, standards showed a small decline in 2005 but were still above national average. Boys achieve well, particularly the lower attainers.

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Grade: 2

The school places great importance on personal development. Pupils have a very good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and they know how to stay safe. They explain these very clearly though some are not always making the right choice about some of the food they prefer to eat. Through class activities and the excellent 3 Inspection Report: Four Lanes Community Junior School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 range of sports on offer, they work well in teams and are encouraged to show their initiative.

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Grade: 2

The school's good teaching is reflected in the pupils' good achievement and good enjoyment in learning. Paired and group work is a strong element of many lessons with pupils rising to the challenge to work collaboratively with others. Those pupils with learning difficulties receive the right amount of support they need.

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Grade: 2

Pupils with gifts and talents have been involved in building cars powered by an alternative energy source. There are excellent enrichment trips to museums, Hampton Court and a residential stay at Stubbington. Pupils greatly enjoy the Tudor and Victorian Days that bringing learning about history alive.

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Grade: 2

Arrangements for child protection meet requirements with further training about to be organised by the headteacher to all staff.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. 4 Inspection Report: Four Lanes Community Junior School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 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. 5 Inspection Report: Four Lanes Community Junior School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 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 1 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 2 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 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 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 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

Pupils You will remember that you had two visitors to your school a few weeks ago. We would like to thank you for your polite and courteous behaviour around the school. In talking to you we realised how much you enjoy coming to school to do all the exciting things that your teachers have planned for you. We thought your school was very good at ensuring that you reach very high standards in English and good standards in mathematics and science. You also do a good range of interesting and varied work in other subjects. Your headteacher, teachers and helpers work hard to make sure that you behave well, look after each other and contribute to making the school an even better place to come to. Some of your ideas have been really good. We have asked your headteacher to make sure that he gets some help from other members of staff in checking that all your teaching is of the highest quality and that your individual targets

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to improve your work are shared with you. Some of these targets will be more demanding and will ask you to work a bit harder. This is to make sure that more of you achieve the highest standards possible, especially in mathematics and science. We wish you all the best of luck, health and happiness for your future life. Linda Kelsey Her Majesty's Inspector

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