Broadway Junior School

Inspection Report Broadway Junior School

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108757 Unique Reference Number Sunderland Local Authority 288180 Inspection number 30 °31 January 2007 Inspection dates Denis Goodchild Reporting inspector

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

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Springwell Road School address Junior Type of school Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Community School category SR4 8NW 7 °11 Age range of pupils 0191 553 5980 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 553 5982 Fax number 258 Number on roll (school) Mr H Hanson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs M Acklam Headteacher 1 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288180 30 °31 January 2007 7°11 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

The school is larger than average and has a two-form entry. School numbers are decreasing owing to declining population across the city. It is subject to reorganisation proposals, which have been deferred. The school serves an area that has high levels of social and economic disadvantage and an above average proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Pupils’ attainment when they join the school is broadly average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. There are very few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. A small number of pupils are looked after by the local authority. The school receives additional funding from the Excellence in Cities (EIC) programme.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with many outstanding features. ‘Mrs Acklam and her staff are fantastic and it will be a sad day when my last child leaves this school.’ This quote accurately represents the views of the overwhelming majority of parents. The outstanding care provided to all pupils, as well as to parents and their carers, helps them to overcome barriers in their learning so that they can achieve well. Pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils understand the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. By contributing to charities and in their relationships with others, they demonstrate caring and sensitive qualities; they willingly accept responsibility and contribute to the smooth running of the school. Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Their attendance at school has been below average but is showing signs of improvement. The school is continuing to work on this. An excellent curriculum opens up new

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Grade: 2

opportunities, leads the pupils to enjoy learning and prepares them well for the future. Pupils achieve well; although the girls are doing better than the boys. Pupils make good overall progress and reach average standards. The results of the national tests vary around the national average from one year to another. They were average overall in 2006 and exceeded the school’s targets. The school is not complacent about its results and works hard to raise standards. It has been particularly successful in raising the standards achieved by the girls. The 2006 results showed that the Year 6 girls achieved very well and their results were higher than those of the boys. Teaching and learning are good. During the inspection, it was clear that pupils make good progress in lessons because of good, and some outstanding teaching. Pupils enjoy their learning and receive the help they need to achieve their best. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides outstanding and

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Grade: 2

inspirational leadership. She has assembled a team of dedicated professionals who accept nothing but the best for the pupils. Everyone is committed to improving provision and raising standards. All staff play an effective role in evaluating the schools’ work and the governors have a good understanding of the strengths of the school. The school has a good capacity for continual improvement. Parents appreciate the swift and sensitive response to their concerns and are also confident that their children are listened to. Because of its good provision and good achievement, the school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards achieved by boys to equal those of the girls. • Build on the recent improvements in attendance so that it is consistently at least in line with the national average. 2 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils of all abilities generally make good progress, throughout the school. However, girls achieve better than boys. Standards reached overall are therefore only average. Pupils join the school with broadly average attainment and standards are average in English, mathematics and science when they leave the school, as shown in the results of the national tests of the Year 6 pupils. The results vary around the national average from one year to another; they were average in 2006 and exceeded the targets set for the school. Although the results were above the target, the school is not complacent about them and is trying to raise standards further. It is already succeeding in this in English, and is now working to repeat this success in mathematics, in which standards are lower than they have been in the past. The school has been very successful in raising girls’ achievement. The most recent national tests show that girls achieved very

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Grade: 2

well and better than the boys in the national tests in 2006. Vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress because of the effective support from teaching assistants. Personal development and well-beingGrade: 2 The pupils’ personal development is good and has some outstanding features. Attendance is improving. Previously it was below average, but the most recent figures show that it is currently in line with the national average. Pupils told the inspectors how much they enjoy lessons. They particularly enjoy the before and after school clubs, which have a high level of participation. Teachers have excellent relationships with pupils and expect much from them. Parents confirm this and say that staff could not do more for their children. Pupils like the teachers. For example, one pupil said, ‘The best thing about this school is the teachers.’ Consequently, pupils’ behaviour is

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Grade: 2

outstanding and they are considerate and polite towards others. Bullying is rare and is dealt with effectively when it does occur. Pupils accept responsibility willingly and develop into confident, self-assured young people well prepared for the future. Pupils know how to stay safe and whom to ask for help. They have a first-rate understanding of how to stay healthy and can explain the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are committed to raising money for charities and demonstrate a high degree of respect and consideration for one another in lessons. Their work on the school council and the school newspaper illustrates clearly their ability to work together for the benefit of the community. Educational visits out of school give them a good appreciation of their own culture. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, personally

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Grade: 2

The pupils’ personal development is good and has some outstanding features. Attendance is improving. Previously it was below average, but the most recent figures 3 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007 show that it is currently in line with the national average. Pupils told the inspectors how much they enjoy lessons. They particularly enjoy the before and after school clubs, which have a high level of participation. Teachers have excellent relationships with pupils and expect much from them. Parents confirm this and say that staff could not do more for their children. Pupils like the teachers. For example, one pupil said, ‘The best thing about this school is the teachers.’ Consequently, pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and they are considerate and polite towards others. Bullying is rare and is dealt with effectively when it does occur. Pupils accept responsibility willingly and

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Grade: 2

develop into confident, self-assured young people well prepared for the future. Pupils know how to stay safe and whom to ask for help. They have a first-rate understanding of how to stay healthy and can explain the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are committed to raising money for charities and demonstrate a high degree of respect and consideration for one another in lessons. Their work on the school council and the school newspaper illustrates clearly their ability to work together for the benefit of the community. Educational visits out of school give them a good appreciation of their own culture. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, personally and academically.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers’ expectations are high and they foster very good relationships with their pupils, which does much to assist pupils to make good progress and to create a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. Because of this, all pupils strive to please their teachers and work hard. Teachers have very good subject knowledge and prepare challenging, interesting and exciting lessons, which accurately match the pupils’ abilities and needs, motivating them to learn. Teachers insist that pupils explain their answers to questions clearly. At times, however, the pace of lessons is not fast enough and lessons sometimes do not give pupils enough time for practical or independent work. The teaching assistants support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities effectively so that they grow in confidence and make good progress. Curriculum and other activities Grade: 1 The curriculum is excellent. Planning and guidance for teachers ensure that work is

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Grade: 2

well matched to abilities and that all pupils, including those with learning difficulties, have equal access to the curriculum. The school places a very strong emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and listening. The improvement of numerical skills and the development of competence with computers also have very high priority. The greatest attention given to pupils’ personal development underpins the progress they make in their academic studies. All subjects of the National Curriculum are covered well and pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Lessons are enhanced by a very impressive range 4 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007 of visits and speakers from many walks of life. The pupils frequently enter competitions with other schools. These activities help to capture pupils’ interest and greatly add enrichment and enjoyment to their learning. A very keen emphasis on healthy eating

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Grade: 2

and exercise enables pupils to make very well-informed, personal lifestyle choices.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is excellent. Planning and guidance for teachers ensure that work is well matched to abilities and that all pupils, including those with learning difficulties, have equal access to the curriculum. The school places a very strong emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and listening. The improvement of numerical skills and the development of competence with computers also have very high priority. The greatest attention given to pupils’ personal development underpins the progress they make in their academic studies. All subjects of the National Curriculum are covered well and pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Lessons are enhanced by a very impressive range of visits and speakers from many walks of life. The pupils frequently enter competitions with other schools. These activities help to capture pupils’ interest and greatly add enrichment and enjoyment to their learning. A very keen emphasis on healthy eating

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Grade: 1

and exercise enables pupils to make very well-informed, personal lifestyle choices.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Very high levels of commitment to all aspects of pupils’ welfare ensure that they have all of the personal support that they need. Very effective procedures for child protection, health and safety and risk assessment are in place and reviewed regularly. Vetting procedures for staff working directly with pupils are fully in place. Teachers ensure that pupils feel perfectly safe in school. The success of measures introduced to improve pupils’ attendance is reflected in rising attendance rates. Effective monitoring of pupils’ progress and personal development identifies where pupils need extra help and enables the school to set targets for Year 6. Excellent liaison with parents keeps them fully informed about their children’s progress.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher’s outstanding leadership has created a climate in which pupils and adults respect each other and have full confidence in what they do. The headteacher is well supported by an acting deputy head and a management team who share her passion for giving pupils the best. The school is constantly seeking to remove barriers to learning and to raise pupils’ 5 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007 aspirations and this is reflected in the innovative and exciting curriculum. The headteacher does much to ensure the effectiveness of teaching through training and support, and staff morale is consequently very high. All issues arising from the last inspection have been resolved successfully. The management evaluates the school’s effectiveness thoroughly and accurately identifies the most important areas for improvement. The school has taken effective action this

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Grade: 2

year to improve teaching of English with a view to raising standards. Similarly, the school has now focused on the teaching of mathematics in order to raise standards in this subject. This effective evaluation of action taken and the identification of next-stage developments show clearly that the school has a good capacity to improve. Parents and governors are full of praise for the hard work of the headteacher and staff. The governance of the school is good. The governors support the headteacher effectively and recognise the strengths of the school although their knowledge of pupils’ work is not focused sharply enough on achievement. Prudent financial management has ensured that falling rolls have not resulted in staff redundancies. 6 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Broadway Junior School Springwell Road Sunderland Tyne and Wear SR4 8NW 1 February 2007 Dear Children Thank you for helping us when we came into your school. You really made our job easy. We enjoyed talking to you and looking at your work. I remember asking some pupils on the first day what they liked best in school. One said, ‘The teachers are the best thing about this school.’ After looking around the school I think that is right. But there were many other good things that we also saw. We especially liked how well you all got along together and helped each other and that includes pupils and grown °ups. We were impressed that you work so hard in lessons. You listen, think and really enjoy your interesting lessons and make good progress. The adults take good care of you so that you feel safe and happy. You enjoy your after-school clubs and visits. We usually leave schools with a few things to do to help them improve. Although your attendance

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is improving, we think that it could be even better. In order to achieve this you will have to do your part and aim for full attendance. Can you do it? Of course you can! We also think that boys could achieve higher results in the national tests and equal what the girls are doing. After seeing how hard you concentrate in lessons, we also think you can do this. We know that Mrs Acklam and all the adults who work in the school want the very best for you. We hope that you will help them to achieve that aim for you. Good luck and best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely Denis Goodchild Lead Inspector 10 Inspection Report: Broadway Junior School, 30 °31 January 2007

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