Sunnymede Primary School

Sunnymede Junior School Inspection report

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114910 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LA Local Authority 311752 Inspection number 8 °9 January 2008 Inspection dates Sheelagh Barnes 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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Junior Type of school Community School category 7 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 290 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr A. Archer Chair Mrs K. Cooke Headteacher 16 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Meadow Way School address Billericay Essex CM11 2HL 01277651364 Telephone number 01277634209 Fax number

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7-11 Age group 8 °9 January 2008 Inspection dates 311752 Inspection number .

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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

This is a slightly larger than average sized school. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is higher than most schools. Fewer pupils than seen nationally have English as an additional language or are known to be eligible for free school meals. Standards on entry to Year 3 are currently broadly in line with those expected for pupils' ages. However, in previous years they have been below average, especially in reading, writing and numeracy skills. The school has an intermediate, advanced and National Healthy Schools Award and has twice been awarded Investors in People.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good and effective school. Leadership and management are good. Self-evaluation is good and the leaders have accurately identified the school's main strengths and the most important things to improve next. The effective leadership by the headteacher has resulted in a steady improvement of standards in recent years. Pastoral care is a real strength of the school and pupils' personal development is outstanding. Behaviour is good and pupils demonstrate a high level of respect for others. They enjoy their lessons and are enthusiastic about learning and coming to school. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. As a result, school functions in a calm and orderly manner. The senior managers have developed excellent links with other local schools and this benefits the school greatly. Not only does this liaison mean that induction into and transfer out from the school proceeds smoothly, but also benefits staff development and enriches the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

A good curriculum is supplemented effectively with residential visits and other activities, such as French. Lessons in art, music and sports and the excellent range of clubs and responsibilities make a very positive contribution to pupils' developing self-esteem and confidence. Pupils and their parents are appreciative of this and say, 'School gives children fantastic opportunities, such as singing at the Royal Albert Hall.' The progress boys and girls from all groups make, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, is good, as is their achievement. Standards have improved steadily since 2005, when pupils were making less than expected progress, and are now average. There has been particularly notable improvement in reading and writing, where achievement is good. Progress and achievement in mathematics and science is satisfactory. The overall improvement in English is due, in part to the good leadership and management of the subject but also to the concerted

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Grade: 2

whole-school focus, which has led to good levels of teacher confidence in planning effective lessons. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall, but particularly so in English. Teachers know pupils well and set work that is at the right level. This, combined with interesting and exciting themes, results in pupils applying themselves wholeheartedly to their work. However, teachers miss opportunities in marking and through discussions, to let each pupil know exactly what it is they need to focus on next to improve their work. The school has identified the need for older children, in particular, to become more involved in the evaluation of their work, but this is not yet happening in all classes. Other than this, care and welfare are good, especially with regard to keeping pupils safe and monitoring how well they are progressing. The school has a good capacity to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise progress and achievement in mathematics to equal that in reading and writing.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve information to pupils through marking and discussion to raise their understanding of how well they are doing and what they need to work on next.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. In recent years standards have started to rise steadily. By the time they the leave school, standards are average and pupils' progress, particularly in English, is good. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008 Progress between Years 3 and 6 is good. Pupils make good gains in their learning because of the recent focus school has placed on developing teaching and learning of English. Pupils from all groups, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities achieve well and attain the challenging targets the school sets them. In mathematics, progress and achievement are satisfactory and pupils attain the standards expected for their ages. As a result mathematics is to be the focus for school development this coming year.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' enjoyment in school is extremely strong. One pupil summed it up when she said, 'We all really like school and use our imagination a lot in many subjects'. Attendance is good, and so pupils make good progress in learning key skills. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 are very effectively involved in helping others to solve conflict and problems. The school council has surveyed all pupils and taken on board their opinions on a wide range of areas. Healthy lifestyles are adopted extremely well and pupils eat fruit regularly. Over the last year, a very high proportion of pupils have been involved in physical activities. Pupils' safety awareness is excellent because personal, social, health and emotional development sessions are planned really well. Behaviour is good and pupils contribute successfully to the community.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teaching is particularly good in English, where teachers are confident in their knowledge of how to help pupils best to learn to read and write. Throughout the school staff establish routines effectively and pupils know what is expected of them and so have a positive attitude to learning. Teachers plan well to make learning interesting and exciting and so pupils concentrate well and work with enthusiasm. Assessment is regular and the information gathered is used well so that lessons are planned to meet the needs of pupils from different groups effectively. All staff and helpers are well informed and so make a good contribution to the progress made by pupils from all groups. Teachers identify what are the next steps for each pupil to work on to improve standards. However, marking and setting of targets is not consistently carried out in such a way that pupils know what it is they need to

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is wide and well balanced. The new thematic approach is successfully promoting links between different subjects. Provision in English, particularly reading, is good, although that for mathematics, while satisfactory, is not yet as successful. Good attention is given to other aspects of the curriculum, such as challenge in art and design, opportunity for pupils to learn French and to become proficient with a wide range of musical instruments. Effective use is made of grouping pupils by ability in mathematics and English and specialist teaching in physical education and music. Visits to places such as to the British Museum and the Albert Hall and visits from rock and roll musicians and a theatre company make learning come alive. The curriculum supports the development of pupils' community awareness well through visits 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008

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Grade: 2

to the local professional football club and close links with a nearby hospice. An outstanding range of additional clubs further enhances the curriculum. Pupils and parents are rightly very pleased with these opportunities.

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Grade: 2

Pupils and parents recognise the strengths in the school's care and welfare procedures. One parent wrote, 'The school goes to great lengths to ensure that all of its pupils are well cared for'. Pupils are confident that there is someone at school they can go to for help if they feel ill or unhappy. Procedures for ensuring that pupils are safe and that all possible risks are minimised, are thorough. The checks on the suitability of staff meet statutory requirements. The school provides access to other support agencies when required. Staff all know pupils and their families well. A good amount of information is collected on the standards pupils reach and the progress they make as they move through the school. This is used well to identify which pupils need extra help and to establish teaching groups according to pupils' ability. However, the use of data to set targets that show pupils the next steps in their learning, is not yet fully

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a clear and accurate understanding of standards in all areas, based on her regular and astute monitoring. This information is shared and used effectively to highlight areas for improvement in the school's development plan. Co-ordinators roles are developing effectively and subject leaders have at least a sound, and often good, understanding of standards across the school. Leadership and management of English, information and communication technology and for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are good and this has led to significantly improved standards in recent times. Leadership in mathematics and science is satisfactory and leaders are developing their monitoring roles. The governing body are strong supporters of the school and feel confident to question and challenge the leadership. All requirements are met and financial management is good.

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Grade: 2

Resources are managed effectively and the school provides good value for money. In the main, parents are appreciative of the work of the school. However, a small minority say they would like more information about how well their children are doing. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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?

2 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 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 January 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Sunnymede Junior School, The Meadoway, Billericay, CM11 2HL Thank you for welcoming us to your school when we visited recently. We really enjoyed meeting you all and talking to you. Things that are particularly good are:-

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave well and your personal development is excellent.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have an outstanding understanding of how to keep healthy and stay safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your school has excellent links with others in the area and this helps you in many ways, including working together with pupils from other schools. ■ Your teachers teach you a wide range of interesting and exciting things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good progress, especially in reading and writing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher works hard and knows what to do to make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The things we have asked your school to do next are:-

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Remind you of the things each one of you needs to do to make your work even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To try to help you to do even better, so that you do as well in mathematics as you do in reading and writing. We really enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn. We wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely Mrs Barnes Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Sunnymede Junior School, 8 °9 January 2008

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