Nether Green Junior School

Nether Green Junior School Inspection report

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107004 Unique Reference Number Sheffield Local Authority 324507 Inspection number 20–21 November 2008 Inspection dates Brenda Clarke 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 7–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 383 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Dr P Mitchell Chair Mrs Susan Jackson Headteacher 12 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Fulwood Road School address Sheffield South Yorkshire S10 3QA 0114 230 2461 Telephone number 0114 263 0189 Fax number

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7–11 Age group 20–21 November 2008 Inspection dates 324507 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. 2 of 10 Inspection Report: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 2008

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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 larger than average sized Junior school in an advantaged area of Sheffield. Most pupils are White British with a steadily rising number of pupils from other ethnic backgrounds now joining the school. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is very low. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average, but there is a large group with a statement of educational need because the school has an Integrated Resource Unit for those with significant and complex learning needs. The majority of pupils enter Year 3 with above average capabilities. The school has gained the Gold Artsmark Award and Healthy Eating Status. There is an after school club associated with this school. This is run by a private provider and did not form part of this inspection.

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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: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. Leadership and management are strongly focused on raising achievement and show real skill in perceptive monitoring and evaluating of current provision and making improvements. Consequently, the provision for pupil's personal development and well-being is outstanding. Pupils respond with excellent behaviour and enthusiasm for learning. As a result, their progress is good. Most take part enthusiastically in the excellent range of additional activities, visits, residentials, sporting and creative opportunities. One pupil mirrors the comments of many when saying 'Life would be very boring without school!' Parents recognise these qualities and most are very pleased with the school's provision. Pupils are proud of their school. They get on well together irrespective of gender or backgrounds. The pastoral care of pupils is outstanding and much appreciated by parents. A typical parental

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Grade: 2

comment was 'This school provides a safe and caring environment for my children'. Parents particularly appreciate the provision for special educational needs and the many opportunities for those in the Integrated Resource Unit to be fully included in all aspects of the school. Hence pupils with learning difficulties and /or disabilities achieve well and add much to the life of the school. Standards at the end of Year 6 are above average overall and well above average in science. Pupils achieve well in reading, mathematics and science. Whilst pupils make at least good progress overall, their achievement in writing is currently satisfactory. Well thought out target setting procedures are in place and pupils' attainment and progress are regularly checked against challenging targets. These have highlighted that too few attain pupils achieve the higher levels in national tests in writing. The school is currently developing appropriate

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Grade: 2

whole-school systems to address this issue. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Lessons move at a brisk pace and no time is wasted. Knowledgeable teaching assistants are used effectively to support groups of pupils and individuals. Although teachers have very good subject knowledge and organise their lessons effectively, occasionally they do not use their assessments to provide work closely matched to pupils' needs. This means that higher attainers are not always stretched and is one reason why they achieve less highly in writing. Those of lower ability sometimes experience problems because the work is too hard. Teachers' marking is inconsistent and does not always inform pupils how well they have done or what they need to do next to improve their work. The curriculum is good with outstanding features and contributes significantly to pupils' enjoyment of school life. Focus weeks on aspects such as Chinese Culture or Black History

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Grade: 2

enrich provision. They provide many opportunities to enjoy visiting speakers and theatre groups and to make visits to exciting places such as The Bishop's House. Pupils' enjoyment is greatly enhanced through the very rich curriculum for the creative arts. The school's Gold Artsmark Award pays tribute to the hard work by many individuals to enable pupils to take part in an impressive range of art, music and drama activities. The leadership of headteacher and deputy headteacher is very good. They have set a clear direction for the school and together with the leadership team have rigorously ensured a shared understanding of areas for development. This provides the school with a good capacity to improve further. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 2008

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Use assessment more effectively to ensure that pupils' work is more closely matched to their differing academic capabilities and that pupils know how to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

Progress is good throughout the school. Provisional results in 2008 show standards are well above average in science by the end of Year 6. They are above average in mathematics and reading and average in writing. The school has successfully maintained these high standards since the last inspection. However, in writing, pupils have some progressing to do particularly in developing sustained pieces of varied and interesting writing for a range of audiences. Those who speak English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve equally well. Pupils in the Integrated Resource Unit achieve well because staff have a clear focus on developing pupils' communication, social interaction and life skills. Effective monitoring and evaluation is enabling senior leaders to identify differences in attainment between subjects and to provide appropriate interventions and set challenging

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Grade: 2

targets. This is a key reason why good standards are consistently maintained over time.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding provision for pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, enables pupils to develop excellent attitudes to their learning. Pupils' excellent enjoyment of school life is apparent in lessons and around the school and is also shown in their outstanding attendance. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles and take up is high in sports clubs, such as cross country running. They are justifiably proud of their Healthy School's Status. Pupils are keen to learn, respectful of themselves and others and are extremely polite and friendly. Pupils reflect upon their work and actions and have a strong moral sense of right and wrong. They know how to keep safe and demonstrate this very effectively when playing harmoniously in the rather cramped playground. Through initiatives such as the school council, Buddies, fruit shop and fund raising, pupils contribute enthusiastically

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Grade: 1

to the school and wider community. Pupils' good academic skills, excellent social skills and marked confidence as speakers prepares them extremely well for later life.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers' behaviour management skills are strong ensuring a high focus on learning and minimal disruption in lessons. Very good relationships between staff, and staff and pupils, results in a supportive learning environment in which pupils thrive. Teachers ensure that learning is relevant, often linking subjects, for example, taking pulse readings in science to produce line graphs in mathematics. This gives real purpose to learning. Teachers ensure that work builds on earlier learning, but sometimes do not address the differing needs of learners in their planning and classroom practice. Inspection findings agree with a small minority of parents who say that higher achieving pupils sometimes are not 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 2008 fully challenged in lessons. Lower attaining pupils occasionally find the work too hard, sometimes

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Grade: 2

limiting the progress they make. Most teachers regularly mark pupils' work but do not always indicate what pupils need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with outstanding features. The very rich experiences provided in the music, art and sports curriculum greatly enhances pupils' enjoyment of school life. The curriculum is very relevant to pupils' needs, for example, the life skills of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are enhanced through regular visits into the community to use transport and to handle money. Additionally, planned whole-school events, such as the Victorian Day promote a diverse learning experience. Throughout the school, pupils show very mature attitudes to learning. Occasionally lessons do not make best use of these mature learning styles so that pupils sometimes complete worksheets when most are capable of independently organising and recording their learning.

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Grade: 2

Standards of care for all pupils are outstanding. All statutory requirements for safeguarding pupils are met and rigorously maintained. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good because they are given effective adult support and are fully included in school life, for example, as members of the school orchestra. Pupils feel safe and trust adults to help them with difficulties. High quality transition arrangements ensure that pupils transfer confidently to the next stage of education. Parental responses indicate a high level of support for the school and demonstrates the confidence parents have about their children's well-being. Pupils are beginning to be involved in the assessment of their progress, but do not share fully in the target setting process or in what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

School leaders robustly evaluate provision which enables them to plan effectively for future improvement. Challenging targets are set for learners and senior leaders have effective systems for monitoring pupils' progress and analysing future requirements. However, most subject coordinators have less developed roles particularly in evaluating the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. This goes some way to explaining why inconsistencies in teachers' use of assessment information have not been consistently identified. Resources are used effectively to ensure best value. Governors offer valued support and expertise. Inclusion is strong and support for those in need is at the heart of the school's provision. The school's contribution to community cohesion is good overall, but the headteacher acknowledges that more needs to be done to develop pupils' understanding of cultural diversity in multi-ethnic Britain. Nether

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Grade: 2

Green Junior School is a very strong community and all stakeholders have a justifiable sense of pride in the school. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 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: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 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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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? 2 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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 2008

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for the very friendly welcome you gave to the inspection team when we inspected your school recently. We enjoyed the time we spent with you and the opportunities we had to talk with you. Your school provides you with a good education and has some outstanding features. Teaching is good and ensures that you make good progress and reach standards that are above those reached by children in most other schools. You develop into confident, polite and caring young people. You communicate your ideas and opinions in a mature way and you develop very good attitudes to your learning. Most importantly you really enjoy your education and many of you take part enthusiastically in the lunchtime and after school clubs. You know how to keep fit and healthy and enjoy your healthy tuck shop. You are well looked after and feel safe in school. We enjoyed watching you at playtime and seeing how friendly and considerate you were to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

each other. We think your headteacher has identified the right things to make your school an even better place for you and we have asked the school to do two important things to improve your learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that all teachers give you work that is not too easy or too hard for you. Also, that you receive good feedback on your work and know exactly what you need to do to improve further. I hope that you continue to enjoy your education. Good luck with your Christmas productions and best wishes for a happy holiday. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Nether Green Junior School, 20–21 November 2008

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