Field End Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement The school has not improved sufficiently since the previous inspection. For three years, pupils have not been well prepared for the move to secondary school. Governance is not fully effective.

Governors have not held leaders to account for the quality of education. Their evaluation of the school's effectiveness is overgenerous. Leaders have not improved the quality of teaching and pupils' outcomes.

Until recently, systems to monitor the quality of teaching and pupils' outcomes were not sufficiently robust. Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve well. Over time, governors and leaders have not ensured that the additional f...unding for these pupils is spent effectively.

For the past three years, disadvantaged pupils' progress has been below or significantly below that of other pupils nationally. Current pupils' achievements in reading, writing and mathematics are not consistently good. Since the previous inspection, pupils' progress by the end of Year 6 has been well below average, particularly in mathematics.

Teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough. Teachers do not use assessment information consistently well enough to plan activities that meet the needs of different ability groups. The level of challenge in lessons is inconsistent.

Sometimes, teachers miss opportunities to extend pupils' learning and deepen their understanding. This hinders pupils' progress. Some middle leaders are new to their roles and it is too early to see the impact of their actions on raising standards.

The new strategies to improve the teaching of reading and mathematics need time to become embedded. The school has the following strengths The new headteacher knows what needs to be done to improve the school. She has made important changes and, as a result, teaching and pupils' outcomes are improving.

Staff morale is high. Staff support the headteacher's vision and are determined to raise standards throughout the school. Pupils behave well.

They are proud of their school and very positive about the changes that are taking place. Pupils are happy, safe and well cared for. Attendance has improved.

Staff ensure that pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities achieve well.

Information about this school

Since the previous inspection, there have been several staffing changes. The headteacher took up her post in September 2017.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. The school is larger than the averaged-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is average.

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