Orchard Lea Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection.

However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly and welcoming school.

They appreciate the genuine care and trust between staff and pupils. This ensures that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported to integrate positively into the full life of the schoo...l. Pupils are keen to take on additional responsibilities within the school, such as joining the 'e-cadets' who help to maintain the school's computing equipment.

Pupils feel safe and they usually behave well. New leaders have quickly ensured that pupils understand their high expectations. Staff employ fair and consistent rewards and sanctions.

This means that classrooms are typically calm and purposeful places to learn. Bullying is rare and it is not tolerated by leaders, who take effective action when concerns are raised.

Leaders and staff are keen for pupils to achieve highly.

They are in the process of embedding a well sequenced and ambitious curriculum. This is helping pupils to learn and remember more. However, this ambition does not yet translate into consistently strong practice.

Consequently, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. This includes the teaching of early reading, so some weaker readers struggle to develop accuracy and fluency as quickly as they could.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Governors and new school leaders are ambitious for all pupils.

They are supporting staff to raise their expectations about what pupils can achieve. This includes making sure that pupils behave well in classes so that no learning time is lost. Strong relationships are at the heart of leaders' and governors' improvement work.

Leaders plan carefully for staff development at all levels, and staff appreciate the time that leaders give them to work with colleagues to strengthen the curriculum.

Many pupils learn to read well. Pupils are proud of their well stocked and inviting library.

This encourages pupils to read more often and, increasingly, to try books by unfamiliar authors. However, there are groups of pupils at an early stage of reading who do not make as much progress as they should. Leaders make sure that there is additional teaching for pupils who need extra support, but this is not always effective.

This is because leaders have planned, but not yet provided, high-quality training on the new phonics programme for all staff.

The recently introduced curriculum clearly sets out what leaders intend pupils to learn and the essential knowledge that they need to remember over time. In subjects such as mathematics and reading, teachers are already implementing the new curriculums effectively.

In reading and mathematics, the special educational needs coordinator is tenacious in ensuring that pupils with SEND have the right support. Staff are trained to make adaptations to the reading and mathematics curriculum to help all pupils achieve well.

Leaders recognise that the teaching of many other subjects needs strengthening.

While leaders know what they want pupils to achieve, they have not yet ensured that teachers have the knowledge and skills to present information clearly to pupils. This means that sometimes the work given to pupils is not closely matched to the aims of the new curriculum. Teachers do not carefully check what pupils know and remember.

They do not make sure that pupils have the knowledge and skills they need to grasp new ideas and connect this to what they already know. This means that pupils do not currently learn as well as leaders intend.

Pupils are well prepared for life beyond primary school because of leaders' focus on developing the whole child.

Pupils are taught how to stay healthy and what makes people happy. For example, the school council has worked with leaders to introduce the 'kindness campaign'. This is because pupils think that they could, and should, be even kinder to each other.

Teachers build pupils' knowledge about equality and diversity. As a result, pupils understand that they should treat everyone the same and be inclusive, regardless of any difference.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have effective systems for keeping pupils safe from harm. They provide high-quality training to help staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and procedures. Staff routinely identify early concerns and leaders quickly take appropriate action.

There is a culture of vigilance, with all staff agreeing that 'it can happen here'.

Leaders enlist extra help for pupils and their families whenever needed. They communicate clearly and maintain detailed safeguarding records.

Recruitment processes are diligently managed, including robust maintenance of the single central record.Pupils develop a strong understanding of online safety and healthy relationships through well-planned assemblies and lessons.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Early reading is not yet taught well enough.

As a result, some pupils do not quickly become fluent readers. Leaders must ensure that all staff have the subject knowledge and expertise to teach the early reading programme accurately and consistently. ? The implementation of many foundation subjects is inconsistent.

This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to support pupils to achieve highly across the curriculum. ? Teachers do not routinely take account of what pupils know in the foundation subjects.

As a result, they do not plan activities that enable pupils to build securely on previous learning. Leaders need to make sure that staff assess what pupils have learned and remember carefully, and use the information to plan future learning effectively.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2018.

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