Banstead Community Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, academically and socially. Pupils meet these expectations successfully. Leaders have created a strong sense of community.

Warm relationships, built on respect and trust, permeate this school. Pupils are happy and polite. They behave well in lessons and on the playgrounds.

They enjoy playing football, using the fitness equipment and climbing on the 'Castle' during their breaktimes. Pupils understand the school's rules and follow them well.

Leaders do not accept any form of derogatory behaviour.

They gather thoughtfully the views of pupils in small focus groups. This means that leaders understand an...y issues that might affect pupils. Pupils feel safe in school.

Leaders deal with issues well, including the rare cases of bullying.

Pupils appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer. They are proud of their school and love representing Banstead Juniors in sporting events such as athletics and lacrosse.

Leaders ensure that pupils make a positive contribution to society. Pupils learn to care and respect others. They are kind to each other.

Pupils love caring for Dave, the school tortoise. Recently, Year 6 held their enterprise week, building up a business and raising money for a cancer charity successfully.

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

In most subjects, pupils build their knowledge and attain well.

This includes in national tests. Since the last inspection, leaders have made many improvements to the curriculum. They now have a curriculum in place that is ambitious for all pupils.

This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have identified the important concepts and skills that pupils need to learn and remember in all subjects. In the stronger subjects, teachers understand these well.

Subject leaders have a secure knowledge of their curriculum areas. They work closely with teachers to help them to understand how best to present new ideas to pupils. Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND promptly.

Staff make necessary adaptations to help pupils with SEND to access the curriculum well.

Leaders have considered carefully the subject-specific vocabulary that pupils must learn. Pupils use these identified words well while they work.

For example, in a Year 5 art lesson, pupils confidently used the words hue, tone and tint when discussing Picasso's blue period. However, in a few subjects, teachers' subject knowledge and confidence is not as strong. In these subjects, teachers are not as sure what learning to check.

In these areas, pupils remember less.

Pupils have positive attitudes to reading. Following the last inspection, leaders introduced a phonics programme for pupils who join the school who are not able to read fluently.

Well-trained staff deliver this programme successfully. Pupils who need extra support get the targeted teaching they need to catch up. Pupils enjoy studying a wide range of books.

Leaders have carefully selected books to introduce pupils to a diverse range of themes such as homelessness and refugees.

Pupils benefit from a sound personal development programme. Leaders encourage pupils to try hard and not give up.

Pupils in Year 6 are looking forward to showing resilience and embracing challenge in archery and raft building on their upcoming residential trip. Leaders prepare pupils for life in modern Britain effectively. Pupils learn about different family structures, beliefs and British values.

For example, pupils talk confidentiality about the democratic process of electing the school captains.

Leaders and governors work with a palpable sense of urgency to improve the quality of education in the school. They have been very successful.

Leaders ensure that staff are supported to manage their workload well. They are working on this further. However, some of the systems that leaders currently use do not tell them well enough how effectively the school is working.

For example, leaders do not have a sharp enough overview of any trends that may emerge when they analyse behaviour records. Leaders are sensibly reviewing their practices to ensure that they can monitor and effect change swiftly in all areas of the school's work.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know their role well in keeping pupils safe. Leaders ensure that all staff receive appropriate training. Staff know how to spot pupils who may be at risk and pass on any concerns promptly.

Leaders log any concerns and involve external agencies when needed. Staff and pupils understand local risks well. Leaders have recently updated their curriculum to help pupils understand the dangers of vaping.

Pupils appreciate the 'worry monsters' who eat any concerns that they have and the teachers who quickly sort the worries out. Pupils know that adults listen to them in this school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few foundation subjects, teachers' subject knowledge is not always strong enough to teach the new curriculum as well as leaders intend.

They are not as sure what to focus on when they check what pupils can do and remember. As a result, in these few subjects, pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should make sure that staff have the knowledge and confidence they need to teach and assess the new curriculum consistently well.

• Some systems that leaders use to find out how well the school is working do not give them the information they need. This means that, sometimes, leaders do not know quickly enough when they need to change policy or practice to make further improvements. Leaders should ensure that systems to monitor the effectiveness of school improvement are as purposeful, efficient and strategic as they can be.

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