Croftlands Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Croftlands Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that their teachers are supportive and that they make lessons interesting. Pupils told inspectors that they feel happy. Parents typically said that their children enjoy attending school and that they come out smiling every day.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), live up to leaders' high expectations for what they can achieve. In the main, pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well. They are well prepared for the next stages of their education.

All staff have the highest expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils know... the rules and try their best to behave well. They are polite and respectful towards each other and adults.

Lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

Pupils learn a lot about different forms of bullying. If bullying happens, staff act quickly to put a stop to it.

Pupils said that this helps them to feel safe in school.

Pupils experience many opportunities to enhance their wider learning and development. They are suitably prepared for life in modern Britain.

For example, pupils learn what it means to be a compassionate citizen. They raise funds for charities and become involved in their local community.

Pupils enjoy taking on leadership roles.

For example, they become school councillors, librarians and playground leaders. Pupils explained that visiting artists, authors and musicians spark new interests in them.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that reflects the ambition of the national curriculum.

It is sufficiently broad and balanced. The curriculum is generally well organised and it is delivered in a logical order. Leaders are determined that all pupils, including those with SEND, will achieve their very best.

Overall, they are successful in making this happen. For the most part, pupils at Croftlands Junior School learn a great deal of new concepts and topics.

In most subjects, leaders have ensured that teachers know what subject content to teach and when to teach it.

In these curriculum areas, they use assessment systems well to check on pupils' understanding. Teachers are also quick to address misconceptions. This means that, in the main, pupils build on what they already know and can do as they move through the school.

Although the curriculum is well planned overall, in a minority of subjects, leaders are finalising the most important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. As the curriculum content is still being defined in a few subjects, the way that teachers assess pupils' understanding is not as well developed. This means that, in some subjects, leaders do not have a clear enough view of pupils' learning over time.

In general, teachers are well trained to deliver the curriculum. They choose appropriate activities to deliver new topics and concepts to pupils.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum.

Teachers also promote a love of reading in everyday lessons. Pupils recommend books that they have enjoyed in 'book talk' sessions. They benefit from visiting authors and from participating in events such as World Book Day.

Teachers act quickly to identify those pupils who are behind with their reading. Leaders have planned a phonics programme which ensures that pupils, at the early stages of reading, learn new sounds in a logical order. Books are closely matched to the sounds that they have learned.

This helps them to experience success and develop confidence in reading.

Leaders ensure that pupils learn to read with accuracy and fluency by the end of key stage 2. They make sure that pupils read regularly, practise often and experience the joy of books.

Staff are highly skilled in identifying pupils who may have SEND. They work closely with families and specialist professionals to provide high-quality personalised support for each pupil. Teachers skilfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum, and the learning environ-ment, so that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as others.

Pupils apply themselves to their learning in lessons. When moving around school and in the playground, pupils conduct themselves well. They listen well in lessons, participate enthusiastically with one another and show a keen interest in different subject matter.

Learning is seldom interrupted.

Leaders have planned an effective curriculum with opportunities for pupils' wider personal development. Curriculum visits, such as field trips in history and geography, enhance pupils' learning.

They learn respect for people's differences and other faiths and religions.Governors know the school well. They understand their responsibilities and are not afraid to ask challenging questions to hold leaders to account for the quality of education.

Staff appreciate the support leaders and governors provide to protect their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding.

All staff receive regular safeguarding training to help them identify pupils who may be at risk. Safeguarding leaders know pupils and their families well. This helps them to be alert to any potential signs of harm or neglect.

All staff are aware of what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil. Records show that staff and leaders act on any concerns quickly.

Pupils learn how to stay safe when using the internet and social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not finalised the most important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. Furthermore, in these remaining subjects, the systems to check how well pupils are remembering key content are underdeveloped. Occasionally, this hinders some pupils from building up subject knowledge as securely as they should.

Leaders should ensure that teachers are clear about the essential knowledge that pupils should learn across the curriculum. They should also ensure that teachers know how to assess pupils' learning in these subjects.

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 May 2017.

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