Durrington Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like their school. They value the support they get for their learning. They appreciate the way teachers make things fun and interesting.

They know that they are expected to work hard.

Pupils feel safe. They say that if there are problems there are, 'people to ask and places to go'.

They feel confident that they can tell an adult or use systems such as the worry boxes and that concerns will be addressed.

Pupils say that initiatives such as earning 'Durrington Dosh' to spend at the shop has helped to improve behaviour. They feel that this helps to reward those who consistently behave well.

Pupils know that some pupils find good behaviou...r a challenge. They are understanding of each other's needs. Pupils are confident that bullying, when it happens, is responded to.

They say that the anti-bullying ambassadors help by reporting any problems.

Pupils are enthusiastic about the range of opportunities for taking on extra responsibility such as working in the bank or the shop. There is a myriad of sporting opportunities for pupils and regular tournaments with other schools.

Pupils can be sports leaders and there is a potential to extend this into being a legacy leader.

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

Since the last inspection, standards have not always been high enough. However, leaders have worked in close partnership with the local authority to successfully strengthen the curriculum and get things back on a secure footing.

Together they have provided training for staff that has helped build their curriculum knowledge. Subject leaders have been developed effectively. They monitor provision and provide ongoing training.

Staff feel well supported by leaders.

In English and mathematics the curriculum is well structured. Pupils build their knowledge in sequential steps.

Pupils' workbooks show how learning develops. There is an ongoing focus on building vocabulary. This helps pupils in all subjects, for example, in solving word-based problems in mathematics.

Reading is a high priority. Pupils read widely. They enjoy using the well-stocked library to explore work by different authors.

Pupils are proud of their 'word counts' which reflect how much they have read. Leaders have introduced a new phonics scheme. This is helping pupils who need to catch up build skills to read well.

The curriculum in other subjects has been developed carefully. Subject leaders have thought about what pupils need to learn and when, to build the knowledge they need. The delivery of these plans is well underway, but leaders know that this is not yet fully embedded.

Ways of assessing what pupils have remembered have not yet been developed across all subjects in the wider curriculum. This means that sometimes learning is not closely matched to what pupils already know and can do.

There are a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) at the school, including in the special support centre.

Pupils with SEND are supported well. Their needs are carefully considered. This helps pupils with SEND to be fully included and successful across the curriculum.

In lessons, pupils are kind and supportive to each other. For example, comments like, 'good catch' and 'well done' are commonplace in physical education (PE). Pupils are polite to each other.

They say please and thank you. They enjoy working in groups and have fun together. Pupils listen carefully to their teachers and follow directions.

This helps lessons to run smoothly. Classrooms are calm and purposeful places.

Pupils are taught to value difference.

They are curious about customs and cultures. They learn about a range of religions. Pupils have taken part in a range of activities to help them to understand fundamental British values.

Governors are supportive of the school. They have been working with the local authority to sharpen the way they gather information and hold leaders to account. They are reviewing their ways of working.

They know that there is still more to do to develop clearer systems to help drive the school forward with ambition and focus.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding needs are identified quickly.

Staff work well together to share information and take prompt action when it is needed. Regular training is carefully shaped to update staff or to respond to any issues identified in the local area.

Leaders are tenacious in making sure that pupils get the help they need to stay safe.

In school, pupils benefit from time to talk, both in curriculum sessions and in additional support groups. Any patterns that are identified, such as online safety needs, are used to adapt the curriculum. This helps pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Assessment across the wider curriculum has not been fully developed. This means that leaders and teachers do not always have a clear enough view of how well pupils are remembering the intended curriculum. Leaders should make sure that assessment helps teachers check what pupils know and can do, to identify what pupils need to learn next.

In some subjects, the curriculum has been revised, but is not fully embedded. This means that leaders have not yet evaluated how effectively pupils learn the intended curriculum. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is fully implemented in all subjects.

• Governors have not always held leaders to account with a sufficient level of knowledge and challenge. They are developing clearer systems for evaluating the school's progress. Governors need to ensure that their expertise is used to rigorously monitor and check progress towards key priorities to secure further school improvement.

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