Elmwood Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Elmwood Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and speak positively about the warm welcome that those from different backgrounds receive.

They are keen to share their learning with visitors and speak passionately about the experiences that they have been part of during their time at school.

Staff have high expectations of pupils' work and conduct. As a result, pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.

Bullying is rare. Leaders have systems in place to respond swiftly to any incidents that occur. Pupils know who to speak to if they have concerns and they feel confident that any issues would... be resolved.

As a result, pupils feel safe and are kept safe at school.

Pupils take on additional responsibilities through the school council, as sports captains and as digital and science ambassadors. There are a range of extra activities available to pupils, including gardening, art and chess.

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. In most subjects, pupils develop a deep understanding over time. Pupils produce work of good quality in different areas because they are expected to do so.

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

Pupils at the early stages of reading are swiftly identified when they join this school. They receive the help that they need quickly through well-targeted support with phonics. This includes sufficient time to practise reading with books that are well matched to the sounds that they are learning.

As a result, pupils increase their reading accuracy, fluency and confidence over time.

Pupils enjoy reading and being read to. The curriculum has been designed to introduce pupils to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts.

Pupils are motivated to read for enjoyment and to deepen their understanding in other subjects.The curriculum matches the scope of what is expected nationally. Leaders have thought carefully about how pupils' knowledge should be built cumulatively to help them learn and remember more.

For example, in art, younger pupils experiment with mark making using charcoal. Older pupils then use the techniques that they have learned to sketch and blend when creating representations of Zaha Hadid's work. Similarly, in mathematics, pupils' vocabulary is developed sequentially.

This supports them to solve increasingly complex word problems and to explain their mathematical thinking.

However, in some subjects, the curriculum is at an earlier stage of implementation and is not as well embedded. In these areas, teachers do not routinely focus on the important ideas that pupils need to learn.

This means that pupils do not develop as secure and deep an understanding over time.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified in a timely way. Leaders offer appropriate guidance and training for teachers on how best to support pupils in lessons so that they access a full curriculum.

Pupils behave well and lessons are rarely disrupted. Pupils work well independently and cooperate maturely with their peers. Pupils understand what bullying is.

They are clear on how to report concerns and feel that adults will listen and act effectively.

Pupils' wider personal development is well considered. The curriculum is designed to help support pupils' understanding of important issues.

This includes understanding right from wrong, the importance of democracy and knowing how to vote. Pupils are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the wider community. For example, they organised a raffle to support the relief effort for the recent floods in Pakistan.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported by leaders to manage their workload and that their well-being is a priority. Staff feel able to raise concerns should they need to.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide appropriate training for staff and governors. This helps them to understand the risks that pupils may experience.

Leaders understand the challenges faced by some families and work with external agencies to provide timely support for those in need.

Pupils speak confidently about the school's safeguarding motto to be 'happy, healthy and safe'. They know who to go to if they are worried about themselves or a peer.

The curriculum has been designed to help pupils understand how to stay safe, including when out in the local area.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, pupils do not develop knowledge and understanding as securely and deeply in these areas.

Leaders should identify the most important concepts in each subject so that pupils can deepen their understanding. This will help pupils to tackle more challenging ideas later on in the curriculum.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in 2013.

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