Guillemont Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly school where pupils rightly trust staff to look after them and to deal with any concerns quickly. Pupils know that adults care for them and will spend time listening to any worries they have.

They feel safe. The school council have put worry boxes in every class for their peers who are anxious or need help.

Pupils enjoy playtimes and the different activities they can do each day.

For example, climbing on the 'blue Dorito' or going on the adventure playground. However, behaviour can be very boisterous particularly when older boys are playing football. Incidents of bullying do occur, but pupils know to tell an adult and it is dealt with promp...tly.

Pupils have many opportunities to take on roles of responsibility, for instance as a peer mediator or an art curator. However, the most popular role is working in the aviary and caring for the animals.

Leaders' expectations for what all pupils can do and achieve need to be higher.

Pupils do not always remember their learning, because leaders have not identified what they want pupils to learn. Some pupils cannot read as well as they should be able to.

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

Leaders know that pupils must be fluent readers in order to access the whole curriculum.

They ensure that all pupils read a wide range of quality texts to develop their vocabulary. Alongside this, pupils enjoy visiting the newly refurbished library and selecting age-appropriate books. This is developing their love for reading.

However, some pupils in the lower years are struggling to become fluent readers. Pupils are not able to use their phonics to help them with their reading. This is because staff do not know the phonics programme well enough.

In addition, pupils are not reading books that match the sounds they know and are learning. Leaders know that support for these pupils is not currently helping them to catch up as quickly as they should.

Leaders have designed a curriculum that covers the full range of subjects in the national curriculum.

Subjects are sequenced from Year 3 upward. However, in most subjects, leaders have not made the important knowledge they want pupils to learn explicit. New learning is not linked carefully to what pupils have learned before.

As a result, teachers do not check or know what gaps in learning pupils have. This means pupils are not able to talk about what they have learned and remembered.

Leaders quickly identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) are well supported and their needs are carefully met. However, leaders do not ensure that teachers in the main school fully understand how best to provide the support that pupils with SEND need. Teachers are not adapting what they teach effectively, which means that pupils with SEND are not accessing the curriculum as well as they should.

Expectations of pupils' behaviour are not consistent across the school. Leaders have introduced a new behaviour system which is not fully embedded. At times, some pupils are not as focused as they should be.

This can lead to learning being interrupted, which slows the learning for everyone in the class. Teachers are not promptly refocusing pupils to ensure that all are listening and attentive.

Pupils' personal development is well planned.

Leaders have focused on ensuring that pupils have an understanding of how to form strong and happy relationships. They also make sure that pupils know the risks they may face outside of school. Pupils know about 'stranger/danger' and link this to when they are online.

Year 6 pupils have the opportunity to take part in the £5 challenge in which they set up a business with the aim to raise money for their chosen charity. Pupils are keen to talk about their residentials which every year group experiences.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained to recognise signs in a pupil that might be a cause for concern. Staff know the procedures they need to follow if they are worried about a pupil. Leaders work well with other agencies to ensure pupils and their families get the support they need promptly.

The school's safeguarding records did not include all actions taken by leaders. However, when this was drawn to leaders' attention during the inspection, changes were quickly made. Governors monitor and challenge the school's safeguarding work, but there is more to be done.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Support for pupils at the early stages of learning to read is not effective. This is hindering their progress in learning to read fluently. Leaders need to make sure that staff are well trained and that the books pupils read match the sounds they are learning.

• Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is adapted to support pupils with SEND. This means that these pupils are not making the progress they should. Leaders must make sure that teachers understand how to meet the needs of pupils who have barriers to learning so that all pupils can succeed.

• Leaders have not used their centralised safeguarding record-keeping system as well as they could. This means that information in individual pupil records is not fully completed. Leaders must ensure that all record-keeping is complete so that all the designated safeguarding leads have access to the information they need to support pupils.

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