High Bank Junior Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

High Bank Junior Infant and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

At High Bank School, pupils aspire to the school values of 'Aim High, Show Respect and Make the Right Choices'.

The school is a caring, kind environment. Pupils relish being at school. They have good relationships with their teachers.

They enjoy the trips and visits that are planned for them. For example, Year 6 pupils were keen to tell inspectors about a trip to London, made memorable by the visit to Westminster and the links to Britain's democracy.

Pupils are trusted to be leaders in the sch...ool.

Well-being ambassadors and student council roles encourage pupils to take on responsibilities and create an environment in which pupils help each other. This helps pupils to build positive friendships. Pupils rise to the expectations of teachers by taking on these roles.

The school is calm and welcoming. In lessons, and around the school, pupils behave very well. Routines are well understood and followed by pupils.

Every part of the school day, from breakfast club to after-school clubs, has a clear purpose to build pupils' confidence, achievement and development. From the youngest children to the oldest pupils, teachers notice and praise pupils' positive actions. This approach has helped to develop the respectful attitudes which permeate the school.

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

Leaders have taken purposeful action since the previous inspection to strengthen their curriculum. In early years, the curriculum builds the knowledge that pupils need to be ready for key stage 1. The consistent design of the curriculum in each subject makes the important information that children must learn clear to teachers.

This clarity allows teachers to ensure that all pupils can learn the curriculum, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Teachers make careful checks on what pupils know and remember. Interventions planned from this help pupils to keep up with the most important learning when they need help.

For example, in mathematics, pupils know that the regular mental maths exercises will help them to remember prior learning. They enjoy the challenge of these activities. On occasion, in some subjects, lesson activity choices are not precise enough in allowing pupils to apply new learning.

Some pupils lose interest in lessons when this happens.

The school's chosen phonics programme is taught with consistency. Pupils, including those with SEND, know and understand the routines of phonics.

Children are excited to learn new sounds in Reception. Pupils who struggle to learn new sounds receive targeted support delivered by expert staff. Pupils' reading books are purposefully connected to topics in different subjects.

This careful approach to reading helps pupils to link their learning across different subjects. The success of this programme means pupils become active learners. They become fluent, confident readers.

The breakfast club is a particularly strong aspect of the school's work. It supports pupils in many ways, from encouraging good attendance to helping with reading and mathematics, among other things. Teachers share information about pupils with other adults in the school so that breakfast club can act as an intervention to support pupils' learning.

Extra-curricular clubs are designed so that they link to the topics being studied in the school curriculum. A wide range of activities on offer means that there is something of interest to all. As a result, many pupils take part in extra-curricular clubs and activities.

Leaders' records of attendance at clubs means that they can invite specific pupils to activities related to their needs and interests.

Pupils attend school regularly. Their attitudes are positive.

The school site is calm and orderly because routines are well embedded. Pupils are proud to be part of the school and respond well to the praise of adults.

Pupils are enthusiastic when talking about lessons, clubs, trips and opportunities to be leaders in the school.

These purposefully planned activities prepare pupils for life at secondary school and broaden their horizons so that pupils begin to develop a strong understanding of the country in which they live during their time at the school. When children join the school in Nursery and Reception, staff build positive relationships with families through home visits, coffee mornings and clear transition plans. This gets pupils off to a good start, which benefits them throughout their time at the school.

The recent changes to the leadership of the school, including the appointment of a new headteacher, have been well managed. The school community is looking with positivity to the future. The school is a supportive environment and staff appreciate this.

The well-being of staff is a high priority for leaders, and the school has an open culture which means that change is implemented successfully for the benefit of pupils. Parents and carers share similarly positive views about the school and the care and education that their children receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects in the wider curriculum, activity choices are not linked to intended outcomes with enough accuracy. This means that some tasks are not enabling pupils to remember the most important learning and apply learning to new tasks. Leaders should ensure that staff consistently use appropriate activity choices for the intended learning and outcomes.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in April 2016.