Highfield Junior and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Highfield Junior and Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Highfield Junior and Infants is a school which lives its values daily: respect, equality, inspiration, determination, honesty and friendship. Pupils enjoy learning and being at school.

As one pupil, typical of many, stated to an inspector, 'You will feel so inspired and respected'. Pupils are taught to show tolerance to each other and they know that everyone is welcome at this school, regardless of background.

Pupils achieve well at Highfield thanks to the school's high ambitions for all pupils.

Leaders understand that pupils often start at the school with diff...ering levels of English, and they work extensively to ensure that all pupils are supported to achieve. The school's work in the local community and liaison with parents and external agencies show the commitment to its pupils and the absolute determination to ensure all are supported to succeed.

Pupils behave very well at Highfield as they understand the school's values, which are explicitly taught to them.

They are happy at school and support each other well. When disputes arise, they are dealt with quickly and fairly. Pupils benefit from the many opportunities which the school provides for them, including clubs, trips and visitors to the school.

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

The school has worked extensively to review and redesign the curriculum across all subjects, including early reading. For example, leaders have been careful to consider the key knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember, with a significant focus on the pupils' backgrounds to ensure the school's curriculum has a true global influence. In this way the curriculum at Highfield is broad, balanced and ambitious for all pupils.

Leaders have carefully considered the background knowledge that pupils need to be successful, and have selected key texts around which they have built their curriculum. This supports pupils to learn the key vocabulary and concepts they need to be successful.

Given the highly diverse background of the pupils at Highfield, leaders have prioritised the teaching of early reading as the key to success in the curriculum.

From the very start of Reception, all pupils are consistently taught how sounds correspond to letters or groups of letters. Staff are highly skilled in identifying which pupils are at risk of falling behind. These pupils are supported to rapidly catch up with same-day interventions.

All of this means that pupils are able to read fluently. This includes pupils who join the school in later years.

Teachers have a strong understanding of the key knowledge that pupils need to learn, and check carefully that they have done so.

This helps pupils to make good progress through the curriculum. On occasions, however, the design of the activity or checking of understanding are not as precise. This means that pupils' progress is not as sustained as it is elsewhere.

Provision for pupils in the newly established resource base is strong, as it is for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) across the school. Leaders have a secure grasp of pupils' needs which staff accurately identify. They use this information to provide effective support, and liaise with parents and external agencies as appropriate.

Leaders carefully check that pupils are achieving well, whether in the resource base or in lessons with their year group. As a result, these pupils make good progress.

The school has worked extensively to instil a culture of high attendance with an impressive whole-school strategic approach.

This has had a positive impact across all groups of pupils, meaning attendance levels have increased year on year.

Expectations for pupils' behaviour are consistent and well understood. Poor behaviour does not disrupt learning.

When incidents do occur, careful action is taken to support pupils in making better choices. Pastoral leaders have a clear overview of incidents and work effectively to spot and address particular issues.

The school has reviewed the provision for pupils' personal development, which has included the curriculum and a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities.

These include visits to places of worship, a wide range of trips and visitors to the school. Pupils speak highly of these. Leaders ensure their offer is regularly reviewed to ensure it is of a high quality.

Staff report that the school engages with them constructively about workload. They appreciate the many opportunities for professional development which come through the trust. Those responsible for governance are highly committed to the school and are well informed about its progress.

This means they discharge their statutory responsibilities appropriately.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, the curriculum is not as well implemented as it is elsewhere, due to a lack of precise checking of pupils' understanding or the design of the activity.

On these occasions, pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they might. The school should further enhance the consistency of curriculum implementation to ensure it is to the same high standard across and within all 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 January 2019.