Howard Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Howard Junior School trust the staff to look after them and, in most instances, their confidence is justified.

However, the trustees and members who are meant to check that children are safe do not always do so. There are serious failings in the school which have been unchallenged for too long.

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and warm.

Pupils appreciate the exciting playground area and immersive displays in corridors and classrooms. Nevertheless, these do not make up for the weak quality of education pupils receive. Pupils throughout the school do not achieve as well as they should because leaders have prioritised the appearance ...of the building at the expense of the curriculum.

Pupils are positive about their education and talk enthusiastically about their school. They are happy and play well together. They know they can learn in peace without being distracted or picked on by other pupils.

Pupils want to please their teachers and are polite and welcoming to staff, visitors and each other. They take care of their school, pride in their appearance and ensure that the well-loved rabbits are never short of attention.

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

The school curriculum is suitably broad, covering all of the required national curriculum subjects and objectives.

In all subjects, staff know roughly what pupils need to achieve and understand by the end of each term. However, individual teachers, including those who are unqualified and known as instructors, are left to plan how pupils will reach these goals. Staff do their best to make this work, but too often lessons fail to build on what pupils already know.

This means that, pupils forget too much of what they have learned. Teachers make regular checks on pupils to assess their progress. However, they rely too heavily on exams and test papers.

This approach does not provide staff with the precise information they need to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Many pupils arrive at the school needing support with their reading. The new phonics scheme is helping these pupils to revisit and learn the basics.

Nevertheless, staff have not been trained to deliver this scheme and sometimes teach in ways that confuse pupils. Pupils read regularly which helps to hone their skills. However, for weaker readers, the books they read are poorly matched to the sounds they know and can recognise.

This means that pupils do not benefit fully from their time spent reading.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified accurately by leaders who put in place appropriate plans to support these pupils. As with other areas of the curriculum, staff lack the training and knowledge to enact these plans as precisely as leaders have set out.

Pupils benefit from a range of clubs, trips and visitors. Laughter and joy abound on the playground as pupils burn off steam on the extensive equipment available to them. Pupils are tolerant and kind to others but struggle to debate and question complex concepts such as race, religion and gender.

This is because the curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationships and sex education (RSE) is underdeveloped and not tailored to meet their needs. Leaders have not consulted with parents to help them develop their curriculum.

The purpose and structure of governance is not understood by trustees, leaders or members of the trust board.

Trustees, while willing to serve, have taken up roles without the knowledge, training or experience they need to fulfil them. Trustees do not understand the guidance that they must follow, nor have they always sought the advice of experts to inform their actions. Trustees have failed to spot and act upon serious and significant concerns.

Staff are committed but many feel ground down. They know that the school should be better but feel powerless to make suggestions or express concerns. They do not report their grievances as they have little confidence in the process and are fearful of the backlash this may cause.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Leaders and trustees do not handle allegations of staff misconduct well. They have a weak understanding of the statutory guidance they must follow.

They have not always accepted the help of local agencies who have tried to support them. Reports of staff misconduct are poorly handled, meaning issues are allowed to persist. Inspectors did not identify any pupils who were harmed because of these weaknesses.

Pupils learn how to stay safe and are confident that adults in the school will help them if they need it. Appropriate checks are made on new staff who join the school. Nevertheless, trustees do not have enough knowledge to check safeguarding systems are working.

Trustees are unable to satisfy themselves that the systems are working as they should.

The staff know how to identify and report concerns about pupils. They do so, rightly confident that leaders will act in the best interests of pupils and families.

Leaders work skilfully with a range of external agencies, who provide the right support in a timely way.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Trustees of the academy do not possess the skills, knowledge or experience to undertake their duties effectively. Both the structure and purpose of governance are unclear to those trusted to oversee the school.

This means that leaders' work remains unchallenged, and serious allegations and concerns are mishandled. Members and trustees must ensure they undertake appropriate training to understand their roles. Trustees and members must agree their purpose, policy and approaches to ensure that appropriate checks are made on leaders' work and that their statutory obligations are met.

• Leaders have not identified the precise knowledge they want pupils to learn. Plans do not set out the best order to teach content nor the approaches staff should use. This means that staff make curricular decisions and teach using methods that are not aligned with leaders' intent.

Leaders must ensure that staff are given appropriate training and resources to deliver the curriculum effectively and adapt this skilfully for all pupils. ? Staff have not received the required training to deliver the school's reading scheme. The school does not have books that contain sounds that are matched to those pupils know.

Teachers' instruction is imprecise and the books are confusing for pupils. Leaders should provide appropriate training and resources for staff to deliver the reading curriculum as intended. ? The curriculum for PSHE and RSE is not tailored to the needs of the pupils in the school.

Pupils' ability to reflect on challenging social concepts are underdeveloped. Leaders have not met their statutory obligation to consult parents on the RSE curriculum. Leaders must ensure that they gather, and reflect on, the views of parents and their knowledge of the community to tailor the PSHE and RSE curriculums to provide the greatest benefit to the pupils.

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