Mundesley Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Mundesley Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are quick to say they enjoy attending school.

They feel part of a community because they know they are safe and have a wide range of opportunities available to them. Pupils are polite and kind to staff, visitors and each other. Parents also speak very positively about the school and would recommend it to others.

School leaders have high expectations of the pupils. Teachers are very clear that they want the best for all pupils. This is reflected in planning and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Teachers talk positively wit...h children and are role models. Pupils know what is expected of them.

The school has clear rules that pupils understand.

As a result, pupils behave well during lessons and social times. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that if it does happen teachers deal with it quickly.

There are close links between the junior school, infant school and specialist resource base (The Beacon) which share a site.

Key stage 2 pupils often support pupils in the infant school. Infant pupils take part in opportunities at the junior school to support their transition to 'big school'.

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

The curriculum is sequenced well and is broad and balanced.

This means that pupils build their knowledge gradually and can explain their learning easily. In some subjects, it is not always clear what is the most important information pupils should be learning. The approach to learning is not always consistent between teachers and the impact of assessment is not always effective.

The reading programme is well planned. Leaders work closely with the infant school to identify those pupils who need extra support. Leaders prioritise reading and have invested in a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Pupils enjoy reading and most are confident to read to each other and to adults. Most pupils read regularly in school and at home, although older readers read less often in school. In Year 3, pupils can read confidently to one another and explain in detail what they are reading.

Pupils can usually learn well because their behaviour is excellent. Lessons are calm. Teachers and pupils have a positive relationship.

This means that pupils ask and respond to questions.

The school is ambitious for all pupils. Pupils with SEND are well supported by the school.

There are good relationships and regular contact between the school and parents. Support for pupils with SEND in lessons enables them to make strong progress. For those with very significant needs, specialised intervention is available which helps them to attend and thrive in mainstream classes.

Pupils say there are a wide variety of activities available to them. While the pandemic reduced the number of opportunities, pupils are still able to enjoy day trips and residential visits. Pupils benefit from weekly enrichment sessions in addition to after-school clubs.

The school provides a high-quality programme for personal, social and health education. External experts provide support to this programme. Pupils can speak about this in detail and were able to describe their current homelessness topic and the impact this had had on them.

Staff speak positively about the leadership team. Leaders take their responsibility towards staff seriously. Teachers and support staff take part in regular planned training and do not feel their workload is excessive.

The federation to which the school belongs provides a range of training opportunities. These are designed to promote staff skills, pupil learning and support well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils feel safe in school. They know how to raise a concern and are confident it will be dealt with quickly. Pupils are taught to protect themselves online through a well-planned teaching programme.

Leaders ensure that effective safer recruitment systems are in place and that all staff are trained appropriately to identify and respond to concerns. Pupils who are at risk are identified quickly. The school works effectively with the local authority to support these pupils.

Governors work closely with school leaders to promote a culture of safeguarding. They challenge and support leaders to prioritise pupils' welfare.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, leaders do not clarify their expectations of the fundamental knowledge they intend pupils to learn.

This means that not all pupils secure a sufficient breadth of subject knowledge. Leaders should review the curriculum to ensure fundamental knowledge is prioritised. ? Assessment in the foundation subjects is not closely linked to the key knowledge that leaders intend pupils to learn.

As a result, it is not possible to accurately assess pupils' progress and make focused adaptations where needed. Leaders need to ensure that assessment activities closely match subject content.

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/outstanding.

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 March 2017.

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