Skegness Junior Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Skegness Junior Academy

Following my visit to the school on 27 March 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2014.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You and the staff have created a school that is calm yet busy, where pupils work hard.

Classrooms and corridors are bright, stimulating places that are well resourced and tidy. Pupils and staff with whom I spoke stated that pupils are happy, k...ept safe and behave well. Incidents of low-level disruption and bullying are extremely rare.

Pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum, complemented with frequent educational visits. For example, recent trips to the Holocaust Centre and a gurdwara have deepened pupils' knowledge of history and religious education. Year 6 pupils are particularly looking forward to the upcoming outdoor and adventurous residential visit to the Lake District.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including various sports clubs, a choir and the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. Pupils are knowledgeable regarding safety, particularly when online, swimming and riding bikes. They enjoy the extra responsibility of being school council members, eco rangers and playtime leaders.

Pupils have a good understanding of British values, including democracy, tolerance and respect. They are polite, respectful of visitors and look smart in the school uniform. Your innovative approach to using information technology enables staff and pupils to deepen knowledge in English and mathematics.

For example, pupils in Year 6 have filmed themselves on devices explaining how to solve long division and percentage problems. These videos are then available for other pupils to download and watch by scanning the displayed 'QR code' onto a device. Consequently, pupils are able to demonstrate a sound understanding of these topics by explaining them to others.

You have an accurate view of the strengths and development areas at the school. As a result, school and subject improvement plans focus sharply on what needs to be done, when and by whom. For example, you have identified that teachers and teaching assistants require training in order to develop their skills in the teaching of art.

You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified by inspectors at the last inspection. For example, pupils are now aware of their targets in mathematics through effective classroom displays and frequent 'Maths blast' activities. Inspectors asked you to improve standards of pupils' presentation of work.

You have achieved this through classrooms having 'presentation monopoly boards' that successfully encourage pupils to produce neat work. You have also purchased pen grips and specialist rulers that help pupils present work consistently well. The recent appointment of a leader responsible for pupils' standards in spelling, punctuation and grammar has seen an improvement in standards in these areas in subjects across the curriculum.

Finally, you have successfully developed a system to track the progress and attainment of pupils in a wide range of curriculum areas, including history, geography and physical education. In 2017, the proportion of pupils leaving the school who achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was broadly in line with national averages. These pupils made better progress from their key stage 1 starting points than other pupils nationally.

However, the proportion of pupils achieving at the higher standard in these subjects was below the national average. We agreed that a next step for the school is to embed strategies to ensure that a higher proportion of the most able pupils achieve at these higher standards. Teachers track the progress and attainment of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics frequently.

Pupils' progress meetings highlight those pupils who may be falling behind. Consequently, these pupils are identified promptly, given extra help and quickly catch up. Inspection evidence and information provided by you suggest that the majority of current pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, are achieving well and making good progress.

Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of a high quality. You have received appropriate safeguarding training in, for example, child trafficking, female genital mutilation, e-safety and the 'Prevent' duty.

Well-trained staff record any welfare concerns regarding pupils and their families diligently onto an effective online system. I noted where you tenaciously and promptly referred significant concerns on to outside agencies. Consequently, any extra support required for pupils and families is quickly received.

There are effective procedures in place to ensure that relevant checks are undertaken on adults before they are allowed to work or volunteer at the school. A member of the trust checks these records frequently to ensure that they meet statutory requirements. Inspection findings ? During the inspection, I investigated several key lines of enquiry.

These included the support the school provides for the least able pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, the allocation and monitoring of the pupil premium funding and the effectiveness of the systems you have in place to monitor and improve rates of attendance. ? You have ensured that effective support is in place for the least able pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Teachers ensure that tasks are set at the appropriate level of challenge.

Teaching assistants have received appropriate training in, for example, speech and language, autism and communication strategies. They understand the importance of encouraging pupils' independence and are effective in asking questions that help to deepen pupils' thinking. There are good links with outside agencies, including the educational psychologist, counselling services and the visually impaired team.

Consequently, pupils receive the specialist support they require. ? You have ensured that the pupil premium funding is allocated and monitored effectively. You have a strong system in place that shows clearly the extra support the pupils are receiving.

I saw examples of how the most able disadvantaged pupils are receiving help in order to ensure that their potential is maximised. In 2017, these disadvantaged pupils made much faster progress in reading, writing and mathematics than their 2016 counterparts. ? You have new and aspiring leaders who will require help and training to ensure that they are effective in raising standards in their responsible areas.

We agreed that this support was essential, and therefore a next step, in the school's continued improvement. ? You have effective systems in place to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence. The effective educational welfare officer, family support worker and language interpreter have been successful in working closely with pupils and families whose attendance is a cause for concern.

Consequently, current attendance is now in line with the national average, and persistent absenteeism has reduced. ? You have received effective support from the trust. The school's education adviser holds you rigorously to account for the key aspects of school performance, including pupils' outcomes and the quality of teaching and learning.

The trust is instrumental in providing opportunities for staff to meet with colleagues from other schools in order to share good practice. There are also frequent opportunities for staff to moderate pupils' work. This helps to ensure that the judgements teachers are making regarding pupils' attainment and progress, in reading, writing and mathematics, are accurate and secure.

• The majority of parents and carers who responded to Ofsted's questionnaire 'Parent View' stated that the school is well led and managed; their children are making good progress and are well taught. One parent told me, 'This is a great school. I can't fault it!' Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? any newly appointed middle and aspiring leaders receive appropriate training and are effective in driving improvements in their area of responsibility ? strategies to ensure that the most able pupils achieve the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics are more successful.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer or equivalent of the multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Lincolnshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Peter Stonier Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection, I held meetings with you in your roles as principal and safeguarding lead.

I also met with the deputy principal, two English subject leaders, three members of the Greenwood Academy Trust, one member of the local advisory council and a group of eight pupils. I scrutinised a range of documents, including those relating to pupils' progress, the school's improvement planning, self-evaluation and documents relating to training and safeguarding. I visited all year groups with you to see the learning that was taking place.

I spoke with pupils informally in classes, at lunchtime and looked at work in their books. I spoke with a number of parents as they brought their children to school in the morning and I took account of the views of 12 parents through responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. There were two responses to Ofsted's staff survey and no responses to Ofsted's pupils' survey.