Strand-on-the-Green Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Strand-on-the-Green Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at Strand-on-the-Green Junior School. It is a safe and supportive environment.

Pupils are proud to be 'upstanders', standing up for each other and what is right. One parent commented that they 'love the way the school encourages good citizenship'. The school's ten values, which include responsibility, fairness and respect, are well known by pupils and integral to all aspects of school life.

Leaders are determined that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. They want pupils to gain the kno...wledge and skills they need to succeed at the next stage of education and beyond. Pupils have equally high expectations of themselves.

They seek advice and guidance from their teachers to understand which subjects will best support their future career aspirations.

Pupils behave well and work hard. They said that playtimes are 'nice times' where bullying rarely happens.

Pupils said they would stand up to bullying and tell a teacher if they saw it. They are confident that the adults in school would make sure it was dealt with quickly.

Pupils like the range of clubs and activities on offer.

From skateboarding and street dance to scrapbooking and film, leaders have made sure there is something for everyone.

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

Leaders have carefully considered what they want pupils to learn. Over the last two years, they have reviewed and revised most subjects in the curriculum.

For example, in history, plans develop key concepts, such as civilization, across each year group. Leaders decided to revise subjects in stages to allow sufficient time for the new curriculum to embed. This means that plans in science and in design and technology are at an earlier stage of review.

Lessons reflect what leaders and teachers have planned for pupils to learn. Teachers have strong subject knowledge themselves and are mostly clear about how key concepts build in the lessons they teach. Good behaviour means that learning can happen without distraction.

Pupils in Years 5 and 6 remember important historical events and the order they happened. They are less confident in linking their knowledge across different time periods.

Reading is taught daily through discrete sessions in addition to the main English lesson.

Pupils in Year 3 and groups in Year 4 reread the same text or script each day. This supports pupils to read with fluency, comprehension, intonation, and confidence. Texts are often chosen to complement other areas of the curriculum.

For example, in Year 4, pupils read facts about how sounds are made. This practice further supports pupils to retain and consolidate their knowledge in other areas of the curriculum. Pupils at the early stages of reading receive daily phonics lessons.

Teachers check at least half-termly the sounds pupils know. They then make sure pupils only read books that contain these sounds.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some pupils developed gaps in their mathematical knowledge.

Leaders have identified the non-negotiables that must be learned to support addressing these gaps. Teachers skilfully adapt lessons so that pupils have enough time to secure the knowledge they need. They also use clever and creative ways to consolidate learning.

For instance, some pupils were less secure in their knowledge of 2D and 3D shapes. Teachers made sure properties of shapes were emphasised when learning about structures in design and technology lessons.

Pupils with SEND are generally well supported and make progress across the curriculum.

This is because staff know pupils well and how to help them understand the intended learning. In some cases, teaching assistants are not always clear on the importance of sequencing mathematical knowledge. Leaders know newer staff need further training in this area and are taking steps to address this.

Leaders make sure that pupils have access to rich and engaging experiences. For example, during the inspection, Year 4 visited the Science Museum to take part in a workshop to enrich their learning about sound and electricity. Pupils learn about a variety of faiths and cultures and visit a different place of worship every year.

Staff are positive about their workload and said that leaders understand the pressures they are under. Leaders support staff by ensuring that they have enough time to embed new approaches to teaching the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders take effective action to promote the health and safety of all pupils. In fact, they go above and beyond to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils access the support they need. Whether this is support from the school itself, or from external services and agencies.

Pupils are taught a variety of ways to stay safe. They know, for example, the dangers of chatting on the internet to people they do not know, and what they should and should not do.

All staff know the procedures and protocols for reporting concerns.

They know what signs to look out for and are particularly astute to the risks in the local community, such as county lines.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have overhauled the curriculum. This means that most subjects are planned well with carefully sequenced knowledge.

In some subjects, these new plans are still embedding, and pupils are not always connecting the substantive knowledge as intended. Leaders need to make sure all staff are trained to deliver all subjects securely and consistently so that pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills across the intended curriculum.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2011.

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