The Park Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The Park Junior School has recently undergone a period of change.

New leaders have quickly identified the priorities for the school. They have started to take action to address these priorities and improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

The majority of pupils enjoy attending school.

They feel safe and they know that they can speak to an adult if they have any worries or concerns.

Pupils talk confidently about the school's PRIDE (perseverance, respect, independence, avoiding distractions, and developing their explanations) values. However, pupils do not always demonstrate these values.

In lessons, teachers do not consistently m...ake their expectations of pupils' behaviour clear, which means learning is interrupted by low-level disruption.

The school has put a clear focus on improving access to extra-curricular activities and visits. Pupils talk with excitement about the trips that they have already been on and the trips that are planned for the future.

Leaders know there is more to do to ensure that all pupils receive a good education. Staff, parents and carers and pupils appreciate some of the changes that have been made already. One parent summed this view up well when they said: 'As a parent I am excited to watch the school grow.'



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

There have been recent changes to the curriculum. In some subjects, the curriculum identifies the important knowledge that pupils should learn. In mathematics, for example, the curriculum has been carefully designed to help pupils build their knowledge.

In some subjects, pupils can connect their learning over time. This is not the case for all subjects.

Not all subject leaders have identified the precise knowledge that they want pupils to know.

This means that it is difficult to check how well pupils are learning. Staff do not teach the curriculum consistently well. In some lessons, teachers do not model learning well.

This can leave pupils unsure about what they need to do. Some teachers do not always ensure that pupils complete work matched to their knowledge and skills. Pupils do not routinely have opportunities to build on prior learning.

This means that pupils often have gaps in their learning. Teachers do not always identify and correct misconceptions.

The school has prioritised reading and enhancing pupils' love of reading in particular.

Pupils have daily reading sessions, which help them to improve the fluency of their reading. Pupils who require additional help work in small groups with well-trained staff. This support helps these pupils to become more confident readers.

Pupils are rewarded for reading. They enjoy choosing books to read from the 'reading Tardis'.

The school has ensured that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly.

Staff work hard to support pupils and their families. Not all staff successfully adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. On these occasions, pupils do not deepen their knowledge.

In some lessons, pupils struggle to maintain their focus and concentration. At times, teachers do not address low-level disruption. At other times, pupils say that learning is paused due to the behaviour of some pupils.

Some staff say that they would like more support to manage pupils' behaviour. The school does not yet routinely analyse pupils' behaviour to identify areas for improvement. This means that the school does not know which aspects of the behaviour policy are working and which are less effective.

The provision for pupils' personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils are able to recall their learning connected to physical, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons. They can talk about the importance of online safety.

Pupils talk enthusiastically about some of the educational visits they participate in, including a recent Year 5 residential visit to Conwy.

New and existing governors have recently worked hard to ensure that they take a strategic approach to supporting the school. They have begun to hold leaders to account.

Staff and parents talk positively about the recent changes that have happened in the school. There is a clear sense of teamwork among staff. Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is prioritised and pupils feel safe in school. Staff work closely with other agencies to support pupils and their families effectively.

However, the reporting and recording procedures connected to safeguarding need to be strengthened. Staff do not follow a consistent approach to reporting safeguarding concerns. The school does not yet record all concerns and the actions taken to address those concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum does not identify precisely what pupils should learn and when. Teachers do not always ensure that the work that pupils complete is matched to their knowledge. They do not consistently teach lessons that provide pupils with opportunities to build on prior learning.

As a result, gaps develop in pupils' knowledge and they cannot remember what they have been taught. The school should ensure that the curriculum sets out what pupils should learn and when in each subject, and that teachers routinely provide pupils with opportunities to build on prior learning. Assessment in some subjects is underdeveloped.

Teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding in these subjects. This means that pupils' misconceptions are not always identified and addressed. The school should ensure that consistent assessment processes are in place so that teachers can identify how well pupils have learned the intended curriculum.

• The school has not ensured that there is a commonly understood approach to dealing with low-level disruption. This means that learning is often disrupted and off-task behaviour goes unchallenged. The school should review the approaches being used to manage behaviour, identify priorities and ensure that staff have the knowledge and confidence they need to set and uphold high expectations of behaviour.

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