Abbots Farm Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Abbots Farm Junior School is a place where pupils are keen to learn.

Staff expect pupils to behave well, and pupils respond readily to those expectations. Most pupils say that they can learn without disruption. This, alongside positive and trusting relationships, means that pupils feel safe in school.

Pupils value the wide range of clubs and activities they take part in outside of lessons. The school has thought carefully about what is on offer, so there is something for everyone to enjoy. Pupils enjoy the responsibility of being a play leader.

Older pupils support the younger pupils so they can enjoy active and collaborative social times. The school is focus...ed on ensuring that pupils are healthy in body and mind. It has introduced many ways to support this.

Pupils relish the opportunity to care for the school chickens and Chase, the school dog.

The school has more work to do to achieve the same success in transforming low published outcomes. Not all pupils achieve as well as they should in the national tests in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school recognises this and is determined to make the improvements needed.

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

The school has been working with steely determination to improve vital areas such as pupils' behaviour, wider development and attendance.

Its efforts have led to marked improvements in these areas. It has also worked hard to develop the curriculum in subjects such as history, geography and science. This is beginning to have a positive impact.

The school has thought carefully about what pupils learn and when they learn it. It is helping pupils to build their knowledge in a sensible way. However, checks on pupils' learning do not consistently identify any gaps or misunderstandings, which leads to mistakes being repeated.

For pupils with SEND, this also means that some do not receive the precise and targeted support they need.

Pupils talk articulately and excitedly about what they have learned. They are able to recall prior learning and make links across different topics well.

However, some pupils are not able to communicate what they have learned as successfully through the writing they produce. Sometimes, pupils are given tasks that they are unable to complete because of the gaps that they have in their writing knowledge. Consequently, some pupils continue to struggle to write fluently and accurately.

Poor handwriting skills also affect this.

Many pupils read well and enthusiastically. The school has focused on pupils being able to talk about what they have read and share their understanding.

The texts they read independently, or have read to them, have been carefully considered. They are rich and varied and allow pupils to learn about lives that are different to their own. The reading curriculum links with subjects and topics across the wider curriculum.

This helps pupils to deepen their understanding.

The school is proud of the vast improvements in pupils' behaviour, and rightly so. Pupils' behaviour is settled because of the actions that the school has taken.

The school has also successfully improved attendance. More pupils attend regularly. The number of persistently absent pupils has also reduced.

The school has worked with determination to foster strong relationships with families. This has been successful and has supported a collaborative approach to improving this vital aspect of the school's work.

The school's work to support pupils to be confident and resilient is a strength.

Pupils take on a range of leadership responsibilities. They can talk about the difference they have made to their school and the community. They are particularly proud of how they support those less fortunate than themselves by raising money for charities near and far.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and in the local community. The school is a place that fosters respect and acceptance. Pupils understand this and can talk about why it is important.

Strong relationships between staff and pupils have supported the school in making the evident improvements.

Staff feel well supported because they are. The school does all it can to support their well-being and workload.

Governors have a secure understanding of what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve further. Parents and carers appreciate the care, support and guidance their children receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not accurately identified the precise next steps in learning for some pupils with SEND. This limits their progress. The school should identify clearly pupils' barriers to learning and ensure that these become a focus area for pupils to work on and succeed with.

• The school is not addressing gaps in pupils' writing, including handwriting. This affects pupils' ability to communicate their learning as well as they should. The school should identify what each pupil needs to master in order to improve their writing and provide activities that support them in becoming fluent writers.

Teachers do not regularly assess how well pupils have learned the intentions of each lesson in the core subjects. This leads to pupils making the same mistakes over time. The school should ensure that teachers understand when pupils have difficulty learning the planned curriculum and make adjustments accordingly.

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