Deepcar St John's Church of England Junior School

Overview

Deepcar St John’s is described as a “happy school” where pupils demonstrate “positive attitudes and behaviour” within a “calm and purposeful atmosphere.” The inspection confirms that the school provides a “broad and ambitious curriculum” with high expectations for achievement, resulting in an overall effectiveness judgement of Good.

Strengths

• Staff know pupils well and build “highly positive relationships,” fostering a culture where pupils “work hard and enjoy coming to school.”
• The curriculum is “carefully sequenced in a logical order,” with new learning “skilfully linked” to previous lessons to aid retention.
• There is a strong emphasis on reading, with a “love of reading” promoted through well-stocked libraries and enthusiastic pupil engagement.
• Pupils benefit from “practical learning opportunities,” such as using the school orchard for science and visiting cultural sites to broaden horizons.
• The governing body is “fully involved in the life of the school,” providing effective support and accountability for senior leaders.

Areas to improve

• The school must ensure the phonics programme is “taught consistently well” to address variations in teaching quality that limit some pupils’ reading progress.
• Arrangements for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) withdrawn from lessons need review to ensure they do not “miss out on important aspects of the curriculum.”
• Staff should develop teaching so that “activity choices are closely matched to the curriculum knowledge” pupils need to acquire, ensuring activities help pupils remember key information.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that leaders are currently reviewing checks on pupils who do not attend school regularly.