Jenyns First School and Nursery

Overview

Pupils “relish attending” this school, where they are “keen to build and use their ‘learning superpowers’” and treat others with “courtesy and kindness.” The governing body has “navigated the school very effectively through a period of instability,” ensuring that pupils gain “secure foundations” in reading and numeracy. Leaders have “continued to effectively address the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection,” resulting in a positive environment where staff are “very well supported.”

Strengths

• Pupils “behave very well in and out of lessons” and enjoy a “wide range of clubs” and extra-curricular activities.
• The curriculum is “broad, and largely ambitious,” with staff who “present new knowledge clearly” and adapt learning effectively for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Reading is taught “very effectively from the start,” with expert support helping pupils become “accurate and fluent readers.”
• Early years provision provides a “secure foundation in learning number” and helps children become “confident and self-reliant.”
• The school fosters a strong sense of ‘family’ where “everyone looks out for each other,” and attendance is high.

Areas to improve

• The school must support staff to “identify, teach and assess key knowledge precisely” in all curriculum areas, as pupils do not always learn key vocabulary well enough to make links between topics.
• Leaders must ensure “high expectations of what pupils can learn” so that lessons are “consistently ambitious for all,” addressing instances where work is not demanding enough.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”