Monkwick Junior School

Overview

Monkwick Junior School is rated as ‘Good’ across all inspection categories, marking an improvement from its previous ‘Requires improvement’ judgement. The report describes a school where “pupils are happy and are safe,” characterised by positive relationships and a culture where students are “excited to learn.” Leaders have established high expectations, resulting in pupils who behave well and achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “positive attitudes” and are “kind to each other,” with bullying being rare and incidents dealt with promptly.
• The curriculum is carefully planned, with teachers making lessons “interesting” and ensuring pupils “make connections between what they are learning in different subjects.”
• The reading programme is “well considered,” promoting a “love of reading” through careful text selection and providing timely support for those needing catch-up.
• Staff receive strong support for their “well-being and workload,” with leaders listening to their opinions and providing necessary training.
• Governors and the trust hold leaders to account effectively, ensuring statutory requirements are met and monitoring the quality of education.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should prioritise training to address “inconsistencies in teachers’ pedagogy” so that all subjects are taught to an equally high standard.
• Subject leaders in foundation subjects, some of whom are new to their roles, require further training to improve their ability to offer professional support to class teachers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” with a “strong safeguarding culture” where staff receive regular training and use a “rigorous reporting system” to ensure concerns are identified and addressed.