St John's Church of England Middle School Academy

Overview

This is a “happy and welcoming school” where core values are “lived on a daily basis” by pupils and staff. Leaders maintain “high expectations” for all pupils, supported by a “high-quality curriculum” and a “very strong culture of mutual respect.” The inspection highlights exceptional standards in behaviour, personal development, and leadership.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “significant motivation and resilience” within a “calm and orderly environment” characterised by “well-established routines.”
• The provision for personal development is “especially strong,” offering extensive leadership roles so that “nearly half of all pupils hold a position of responsibility.”
• Pupils with SEND are supported effectively, with needs “identified accurately” and appropriate adaptations enabling them to “access the whole curriculum” and “achieve well.”
• Staff benefit from “significant bespoke professional development opportunities” and report “very high levels of satisfaction” regarding collaborative workload management.
• The school uses pupil premium funding in an “intelligent and focused way” to close learning gaps and extend opportunities for disadvantaged pupils.

Areas to improve

• In a “small number of subjects,” curriculum design and activity selection are not as effective, meaning pupils do not “securely build on their knowledge and skills as well as they might.” The school must ensure these subjects are “coherently planned and delivered” so pupils “deepen their learning over time.”

Safeguarding

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