St John's Primary School

Overview

The inspection was conducted during industrial action, meaning teachers did not cooperate with inspectors. Consequently, the ETI states it is “unable to assure... of the quality of education being provided” and could not fully evaluate outcomes, provision, or leadership. Despite this limitation, the report notes positive feedback from parents and staff regarding the school’s ethos and community value.

Strengths

• Parents praised the “welcoming family ethos” and the school’s “value... within the local community.”
• Children were “confident and keen to discuss” their learning, showing pride in work such as an “animated film production on the Titanic.”
• Year 7 pupils hold leadership roles, enabling them to “put forward their views confidently” and support younger children.
• The school provides a “well-resourced, attractive outdoor learning environment” with a 3-G pitch and role-play areas.
• Staff systematically identify children with additional needs, providing interventions that allow some to “move off the special needs register.”

Areas to improve

• The ETI was unable to fully evaluate the quality of the curriculum, the effectiveness of teaching and assessment, or strategic leadership due to the lack of teacher cooperation.
• The report states the ETI is “unable to assure... of the quality of education,” indicating a significant gap in verified evidence regarding overall effectiveness.

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education” and that children feel safe, though the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements” due to the industrial action.