St. Joseph's CofE Junior School

Overview

St. Joseph’s CofE Junior School is described as an “inclusive, nurturing school, with a clear Christian ethos” where pupils are “individually valued and celebrated.” The report highlights significant improvements since 2019, noting that leaders have secured “long-term changes” in behaviour and attitudes, resulting in a “calm” environment where pupils are “respectful of staff.”

Strengths

• The school fosters a positive culture where pupils have “very positive attitudes to learning” and benefit from a “wide range of personal development opportunities,” including enthusiastic trips.
• Behaviour management has seen “dramatic improvement,” with leaders successfully addressing underlying causes for pupils who struggled, helping them to “positively re-engage with learning.”
• Reading now has a “high profile,” with staff promoting “high quality-discussion about books” to improve pupils’ reading attitudes and habits.
• Parents, particularly those with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feel “very well supported by the school.”
• Leaders and governors share a “clear and unwavering vision” underpinned by Christian values, aiming to “enable every child to achieve their God given potential.”

Areas to improve

• Curriculum thinking in some subjects “lacks clarity,” meaning it is “not clear exactly what pupils should learn at each stage,” which hinders effective lesson planning and monitoring.
• Leaders must ensure that pupils at an early stage of learning to read are “quickly identified and assessed” so they receive immediate support under the new phonics programme.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting a “clear culture of safeguarding” where staff are trained to identify risks and leaders ensure children get “the right help.”