St Jude's CofE Infant School

Overview

The report describes St Jude’s CofE Infant School as a “friendly and welcoming place” where pupils are happy, feel safe, and behave well. While the school has “high expectations” and strong personal development, the overall effectiveness is judged as “Requires improvement” because the curriculum is not implemented effectively enough in all areas, leading to low outcomes in writing and mathematics.

Strengths

• Pupils benefit from a “thoughtful curriculum” enriched with meaningful experiences, such as local visits and community projects, which broaden their horizons.
• Early years provision is strong, with a “sharp focus on developing children’s language development” that helps identify special educational needs early.
• Phonics is “generally taught well,” with carefully matched books and catch-up sessions helping weaker readers build confidence.
• Leaders provide a “strong moral compass,” ensuring pupils understand online safety, physical health, and diversity through inclusive events.
• Governors and leaders are “passionate and committed,” taking active steps to improve staff workload and address identified priorities.

Areas to improve

• Teachers must design “ambitious enough tasks” that are closely matched to curriculum aims, particularly in writing, to ensure pupils consistently build understanding.
• Staff need to improve assessment practices to “accurately check pupils’ progress” and address mistakes promptly, as inconsistent checking currently slows learning.

Safeguarding

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