Dereham Church of England Junior Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The new headteacher has raised expectations of all staff and has been quick to tackle underperformance in the school.

School leaders, governors and Diocese of Norfolk Academy Trust (DNEAT) have established a drive for improvement in all areas of the school. This has resulted in more rapid improvement in the last year. The skills of middle leaders are developing.

Senior leaders acknowledge that there are further improvements required to enable middle leaders to ensure the best possible progress for all pupils in all subjects, particularly for pupils who are disadvantaged and others receiving additional support. The quality of teaching is n...ow good, because : teachers have responded well to the frequent support and advice received from leaders and the academy trust. Assessment is accurate and is enabling all leaders to establish where pupil support is most needed.

The school has been proactive in changing some support where it does not have impact, and has prioritised the monitoring of all interventions to ensure further improvements. The curriculum is well planned with the needs of pupils in mind. Newly appointed middle leaders have established an effective system of monitoring coverage and quality of the curriculum.

This means that children are learning more effectively across all subjects. The curriculum contributes well to pupils' personal and social development. Pupils feel safe, behave well and enjoy learning.

New approaches to behaviour are having a positive impact on the quality of relationships in the school. There is still more work to do to ensure that parents understand and support the good work that the school does in this area. Outcomes at the end of Year 6 in 2017 were above national averages and pupils are making good progress as a result of the good teaching that they receive.

Not enough attention is given to addressing the very basic skills which some pupils do not have on entry to school, particularly disadvantaged pupils.

Information about this school

The school is a sponsored academy and joined DNEAT in 2015. The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below national average. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.

The headteacher is also the headteacher of another federation of two schools which are not part of DNEAT. School improvement services are provided by the academy trust and the partner school. The school is currently led by a transition board of governors with the support of senior leaders and trustees of the academy trust.

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