Angel Road Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe at Angel Road Junior School.

They behave well and are kind to each other. Pupils are confident to share their own views and beliefs. They celebrate and respect each other's differences.

Pupils appreciate the high-quality pastoral support they receive. They know the importance of quickly sharing worries and concerns with adults. Pupils are very knowledgeable about how to keep safe.

This includes when they are online. Bullying is rare. If it does happen, adults deal with it quickly.

Most pupils attend school regularly. However, some pupils are absent too often. This means these pupils have some gaps in their learning.
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While there have been some improvements, there are more pupils persistently absent from school than should be.

Pupils are proud of their school. They say they love the school because everyone is friendly.

They enjoy learning and the many activities they get to do. They like the way teachers make learning exciting. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about trips and visitors and what this teaches them.

Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. They do not achieve as well in other areas of the curriculum because teaching is more variable.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum.

They have ensured that the curriculum is well sequenced so that pupils have opportunities to build on what they already know. In English and mathematics, teachers have the secure subject knowledge to teach this curriculum effectively. As a result, pupils achieve well in these areas.

In other areas of the curriculum, teachers do not adapt the curriculum effectively to meet the needs of all pupils. This means, in these subjects, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to secure newly learned knowledge. As a result, pupils have gaps in their learning.

Leaders have already begun work on improving this.

Teachers routinely check what pupils already know and can do in reading and mathematics. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders have provided training for teachers on how to support pupils with SEND effectively. They then monitor the impact of this training. Well-trained staff effectively support these pupils in lessons so that they also achieve well.

In subjects other than English and mathematics, there is not the same rigour to checking what pupils know and can do. As a result, there are gaps in some pupils' knowledge, including pupils with SEND. This means pupils do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects.

Leaders have ensured that reading is central to the curriculum. Pupils love reading. They enjoy the diverse stories teachers read to them.

Teachers are enthusiastic about the stories they read which develops pupils' love of reading further. Teachers carefully match books to the sounds pupils know and can read. This helps pupils to read fluently and accurately.

Leaders have prioritised pupils' personal development. Pupils have a clear understanding of other cultures and faiths. Pupils are confident and proud to talk about their own beliefs.

They know these will be respected by others. Pupils understand why it is important to treat people equally. They appreciate how the curriculum helps them to understand their own feelings.

Pupils talk openly about learning about sadness and loss through the stories teachers read to them.

Leaders have precisely prioritised areas for improvement. Leaders have ensured that the English and mathematics curriculums support pupils to achieve well in these subjects.

Leaders have prioritised developing teachers' subject knowledge in reading and mathematics so that these subjects are taught effectively. They have ensured there are consistent approaches to promoting good behaviour. Leaders have had success in all these areas.

They have clear plans in place for the development of the wider curriculum. Governors and trustees have a secure understanding of what the school does well and what it could do better. They provide appropriate challenge and support to leaders to improve the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure there is a rigorous approach to safeguarding. Staff are well trained and have a clear understanding of risks in the local area.

Staff know how to report concerns regarding pupils' safety. They do this swiftly. Leaders work effectively with other professionals to get pupils any support needed.

Leaders ensure that pupils know how to keep safe. This includes when they are online. Pupils have a secure understanding of what healthy relationships are.

Leaders ensure they complete all required pre-employment checks on adults in the school. Trustees monitor and hold leaders to account for safeguarding procedures in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are inconsistencies in how the curriculum in foundation subjects is implemented.

Teachers do not consistently provide opportunities for pupils to build on what they already know and can do. Leaders must ensure that teachers implement the foundation subject curriculum as it is intended so that pupils have opportunities to develop their knowledge in all areas of the curriculum. There is not the same rigour to checking how well pupils have learned the curriculum across foundation subjects as there is in English and mathematics.

As a result, there are gaps in pupils' knowledge which have not been identified. Leaders must ensure that teachers check carefully on pupils' understanding in all areas of the curriculum. Teachers should use these checks to identify and address misconceptions so that pupils have a more secure understanding in all areas of the curriculum.

• Leaders have successfully improved the attendance of many pupils who are persistently absent from school. However, a minority are still persistently absent and miss out on learning. Leaders must ensure that their approaches to promoting good attendance result in these pupils attending school more often.

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