Ashley Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Pupils in all year groups achieve well.

They make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is a rapidly improving school. The leadership has successfully tackled previous areas of underachievement.

All groups of pupils, including more-able pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those receiving additional funding, share in the good progress. Teaching is good and improving. Teachers mark pupils' work very thoroughly and use pupils' targets effectively.

They show pupils clearly how well they have done and how they can improve their work further. Learning support assistants play a very ef...fective role in and outside of lessons. Behaviour is very good around the school and in lessons.

Pupils of all abilities, and from all backgrounds, are keen to learn, and they concentrate very well in lessons. All pupils feel very safe in school, including those vulnerable pupils in the Learning Support Unit. The quality of care and support for all pupils is one of the strengths of the school.

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, ably supported by others in the senior leadership team and the governing body, provides determined and enthusiastic leadership in moving the school forwards. Other staff share in the drive for continued success.

This has led to improvements in teaching and achievement. School leaders check the quality of teaching and learning rigorously. The improvements already made show that the school has a strong capacity to improve further.

The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. This reflects the importance the school places on all aspects of pupils' development.

The Learning Support Unit is very successful in helping vulnerable pupils achieve well in their work. They also make big strides in their personal development. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Although more-able pupils make good progress over time, occasionally, activities are not challenging enough for them to achieve as well as they could.

Pupils have fewer opportunities to develop good writing skills outside of literacy lessons. This means that progress in writing, especially in subjects other than English and mathematics, is less rapid than it could be.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

The great majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above average.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

The school has a Learning Support Unit, resourced by the local authority, for the education of pupils with moderate learning difficulties. Some of these pupils come from outside the school's catchment area. The unit has the capacity for 12 pupils.

There have been several changes in staffing and governors since the previous inspection. There is an independently run after-school club on the school premises. This did not form part of the inspection.

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