Catherine Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the school. They like the family feeling. Pupils are cared for well.

Staff provide strong pastoral care. Relationships are positive. The school has a respectful culture.

Pupils are very welcoming, friendly and courteous. They get on well with each other. The school sets high expectations for behaviour.

Routines are very well established. Behaviour is good. Pupils feel safe and are happy.

They understand the importance of the school's 'helping hand' and the five trusted adults they can share worries with.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. The school is calm and focused.

Pupils engage well with their work.... They are keen to learn. Pupils understand and live the 'Catherine Code' of being 'supportive, thoughtful, respectful, valued, motivated, collaborative, enthusiastic and resilient'.

Staff nurture these values.

Many parents and carers value the school. One parent, typical of many, commented, 'The teachers encourage children to learn about and appreciate the different cultures in the area.'

Pupils have many opportunities to learn about difference, respect and equality.

The school has a strong community ethos. Staff foster a sense of belonging and purpose.

Both pupils and staff embody the school's motto, 'Together we can do it!'

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

The school has an ambitious curriculum, with a strong focus on developing pupils' oracy. Leaders ensure that pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL) and those who are new to English are supported to develop their knowledge of English. These pupils learn to speak, read and write English well.

The school has developed ambitious subject curriculums, including for mathematics, science, art, geography and religious education. Leaders identify the key knowledge that pupils must learn, including by when this should be learned. For example, the curriculum for geography carefully builds mapwork knowledge and skills.

Pupils enthusiastically recall their geography learning. Teachers check pupils' learning. However, not all aspects of assessment are fully developed in all subjects.

Not all aspects of the English, mathematics and other subject curriculums are fully embedded.

Leaders have prioritised reading. The school supports pupils who are at an early stage of reading by providing targeted phonics teaching.

Trained staff enable pupils to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to become fluent readers.

Systems are in place to ensure provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers adapt their teaching to enable pupils with SEND to learn well.

For example, staff provide apparatus in mathematics and tools to help develop pupils' writing skills.

The school's published outcomes for 2022 and 2023 are not reflective of the curriculum that current pupils are learning. A significant proportion of pupils start their time at the school after their peers.

Many pupils have significant gaps in their learning. Many pupils are new to English and speak EAL. The school's provision for these pupils has improved in the last year.

Pupils' learning is improving as a result.

Leaders set high expectations for pupils' attendance. Staff support and challenge parents whose children do not attend often enough.

Consequently, absences are reducing, especially for pupils who are absent too often. Leaders strive for even higher attendance.

The school has developed a comprehensive personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum.

This includes age-appropriate sex education for older pupils and relationships education for all. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles. They learn about potential risks and how to keep themselves safe when, for example, online.

Difference is celebrated. Pupils learn about a range of religions. They have opportunities to reflect upon their own and others' feelings and beliefs.

Pupils gain an appreciation of environmental issues. They like to use the 'peace garden'. They develop an understanding of democracy through the election of the 'Pupil Leadership Team'.

They deepen their understanding of right and wrong. Pupils are prepared well for life in Britain.

Leaders know the school's strengths and tackle the areas for improvement.

They are mindful of staff workload and manage change effectively. Governors fulfil their responsibilities. They are supportive and appropriately challenging of leaders.

Staff are proud of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not fully embedded the implementation of the planned curriculum in all subjects.

As a result, not all pupils gain as well as they could from the well-sequenced and progressive subject curriculums. The school should ensure that all pupils benefit from the implementation of the planned curriculums, enabling pupils to know, remember and do more over time. ? The school ensures that formative assessment is well established in lessons.

However, summative assessment is not in place for all foundation subjects. As a result, staff do not fully appreciate pupils' long-term learning. The school should ensure that staff are able to use summative assessment information to plan for the next steps in pupils' learning.