Christ Church, Church of England Junior School, Downend

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Christ Church, Church of England Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this happy school.

They find school exciting, feel safe and say that adults take good care of them. Pupils' joy in learning is plain to see. They show high levels of concentration and enthusiasm in class.

If they find something difficult, they do not give up. Pupils listen well to their teachers and readily work with each other to share ideas and solve problems. Pupils look out for each other.

They get on very well together and with all staff.

Teachers expect much of their pupils. They plan learning that encourages all... groups of pupils to do their very best.

Pupils respond by working flat-out in lessons. The school is a hive of activity at break and lunchtime. Pupils play happily with one another, search out new books in the library or hunt for information on the internet.

They relish all the school has to offer. Nearly everyone takes part in the exceptionally wide range of sporting and cultural activities that take place after and outside school.

Pupils behave consistently well.

They are courteous and polite, and older pupils readily help out younger ones. They look out for others and say that unkind behaviour and bullying are not known.

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

The headteacher, her deputy and senior leaders are highly ambitious for their pupils.

They have thought deeply about what pupils should learn term by term. The new curriculum leaders are beginning to make a strong contribution to this thinking. Many, however, are new to their roles and are still getting to grips with planning learning in their curriculum areas with the precision needed.

For most subjects, leaders' plans make clear to teachers what to teach to their pupils and the order in which to teach it. Teachers make sure that pupils understand what they need to know before they move onto new work. For instance, pupils in Years 5 and 6 are confidently able to interpret the meaning of unfamiliar words in the books they read.

This is because teaching carefully builds up pupils' knowledge of how to interpret and understand increasingly difficult books over time.

Leaders make sure that there are clear plans in place so that everyone reads well and is eager to do so. Pupils read every day.

They enjoy the class novels. Those pupils who join the school with weak reading skills receive plenty of help to catch up.

Pupils are enthusiastic and inquisitive.

For example, pupils enjoy developing their scientific skills through participating in wide-ranging experiments. Pupils have a sound understanding of basic mathematics. Teachers then build on this understanding by leading pupils into solving often quite tricky number problems.

However, the knowledge that pupils should gain after a series of lessons is sometimes not planned out well enough.

Across the school, teachers and support staff are very aware of the needs of all pupils. Guided effectively by the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), teachers make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) gain good knowledge and understanding.

Pupils with SEND achieve well.

The school's curriculum extends well beyond the classroom. A range of visits and trips adds to pupils' classroom learning and their wider development.

Pupils speak with delight about their interest group days and their enjoyment of activities as diverse as archery, rock painting, drama, circus skills and teddy-bear making.

The headteacher has skilfully built a team of dedicated staff. They learn from each other and from other schools in their partnership.

Staff feel respected and appreciated by school leaders and say that the school takes full account of their welfare when making decisions. Governors have played their part, too, asking the right questions of school leaders and keeping them on their toes. Parents agree that this school is very well led and managed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong and vigilant culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe.

They make certain that pupils have access to a wealth of information on keeping out of harm's way. Pupils know who to talk to if they are worried about anything.Staff are well trained to make sure that pupils are safe and protected.

They are alert to any signs that a pupil may be in danger. They report any concerns to the right people straight away. The safeguarding team work well with outside agencies and follow up any concerns with thoroughness and speed.

They make sure that these pupils receive the right support they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Senior leaders are very successful in providing strong direction on the school's curriculum design. However, some curriculum leaders are very new to their roles.

As a result, these leaders are only just beginning to have an oversight of what is planned and taught in their subject areas. The headteacher needs to ensure that all curriculum leaders are gaining the skills, knowledge and confidence they need so that they can carry out their roles consistently well.In some subjects the curriculum is not consistently well sequenced.

Teachers' planning is precisely identifying the knowledge that pupils should gain over time. Leaders need to ensure that leaders' plans for every subject identify the curriculum goals and small steps in learning that are required.Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 27–28 January 2016.

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