Courthouse Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Courthouse Junior School and are proud to do so. Older pupils recognise how much the school has improved in the past year.

Teachers want pupils to achieve well in all subjects.

Pupils learn a lot in lessons and teachers help them to remember what they have learned. Pupils develop a love of reading and read aloud with wonderful expression. Their reading skills help them to learn well in other subjects.

There are many activities for pupils to take part in outside lessons. Most do so and benefit from doing so. Pupils are encouraged to be physically active.

There are several ways to do this at lunchtime. The go-karts are particular...ly popular. More than half of the pupils have had the opportunity to represent their school at sport.

Pupils behave well in lessons. They are attentive and eager to do their best. Behaviour outside lessons does not always match the high standard we saw in classrooms.

For example, pupils sometimes rush around the school without looking where they are going. Bullying is very rare. Pupils know how it will be dealt with if it happens.

They feel safe in school.

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

In the last year, the quality of education offered by the school has been transformed. Courthouse Junior School is now a good school.

Leaders, staff and governors want pupils to achieve their best in both learning and personal development. This is summed up well in the school motto: 'Every child flourishing'. Everything the school does is designed to help this to happen.

Teachers prepare lessons carefully, so that pupils make strong progress in a range of subjects. In almost every subject, leaders have made sure that pupils build on previous learning and work towards a specific endpoint. This results in outcomes improving over time, including in reading, writing and mathematics.

Learning in most subjects is effective, including history and art. Pupils currently make less progress in computing. This is because leaders have not yet described their expectations in enough detail for this subject.

Teachers help all pupils to become fluent and confident readers. This includes those who are falling behind the expected standard. Some pupils attend sessions before the school day starts, which is helping them to catch up.

The school welcomes all pupils, whatever additional needs they might have. Leaders and teachers make sure that pupils who need extra help receive it. This means that these pupils can learn alongside their classmates in all lessons.

Teaching assistants work skilfully with pupils who need extra help. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils understand how to behave in lessons.

When needed, teachers remind pupils of the school's expectations and they respond quickly. Pupils get on well together and help each other with their learning. Older pupils keep an eye out for their younger peers.

The school rules are simple to state: 'Be ready, be safe and be respectful.' This means that they are well understood by pupils.

Supporting pupils' personal development is a strength of the school.

Pupils are polite, articulate and confident individuals. Older pupils are given a range of responsibilities, such as those of school council representative, young ambassador or library monitor. They take these roles seriously and use them to improve their school.

Pupils' personal qualities are well developed through the subjects they learn. For example, in religious education, pupils learn to respect people with a variety of religious beliefs.

All leaders share the headteacher's passion to continually improve what pupils learn and how they learn.

Parents and carers appreciate being told in weekly newsletters exactly what their child will be learning. All members of the school community recognise how much the school has improved in the past year, due to the hard work of staff. Nevertheless, some staff feel that leaders could do more to manage their workload and keep them informed of all changes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All members of staff share a commitment to keeping pupils safe. They are well trained in the school's safeguarding procedures.

As a result, they know how to protect vulnerable pupils. At all times, staff act in the best interests of the pupils in their care.

Staff get to know individual pupils and their families very well.

They quickly spot when extra help might be needed to keep pupils safe. Leaders have made good links with external agencies and work with them effectively. This ensures that pupils in need of help are well supported, both in and out of school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders are developing the school's curriculum very effectively. Almost all subjects are now planned in a thoughtfully sequenced and coherent way, with staff appropriately trained to follow these plans. Leaders need to ensure that there are plans for computing that describe the expected progression in learning in sufficient detail for all pupils to make strong progress.

Leaders should also ensure that teaching staff have been adequately trained to understand the expected progression in every subject.

Behaviour in lessons is typically positive because the school's high expectations are consistently and effectively reinforced. However, behaviour at more unstructured times, especially breaktimes and lunchtimes, is sometimes less good.

Leaders need to ensure that the school's behaviour management systems are equally effective in all areas of school life. . Leaders have adopted a directive leadership style in the last year.

This has led to rapid improvements in many aspects of the school's provision. However, not all members of staff feel well supported by senior leaders and some believe that the workload has been excessive at times. Senior leaders and governors must ensure that the staff team is cohesive and that everyone understands what they are required to do and why.

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