Deepcar St John’s Church of England Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Deepcar St John's is a happy school. The school's core values, 'SHINE,' are reflected in pupils' positive attitudes and behaviour. Staff know their pupils well.

Pupils show good attitudes towards their learning. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere around the school. Pupils work hard and enjoy coming to school.

The school supports pupils' wider personal development. Staff provide pupils with many opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Pupils value helping their peers in their roles as sports leaders and peer mediators.

The curriculum helps pupils to understand the importance of how to be safe.

Staff have high expectations for the achi...evement of all pupils. Pupils acquire important knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

The school promotes a love of reading with pupils and their parents. Pupils relish the opportunity to share their book recommendations to their peers. Classrooms have a well-stocked library with a range of different books.

Pupils enjoy story time and develop a love of reading.

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

The school has implemented a broad and ambitious curriculum. The school has introduced many ways to help pupils to remember their learning over time.

New learning is often skilfully linked with learning from previous lessons. The knowledge that pupils need to acquire is carefully sequenced in a logical order.

Pupils benefit from practical learning opportunities across a range of subjects.

For example, the school has an orchard and a gardening area to enhance the learning in science. Pupils visit the orchard to understand the life cycle of a plant. This knowledge becomes more complex as pupils learn about reproduction by dissecting plants.

Pupils can explain their understanding using scientific vocabulary. In French, leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Pupils can recall vocabulary they have learned with confidence.

However, there are some inconsistencies in aspects of teaching. On occasions, activity choices do not help pupils learn aspects of the curriculum as effectively as they might.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who are working in classrooms, receive a range of carefully focused support to enable them to access learning.

However, some pupils with SEND taught in groups away from the classroom experience a less ambitious curriculum than their peers.

The school has worked extremely hard to promote a love of reading among pupils, parents and staff. Pupils enjoy a range of books.

Pupils read widely and often. Pupils enjoy a range of books and join in their reading lessons with enthusiasm. In most lessons, pupils with SEND are fully included through bespoke support.

Any gaps in their knowledge are swiftly identified. Phonics interventions are used to help pupils who need extra help to catch up. However, these phonics interventions are not used to consistent effect.

This limits the progress that some pupils make.

The school provides pupils with many opportunities to broaden their horizons.Pupils develop independence and teamwork skills on residential trips.

Their social and cultural insights are enhanced on trips to the theatre and to London. They learn about local democracy on visits to the local council chamber.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Adults build highly positive relationships with pupils and this is evident in all classrooms. Adults encourage pupils to become highly engaged in their learning. Pupils understand the school routines.

They play cooperatively together at playtimes.

The school ensures that good attendance is a high priority. The majority of pupils attend school regularly.

Systems are in place to check the attendance of different groups of pupils. The school contacts families as soon as attendance drops below the standards expected.

The governing body is fully involved in the life of the school.

They are aware of the school's strengths and areas for development. Senior leaders welcome strategic discussions and the support and accountability that governors provide. Staff feel well supported by leaders.

They are proud to work at Deepcar St John's.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders are currently in the process of reviewing the arrangements they have in place for making regular checks on pupils who do not attend school regularly.

This includes any pupils who attend alternative provision.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is some variation in the quality of phonics teaching. This limits the progress that some pupils make in reading.

The school should ensure that the phonics programme is taught consistently well so that all pupils progress well with their reading. ? Some pupils with SEND miss out on important aspects of their learning when they are withdrawn from lessons for support. They do not always catch up on the learning that they miss.

The school should review the arrangements for pupils who are withdrawn from lessons to ensure that they get the support they need without missing out on important aspects of the curriculum. ? On occasions, activity choices in lessons do not help pupils to remember the most important knowledge. The school should work with staff to develop this aspect of teaching so that activity choices are closely matched to the curriculum knowledge that pupils need to acquire.