Eagley Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key Findings

¦ This is a good school. Pupils feel exceptionally safe in school, their behaviour in lessons and around the site is excellent and their attendance is high.

The good curriculum has an outstanding impact on pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school is not outstanding overall because there are some inconsistencies in the use of assessment and marking as tools to further accelerate pupils' progress. ¦ Since the previous inspection, standards in both English and mathematics have been well-above average and this represents good achievement, given pupils' starting points.

Although prior attainment levels on entry to Year 3 are now beginning to decline, inspection evidence... demonstrates that progress across the school remains good and is beginning to accelerate. ¦ The quality of teaching is good in all years and there are examples of outstanding practice. Teachers and teaching assistants have positive relationships with their charges and effective support for pupils experiencing difficulty with their work is a major strength.

There are, however, insufficient opportunities in lessons for pupils to become more independent in and take greater ownership of their learning. ¦ Pupils take impressive responsibility for the support and care of their peers. As peer mentors and peer mediators, they ensure that no one is lonely at breaks and lunchtimes and they organise games for younger pupils.

They have a perceptive and untypical understanding of the dangers of bullying in all its forms and comment: 'The grown-ups are always there for us if we are feeling unhappy. Bullying is very rare in our school.' ¦ The well-informed headteacher and senior team lead by example and an overriding emphasis on promoting staff skills in the classroom continues to be effective.

As a result, teaching has improved strongly since the previous inspection. Ongoing evaluation of performance in all areas of school life is the order of the day and, as a result, school self-evaluation is accurate. Leaders are aware, for example, that there needs to be a continued emphasis on the development of the skills of subject coordinators.

Information about the school

This is a broadly average-sized school of its type, situated to the North of Bolton. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well-below average. The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.

The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and there are very few who speak English as an additional language. Eagley Juniors holds the Healthy School (Gold) award and is working towards enhanced status. It holds full International School status, has the Activemark (gold) and is also a nationally recognised Eco-School.

It has extensive links with a school in Ghana. The school meets the government floor standard. There have been several staffing changes since the previous inspection, including the appointment of a new deputy headteacher.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms