Elmlea Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. This is an outstanding school with many excellent features. Pupils achieve extremely well because : consistently good and often outstanding teaching gives them a real thirst for knowledge.

The school's emphasis on developing pupils as learners makes them exceptionally receptive to new ideas and means they cooperate together in an exemplary way. Due to excellent teaching, careful tracking of progress and a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy through Years 3 to 6, pupils attain standards that are exceptionally high. The school's meticulously rigorous tracking of pupils' progress shows that achievement is outstanding.

Pupils ma...ke particularly strong progress in reading and mathematics. Teaching is outstanding. Staff are ambitious for the pupils and fervent in their aim to get the best from each one, academically and personally.

They make sure that work is exciting and challenging so that pupils of all abilities enjoy their learning and try their hardest. Teachers and support staff work very effectively together to meet pupils' specific needs. All pupils, at whatever level of ability or need, are extremely well cared for and carefully guided throughout the school.

Leaders are relentless in their drive to make teaching even better. For instance, they realise that on a very few occasions, some teachers do not always make sure that all pupils make improvements to their work following teacher feedback and marking. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

By Year 6 pupils are mature, considerate, self-assured and responsible young people who are very well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils' behaviour is outstanding. They have highly positive attitudes to learning and they are polite and respectful.

Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe in different situations. Parents agree that children are looked after very well. Leadership and management are outstanding, driven by the skill and vision of the enthusiastic and principled headteacher.

She is supported by a skilled group of school leaders and together they drive improvement resolutely and with the best interests of the pupils in mind. Governors are very supportive and effective. They ask leaders challenging questions to make sure that the quality of teaching and learning is outstanding.

Governors visit regularly to check pupils' progress and talk to them about their views of the school. There is a strong sense of teamwork and pride in what has already been achieved coupled with a total absence of complacency. The school knows exactly what to do further to sustain its journey of excellence.

Information about this school

Elmlea Junior School converted to become an academy school in July 2011. When its predecessor school of the same name was previously inspected by Ofsted in May 2008, it was judged to be outstanding. The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.

The very large majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds. A very small proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is below average.

The pupil premium is additional funding from the government for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is broadly average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' progress and attainment at the end of Year 6.

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