Grange Community Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Grange Junior School provides a harmonious community where pupils from a wealth of backgrounds mix and learn amicably and help each other to achieve extremely well. Leadership and management are outstanding.

Leaders at all levels have sustained and improved upon pupils' high standards in reading, writing and mathematics since the previous inspection. Governors support and challenge the inspirational headteacher and her strong leadership team highly effectively. Leaders work very cohesively as a team.

They leave no stone unturned in their determined and highly focused effort to sustain and develop even more outstanding teaching an...d pupil achievement. The school's values and beliefs, summarised as 'Everyone Counts', are clearly evident in the way staff strongly promote the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Behaviour is outstanding.

Pupils demonstrate a real eagerness to learn together and to please their teachers. This is because staff promote very supportive and encouraging relationships and make learning exciting and challenging. The work of the school in keeping pupils safe and secure is outstanding.

The school's safeguarding procedures are rigorously and consistently applied, ensuring that all pupils are kept very safe. This view is supported by pupils and their parents. Teaching is outstanding.

It is highly effective in raising pupils' aspirations, and in securing their desire and ability to learn equally successfully. Pupils are prepared extremely well, both personally and academically, for secondary education. All groups of pupils make excellent progress.

The above average levels of attainment at the end of Year 6 reflect their outstanding achievement from their varying, but mostly below average, starting points. A substantial and increasing number of pupils demonstrate skills that are much higher than those expected for their age. This is particularly the case in reading and mathematics and is a significant improvement since the previous inspection.

Standards in writing have significantly improved, but are not as high as in reading and mathematics. This is because, at times, pupils' handwriting is not developed well enough.

Information about this school

Grange Community Junior School is below average in size.

The majority of pupils attending are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or with English as an additional language is above average. The proportion of disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs is above average.

The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after) is above average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school provides its own breakfast club.