Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school? '

Thriving together' is at the heart of this school. Pupils develop highly positive attitudes to learning, which stand them in good stead for the next stage.

This is because the school strives to give pupils the opportunities and skills that they need to be confident and active members of the communities in which they live.

When the youngest pupils join in Year 3, they quickly learn to meet the high expectations that the staff have of them in their learning and their conduct. They see this modelled successfully by the older pupils and staff.

Pupils become increasingly respectful, caring and thoughtful individuals during their time at the school. This is eviden...t in the strong and nurturing relationships that are in place between staff and pupils.

Many pupils face barriers to learning.

This can be in the form of special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND), as well as other challenges. Pupils' needs are identified quickly and accurately. Pupils trust staff and feel safe at school.

As a result, they persevere to give their best efforts. Attendance is improving because pupils want to be in school. The school is viewed as 'a sanctuary' for its pupils.

This is bolstered further by the enthusiasm that pupils have for their learning across the curriculum.

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

The school has a clear and ambitious vision and set of values. These are successfully shared and well understood.

These values and vision result in a highly inclusive school. The school has embedded an ambitious curriculum that increasingly successfully meets the needs of its pupils. The curriculum is designed to address the low starting points of many of the pupils when they join in Year 3.

The curriculum focuses on helping pupils catch up to their expected levels as they move through the school. Disadvantaged pupils, including pupils with SEND, quickly gain the confidence and resilience needed to tackle challenges and develop their skills. The school's two specially resourced provisions for pupils with SEND and the mainstream classes benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the staff.

The school has continued to strengthen the curriculum in response to low published outcomes. It has thought carefully about what pupils need to know and understand. This required a focus on securing fundamental learning, such as number fluency and phonics.

As a result, pupils now build new learning with increasing success. The school has prioritised reading and most pupils become fluent and confident readers. The school gives pupils a rich set of experiences through trips and visits as well as the diverse, high-quality texts that are planned into each subject.

Published outcomes do not yet reflect the difference this work is having on how well pupils learn across the curriculum.

The impact of the school's work is firmly rooted in the exceptional way that it prioritises pupils' social and emotional needs from the time that they start at the school. It makes an impressive impact on pupils' attitudes to learning and the way in which they behave.

However, in some aspects of its monitoring, the school does not analyse information with enough precision. It does not gain important information about patterns and trends over time, to support the information it already holds at an individual, pupil level, for example information about different pupil groups' attendance and access to the school's full enrichment offer.

Pupils value the roles of responsibility that they hold.

This enables them to support their peers and strengthens their own preparation for the next stage. The school recognises the importance of equipping pupils with the strategies and resilience that will give them the best possible chances. Developments such as the 'character curriculum' and the high priority given to pupils' mental and physical health are well-embedded aspects of this wider offer.

Governors know the school well. They provide the necessary challenge and support to assure themselves about the quality of education the school provides. The school is actively involved in, and leading on, work that other professionals seek as examples of good practice.

This ensures the continual development of staff expertise in the school. This collaborative work is valued by staff and recognised by parents and carers for the difference it makes to their children's education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The impact of the quality of education is not fully reflected in the school's published outcomes. This means that pupils' academic achievements are not always accurate and aligned with the knowledge and understanding that they have. The school should continue to review and refine the curriculum, informed by its accurate evaluations and research, so that this is better reflected in pupils' academic outcomes.

• At times, the school does not underpin what it knows about the impact it makes on pupils with enough precision. As a result, it does not always have a fully formed analysis of patterns and trends over time to show the difference that its actions and decisions make. The school should strengthen the wealth of information it gathers on the impact it makes, with increased precision.