Jerome Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher provides strong and effective leadership. She has established an ethos that places pupils' well-being and academic success at the centre of the school's work.

As a result, pupils thrive and make good progress. School leaders have established robust systems to monitor and evaluate all aspects of the school's work and to ensure that teaching accurately matches the needs of the pupils. While the outcomes of leaders' monitoring are used to identify how the school can improve further, school improvement plans are not yet fully focused on the most pressing priorities.

Governors provide challenge and support to school leaders. Th...ey have a good understanding of the school's strengths. They are also realistic in recognising that further improvements can be made to ensure that all pupils achieve the outcomes that they are capable of.

Improvements in the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics mean that pupils in school are now making good progress in these subjects. The teaching of early reading is particularly effective. However, too few of the most able pupils in school achieve the highest standards in these subjects, particularly in mathematics.

This is because teachers do not consistently set challenging tasks that demand these pupils to think deeply. Pupils are well behaved and value their opportunities to be involved in the ongoing development of the school. While they show care and consideration for others, pupils' understanding of different faiths and beliefs is not as well developed.

Children make a good start in the early years provision. They settle quickly and develop positive attitudes to learning. While teachers and other adults ensure that activities are well planned to promote learning, opportunities to extend children's spoken language through the use of appropriate questions are often missed.

School leaders place a high emphasis on pupils' safety and their physical development. All staff understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe. The teaching of sports and physical activities is a strength of the school.

The school curriculum has been developed well by leaders and teachers to make learning exciting and relevant across all subjects. Opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills in other subjects have improved since the last inspection. However, opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical knowledge in other subjects are not as well established.

Information about this school

The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the most recent key stage 2 results and governors' annual statement on its website. Jerome Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those who are supported by the pupil premium funding, is below average.

Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below that in most schools. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club for its pupils. The headteacher took up her post in April 2015. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils in Year 6.