Jesse Gray Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

The school provides a good standard of education and cares for the pupils exceptionally well. Committed leadership, a good curriculum and exceptionally effective liaison with external agencies help pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning to speak English as an additional language, to make good progress. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills which are above those expected for their age.

By the time pupils leave at the end of Year 6 their attainment is high. Pupils are polite, behave well and feel safe and secure. They say that they very much enjoy coming to school and this is shown in the high levels of attendance.
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Teaching is good and staff are especially effective at promoting pupils' positive attitudes to learning. In the best lessons, teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn; they guide pupils through the small learning steps and regularly check on their understanding. However, this varies and the lack of consistency is the main reason why a greater proportion of lessons are not outstanding.

Pupils work well together and are keen to share their ideas with others. Teachers mark books regularly and in most classes marking gives pupils very clear guidance on how to improve their work. However, in some classes, little guidance is given.

The curriculum is structured well and teachers use imaginative themes, such as 'superheroes', to engage pupils' interest and stimulate their imagination. Through these themes, many teachers provide opportunities for pupils to practise their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills. However, in some classes, opportunities are not always taken.

Communication between the school and parents and carers is good, especially concerning pupils' well-being and personal development. Important school developments and information about the pupils' work in school are provided through letters, reports and meetings with teachers. The school very successfully communicates with the parents and carers of those pupils whose circumstances make them potentially most vulnerable.

However, apart from the reports at the end of Years 2 and 6, not enough information is given to parents and carers about their child's attainment and progress as they move through the school. The headteacher's ambition for improvement is shared by staff and the governing body. Leaders regularly and systematically check on pupils' progress and monitor the quality of pupils' learning through assessment information, observing lessons and checking on pupils' work in books.

However, lesson observations do not always focus sharply enough on how clear teachers are about the learning needs of the pupils, how well they guide pupils through the small learning steps, or how regularly they check on pupils' understanding. Consequently, following the observations, the advice given to teachers on how to improve their teaching is not always effective in helping raise pupils' achievement. Consistently high achievement and effective self-evaluation systems show that the school has good capacity for further improvement.

Information about the school

The school is much bigger than the average primary school. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. Most of these pupils have moderate learning difficulties.

There are very few pupils with a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic backgrounds is average. The percentage of pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language has risen over recent years and is now above average.

The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The school runs breakfast and after-school clubs. The school has gold Healthy School Status, the Dyslexia mark and the Investors in Pupils quality mark.

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