Light Oaks Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

This is a good school.

Pupils say, 'Everybody is kind and helpful' and they feel safe, secure and happy because they are well cared for, guided and supported. Excellent behaviour and enthusiasm make a strong contribution to learning and enjoyment. Pupils have a good knowledge of health issues, are caring and considerate towards each other and make a good contribution to the community.

Responses in the questionnaires returned by parents and carers were very positive about what the school does for their children. Attainment on entry at Year 3 is broadly average, and a significant minority attain above average levels. Achievement across the school is good.

Attainment is above average by... the time pupils leave Year 6 and they are often well-above in mathematics. All pupil groups make good progress through the school, but there are some inconsistencies in mathematics, where boys often outperform girls. The impact of strategies to close the gap is not fully apparent.

Pupils learning English as an additional language make good progress. Overall, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well because they receive well organised, skilled support. This support was previously mainly directed to older pupils so, on occasion, progress for a very small minority of younger ones lagged behind a little.

The school has directed more support to this small minority, and their progress is beginning to improve rapidly. Rigorous professional development ensures teaching is consistently good across the school. Interesting lessons build on pupils' prior knowledge and motivate them to work hard.

Assessment systems provide good quality progress information and thorough marking and feedback arrangements are a strong feature. The well-planned curriculum captures pupils' curiosity and enthusiasm and promotes the skills they need to become independent learners. A rich range of activities and popular clubs greatly enhance pupils' experience beyond the classroom, and some clubs are targeted at pupils who may need extra help with particular aspects of their learning, in mathematics, for example.

Senior leaders have firmly embedded a clear vision for improvement. There is a strong team spirit and staff morale is high. Leaders, managers and the governing body evaluate performance accurately and contribute knowledgeably to well-focused development plans.

Good safeguarding procedures ensure the school is a safe, secure environment. Actions to tackle issues from the previous inspection have been very effective in raising attainment and boosting progress through good quality teaching. The school has good capacity for further improvement.

Information about the school

This is a larger than average junior school, with three classes in each year group. Most pupils are of White British heritage, with a small and increasing number from minority ethnic groups and a few who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.

The proportion identified with special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly below that usually found. Significant staffing changes since the previous inspection include, a new deputy headteacher and a new assistant headteacher, who took up their posts in September 2010. The school has Healthy School status and has gained Eco School Bronze, Activemark and the International School awards.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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