Loddon Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to belong to this welcoming school.

They experience kindness and compassion from experienced, caring staff. They are confident staff will help them should they need it. The specially trained Year 6 peer support buddies help pupils to 'chat through their problems'.

Pupils typically behave well during lessons and around the school's site. The school's core values are reflected in pupils' positive attitudes and behaviour. Staff know their pupils well.

Pupils are polite and kind to each other.

Pupils are keen to make a positive contribution to their school and wider community. For example, the eco-council works hard to make pup...ils aware of ways to save energy, such as closing doors to conserve heating.

School council members work actively with staff to put their suggestions into practice.

The school expects pupils to achieve well. However, the school has not made sure that the quality of education is consistently strong.

This means pupils do not develop their knowledge and skills routinely well in some subjects. As a result, pupils are not fully prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has a broad curriculum in place across all subjects.

In some subjects, the curriculum identifies the important knowledge pupils should learn. For example, in mathematics, the school has made important changes to the curriculum. Pupils use their prior knowledge to solve problems.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) describe how revisiting learning helps them 'get ready' for new learning in mathematics.

In some other subjects, the school has not identified the subject-specific knowledge pupils should learn. This makes it difficult for teachers to know exactly what should be taught and when.

The school's checks on the overall effectiveness of its curriculum are not as secure as they could be. This means the school is not clear about the areas that require the most improvement.

Systems to check pupils' understanding and address misconceptions are not securely in place.

As a result, pupils move on to learning new content before they have a secure understanding of prior learning. This means pupils have gaps in their understanding across the curriculum, so they do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects.

The school is determined to put reading at the heart of the curriculum and enhance pupils' love of reading.

Pupils have daily reading sessions which help them to improve the fluency of their reading. High-quality texts provide a stimulus for different topics. Pupils who require additional help work in small groups to get the help they need.

This support helps these pupils to become more confident readers.

The school swiftly identifies pupils with SEND. Staff across the school are informed about the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

They adapt learning activities so pupils progress well through the curriculum. A number of parents commented on the positive impact that the school makes on pupils with SEND, praising the support and nurture in place.

Pupils understand people's differences and how diversity enhances the richness of society.

Values such as tolerance and respect are promoted constantly in school. The school provides effective pastoral support for pupils' well-being. Pupils' aspirations are nurtured and encouraged.

For example, pupils describe ambitions such as becoming a professional snowboarder or working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The school has recently introduced a new behaviour policy, which is having a positive impact. There are a few pupils who require help to manage their emotions due to their additional needs.

Staff have the same high expectations for how these pupils should behave and what they can achieve while making reasonable adjustments where appropriate.

There has been some upheaval and recent changes to how the school is led. School staff at all levels, including governors, are focused on making improvements to pupils' learning.

Staff are supportive of one another and work together well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's oversight of the delivery and impact of the curriculum is variable.

There is not a systematic approach to identifying where improvement is needed. This means the school does not have an accurate picture of standards across the curriculum. The school should ensure that it evaluates the effectiveness of the curriculum and how it is taught in all subjects so it can identify the areas that require the most improvement.

• In some subjects in the wider curriculum, there is a lack of clarity about what pupils need to learn and when they need to learn it. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure the subject knowledge that pupils should learn is identified precisely and appropriately sequenced in all subjects to build effectively on what pupils have learned before.

• The school has not ensured that pupils' understanding is routinely checked so that any misconceptions are identified swiftly. This means that, across the curriculum, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and are not fully ready to learn new content. The school should ensure that teachers check pupils' learning and understanding carefully and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge promptly.

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