Penbridge Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

It has improved well since its last inspection due to the inspirational and determined leadership of its headteacher. Effective self-evaluation and development planning target remaining weaknesses, ensuring that the school is well placed to improve further. Pupils' good achievement results in average attainment.

Those at risk of underachieving, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, achieve well. Excellent use is made of special funding, including that for the pupil premium, to provide individualised activities often led by highly skilled teaching assistants. As a result, pupils known to be eligible for free ...school meals and those from other ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language achieve as well as most pupils nationally.

Despite a minority of pupils finding good behaviour difficult, most behave well because : of the high quality support provided. This helps ensure that the school provides a safe and happy environment. Good monitoring and support for teaching ensure that it has improved well over the past three years and is now good.

Effective planning and well-organised lessons, that effectively target activities at pupils' different ability levels, enable them to do well. The strong commitment of staff and members of the governing body, together with good teamwork, ensures that leadership and management at all levels are good and that the leadership's monitoring is effective. It is not yet an outstanding school because : In a minority of lessons the pace of learning is slow, resulting in some pupils losing concentration.

Not all teachers adjust activities or targets throughout the lesson to help those pupils who are doing well to make even better progress. Although boys achieve well and the attainment gap between boys and girls is closing, still more needs to be done, particularly in English, including encouraging boys to have a more positive attitude to this subject.

Information about this school

Newbridge Junior is a larger-than-average school which has recently increased from three to four form entry.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, supported at school action, school action plus or by a statement of special educational needs, is above average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language has more than doubled since the last inspection and is broadly average. An increasing number of these pupils are of Romany or Gypsy heritage.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, including free school meals, is above average. The school meets the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The school runs its own breakfast club.