Stourfield Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. A strong leadership team, including the governing body, has established a wide range of strategies to check on the school's work and to ensure pupils' good progress. Thorough tracking systems enable a good, wide range of interventions to take place which support well any pupil falling behind.

Pupils receive good and better teaching. Teachers develop their skills as a result of effective coaching and mentoring by senior leaders. Pupils behave well, are courteous and display positive attitudes to their learning.

In particular, the vast majority remain on task for prolonged periods during lessons. Whilst pupils make good progress in their a...cademic work, the school also ensures high levels of care and individual support for pupils. Such strategies as the 'key worker' for children who require further support enable pupils to feel secure and concentrate on their learning.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Not enough teaching is outstanding. There are inconsistencies in how teachers plan work and where this occurs then progress slows. In particular, not all teachers are sufficiently skilled in planning work that challenges all pupils, and in ensuring pupils access independent work as quickly as they might.

Other inconsistencies exist in areas such as the extent to which teachers refer to levels when marking and allow pupils time to respond to their comments. Also, there are differences between teachers in their expectation of the presentation of pupils' work and in highlighting and reinforcing spelling.

Information about this school

The school is a larger than average sized junior school.

There are more boys than girls when compared to the national average. The proportion of pupils supported under pupil premium funding, which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and looked after children, is below the national average. There are no pupils from service families at the school.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is above average. There is a broadly average proportion of pupils at school action plus or with a statement of special educational need. The main needs of these pupils relate to speech, language and communication needs.

The majority of pupils come from a predominantly White British background. The two next largest minority ethnic groups consist of pupils who come from Any Other White or Mixed backgrounds. A daily breakfast club operates from the school dining room.

In 2012, the school met the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectation for pupils' attainment and progress. Since the last inspection, the school has experienced some extensive staffing upheaval. This included the absence of the headteacher for a prolonged period of time.

Also at this postcode