Watford St John’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Watford St John's Church of England Primary is a happy and welcoming school where pupils develop as confident and caring young people.

Staff teach pupils to demonstrate the school's values, which include love and respect. Leaders and governors share a clear vision and determination to promote pupils' personal development. They are equally committed to ensuring that pupils achieve highly.

The headteacher's strong leadership has established a popular 'family feel' to the school, alongside a high level of professionalism. Staff are committed and hard-working. Teaching across the school is consistently good.

The broad curriculum prov...ides opportunities for learning in a range of subjects. Trips, clubs and other memorable experiences both motivate pupils and develop their positive attitudes to learning. Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times.

They behave respectfully towards each other and staff. Parents and carers are very positive about the school. They appreciate the care, attention and good teaching their children receive.

Children make good progress in the early years. Precise assessment and good teaching mean children are well prepared for Year 1. Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for improvement.

However, this information is not used to develop precise strategic plans, with clear checking points, to make sure the changing needs of this growing school are managed effectively. Leaders for subjects other than English and mathematics are new to their roles. Consequently, the processes for checking the quality of teaching and pupils' achievement across the wider curriculum are not established.

Teachers' careful planning and high expectations mean that pupils learn well. As a result, most pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the standards pupils reach in writing are not as high as in reading and mathematics.

Some pupils' work in books is untidy. This is because not all teachers are consistent in their expectations of the presentation of pupils' work.

Information about this school

Watford St John's Church of England Primary School opened in September 2016 and this is its first inspection.

The school was temporarily located in the local church hall. In September 2018 the school moved onto its new purpose-built site. Since the school opened, pupil and staff numbers have been growing.

The school is currently smaller than the average-sized primary school although its capacity is larger. Pupils come from a diverse range of educational experiences and backgrounds. In September 2019 the school will include a Year 3 class.

The school is set to expand and include further key stage 2 year groups up to Year 6 by 2022. The school is the single academy of the Diocese of St Albans Educational Trust. The trust delegates governance to the governing body.

The board of trustees is the accountable body. As a school designated as having a religious character, it was subject to a separate section 48 inspection of its denominational religious education, school ethos and content of collective worship in May 2019. The proportion of pupils who are believed to speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.

The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the government's pupil premium funding is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is well below the national average. The proportion who have an education, health and care plan is well above the national average.