Watton Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's community is richly diverse, with many pupils coming from other countries.

The school celebrates this diversity and welcomes new arrivals warmly. There is an inclusive culture in which pupils value and appreciate difference.

The 'Respect code' underpins relationships and behaviour at the school.

Pupils learn in calm, orderly classrooms. They move around the school sensibly, showing respect for each other and for adults. Pupils enjoy social times.

They chat happily in the dining room and play harmoniously on the playground.

Pupils enjoy developing new interests, such as astronomy, at extra-curricular clubs. Trips to castles, a ne...arby museum or space centres enhance pupils' learning of the curriculum.

On 'Passport Day' pupils learn about each other's cultures.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and pupils who are in the early stages of speaking English.

However, pupils' achievement at the end of Year 6 last year was well below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. A revised curriculum and new approaches to teaching are helping more pupils rise to the school's high expectations. However, more time is needed for recent changes to have the impact the school intends.

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

The school and trust have acted decisively to address the declining standards. For example, they have overhauled the curriculum. The new curriculum is ambitious.

It sets out the important knowledge pupils will learn in each subject. It is sequenced clearly so that pupils build secure knowledge over time. However, historic weaknesses in the curriculum mean that many pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

These pupils are not building on secure foundations.

In reading, writing and mathematics, staff teach lessons confidently and pupils progress well. In other subjects, teachers' knowledge of the new curriculum is less strong.

There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, and pupils do not learn as well as the school intends.

During lessons, staff assess pupils' understanding often. At the end of a topic, they check whether the important knowledge is secure.

Where these checks identify specific barriers to learning, such as pupils' needs or emerging English, the school is quick to set up appropriate support for pupils. Sometimes, however, staff do not use these checks effectively to inform future teaching, or to adjust the curriculum. Consequently, some pupils' gaps persist.

Overall, the school's provision for pupils with SEND is well matched to their needs. Most pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers. Some follow a more personalised curriculum in the school's specially resourced provisions.

Throughout the curriculum, staff use high-quality texts to broaden pupils' reading diet and foster a love of books. There is a growing culture of reading for pleasure here. Pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read have effective daily phonics teaching to help them to catch up.

Typically, pupils behave very well. They listen attentively in lessons and focus on the tasks set. Overall, pupils have positive attitudes to school and attend regularly.

The school takes prompt action when a pupil's attendance causes concern. Consequently, attendance rates are improving. However, more time is needed for the school's work to improve the attendance of some pupils who do not attend school regularly enough.

These pupils miss important learning.

The school plans its provision for pupils' wider development thoughtfully. Pupils learn essential knowledge about personal safety, world religions and healthy relationships.

They know how fundamental British values such as democracy and the rule of law apply, both in and out of school. An annual careers fair encourages pupils to have aspirational goals.

Trustees, governors and leaders have a shared ambitious vision.

Governors hold the school fully to account. Trust leaders provide invaluable support in ensuring those priorities are the right ones. The pace of change has been rapid in recent months.

However, the school and trust are considerate of staff workload and well-being. They are supporting staff to fulfil their roles in the drive for improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Historic weaknesses in the curriculum have resulted in gaps in pupils' learning. For example, some pupils do not have basic skills such as transcription or number fluency. In others, they do not have the prior knowledge of a subject required to access more complex ideas.

This prevents pupils from building a secure body of knowledge. The school and trust should ensure that staff adapt and supplement the curriculum to address pupils' gaps in knowledge as rapidly as possible. ? In some subjects, staff's knowledge of the new curriculum is still developing.

They are less confident about their subject knowledge and about the content of the curriculum. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is delivered and pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school and trust must ensure that they support teachers to understand and implement the new curriculum consistently well in all subjects.

• The school's systems for assessment are in their infancy. Staff use various strategies to check pupils' understanding. However, they do not use the information these checks give them systematically to adjust and adapt their lessons.

This hinders pupils' progress. The school and trust should embed the assessment systems so that staff effectively adapt their future lessons in order to maximise pupils' progress. ? The school's work on reducing pupil absence needs more time to ensure pupils who are persistently absent attend well.

There are still some pupils who do not attend school regularly enough. This means they miss important learning, academically and socially. The school and trust should continue to strengthen their work with pupils and their families to reduce rates of pupil absence.