Willesborough Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The school's effectiveness is good. Pupils achieve well and leave with secure basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

Pupils speak confidently, listen carefully and read widely and often. Pupils' behaviour is typically good. Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors and each other.

Many enjoy being playground friends or peer mentors to others in the school. The school is good at keeping pupils safe. Following building improvements, pupils now have longer and more regular sessions that help to develop their physical fitness and skills.

Practically all parents and carers value what the school achieves for their childre...n. Most would recommend it to others. The quality of teaching is typically good and caters for the wide range of pupils' abilities.

Both in lessons and in small groups, the school supports pupils who are vulnerable or who have special educational needs well. The headteacher, supported well by other senior and middle leaders, quickly identifies where pupils need extra help, particularly when they join the school. Governors provide challenging support, often because they have a broad range of relevant and professional skills themselves.

They use these to good effect to challenge senior leaders to maintain the school's effectiveness, as well as seeking areas to help it improve further. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Pupils write for a range of purposes, but sometimes pupils' inconsistent spelling and untidy presentation let down the quality of their writing so they do not achieve as well as they could. Pupils do not apply their secure calculation skills or mathematical knowledge enough to everyday uses to see the point of what they learn.

Marking of pupils' work does not always help them to achieve the highest levels in their English and mathematical work. Pupils rarely use the good skills they acquire in computing and other technology to help them learn in other subjects.

Information about this school

The school is much bigger than most junior schools.

The headteacher has joined the school since the previous inspection. Significant building work has just been completed which has provided a second hall space. Most pupils are White British, although around a fifth of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages.

A small proportion speak English as an additional language. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is also above average.

The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children) is above the national average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. The school runs a morning breakfast club as well as an after-school club.