Wroughton Junior Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a caring school.

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing. Pupils feel safe. They have many trusted adults they can talk to should they have any worries or anxieties.

Most pupils behave sensibly and work with positive attitudes. They try hard to personify the school's core values of effort, responsibility and respect. They enjoy the 'Star of the week' assemblies, where individual achievements are celebrated.

Pupils benefit from a range of extra-curricular clubs. They attend clubs such as cooking, musical theatre and dodgeball. This provides them with varied opportunities to develop skills beyond the curriculum.

Pupils kno...w that everyone is different and celebrate this. They used the example of Rosa Parks to explain why it is wrong to discriminate against someone because of the colour of their skin.

Many parents and carers talk positively about the school.

However, some parents have mixed views about recent changes.

Pupils study an ambitious curriculum. However, they do not achieve well enough.

This is reflected in the outcomes of end of Year 6 statutory tests.

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

Significant turbulence in leadership has slowed the rate of improvement across this school. The school now has a secure and robust focus on what needs to improve.

Their efforts, together with a dedicated staff team and highly effective trust, are beginning to have a positive impact. However, there is still more to do to ensure that pupils get a good quality of education.

The school has worked closely with the trust to put in place an ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum that outlines important knowledge and skills.

In all subjects there is a clear structure to lessons. However, in some subjects, there is not a systematic approach to check what pupils know and remember long-term. This means there are gaps in pupils' knowledge.

The school has made reading a priority. Staff are well trained in the school's phonics and reading programmes. They provide effective support to pupils who are falling behind.

The school is developing a culture of reading for pleasure. Teachers link high-quality texts to topics across the wider curriculum. This reflects the aim for reading to be at the heart of learning.

Pupils enjoy the books they read in class, which provide inspiration for their own writing.

Teachers effectively support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in the classroom, ensuring they can experience success while learning alongside their peers. However, targets on pupils' individual support plans are not precise enough or addressed consistently.

This means some pupils with SEND do not get the specific support they need to meet these targets. As a result, these pupils are not making enough progress.

The school recently implemented a new behaviour policy.

This has made a difference. Consequently, most pupils now behave well. They like the clarity of the traffic light system.

Adults use the same 'habits of attention' across the school. The rules, rewards and consequences are applied consistently and fairly. As a result, pupils' learning is rarely disturbed.

Pupils move around school in a calm and orderly way.

The school has developed robust systems to improve pupils' attendance. It is working with families to help them get their children to school every day and on time.

This work is helping to improve attendance for many pupils. Pupils are keen on initiatives such as 'Freddo Friday' for good attendance over the week. However, some disadvantaged pupils still miss too much time in school.

Leaders are rightly maintaining a sharp focus on improving attendance.

The well-planned curriculum for personal development ensures that pupils understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Trips, visits, and projects, such as visiting a university and designing a magic fridge to feed homeless people, enhance the curriculum.

These experiences provide pupils with a rich set of opportunities they may not otherwise access.

The school is realistic that there is much to do to restore the school's standing in the local community. Relationships with some parents and carers are fragile because of the many changes that have happened over recent years.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Assessment in some foundation subjects is at an early stage of development. This means teachers do not always know how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum.

As a result, teachers are not always able to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should make sure teachers use a consistent and effective approach to assessment. ? The school does not ensure that some pupils with SEND receive the precise support they need.

This hinders the progress that these pupils make. The school should ensure that all pupils with SEND receive the precise support they need so that all pupils with SEND can learn and achieve well. The school is working closely with parents and carers to improve pupils' attendance.

However, the attendance of some pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, is still too low. As a result, these pupils miss out on important learning. The school should strengthen further the work it is doing improve the attendance of pupils who are persistently absent.

• Some parents have negative views of the school. As a result, the school does not have the universal support and trust of the wider school community. The school should continue to work develop effective relationships with parents, so that they understand and are supportive of the school's aims andwork.