Yeading Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They work hard and achieve well.

Pupils are respectful to each other and behave well in lessons and around the school. They feel safe in school. Very positive relationships between staff and pupils mean that pupils trust their teachers to deal with any concerns that they may have.

Pupils benefit from a carefully thought-out curriculum that is broad and balanced. Leaders have made sure this curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have considered the school's diverse community when deciding what pupils should be taught.

This includes carefully ...selected reading books that reflect a range of cultures, and trips to local places of worship of different faiths.

Pupils are supported well to be ready for the next stage of their education. Leaders' focus on developing pupils' character virtues is embedded in school life.

This means that pupils recognise where they need to show resilience, compassion or determination, for example. Pupils have opportunities to take on roles of responsibility in the school. As well as playground buddies and school council members, some pupils take on the role of class bank manager, organising the rewards vouchers for their classmates.

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

Leaders have put together a rich and ambitious curriculum which they regularly review and refine. This ambition is exemplified by pupils learning Latin in addition to French. Pupils study a wide range of subjects delivered by teachers with strong subject knowledge.

Pupils with SEND follow the same rich curriculum as their classmates. Teachers use the very clear information that leaders provide to make sure that these pupils can achieve well in lessons.

Leaders have made sure that subject content has been put together in a way that helps pupils learn more over time.

For example, in mathematics, pupils learn more complex ideas as they get older, but they constantly revisit earlier learning. Leaders have worked hard to establish a consistent structure to lessons, so they know that that this regular referring to earlier work is happening across the whole school. Sometimes, teachers do not check that pupils have understood a new idea or new content before the lesson moves on.

This means that some pupils miss out on important content and have gaps in their knowledge.

Reading is prioritised and celebrated across the school. Pupils read widely and often.

Teachers and leaders select books that broaden pupils' horizons and celebrate diversity. Over time, pupils become skilled at interpreting a wide range of different types of text. Pupils who need more help with their reading are identified quickly.

Trained staff support these pupils to learn to decode unfamiliar words so that they can read more fluently.

Pupils have very positive attitudes towards their learning and to school life. They listen to each other and to their teachers.

Pupils behave well in lessons and in the playground. Pupils like the recently introduced behaviour system, which rewards their positive behaviour. Bullying is very rare, and staff deal with it swiftly if it does occur.

Leaders work hard to engage with families to promote high levels of attendance at school.

Leaders have an ambition to develop pupils beyond the academic. A carefully considered programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE) helps pupils to understand about relationships and healthy lifestyles in an age-appropriate way.

Pupils appreciate the opportunities they get to visit places of cultural significance. This includes visits to the local gurdwara and to the British Museum. A range of clubs and activities are provided at lunchtime and after school to enrich and extend pupils' experiences.

However, leaders do not check whether these are being accessed equally by all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.

Parents and carers appreciate the accessibility of leaders and the regular communication that they get from the school. Teachers, including those new to the profession, benefit from high-quality support and training.

Staff are proud to work in the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is prioritised by governors and leaders.

Leaders have made sure that staff are vigilant and that they report any concerns they may have. Leaders work closely with the appropriate authorities to secure help for the most vulnerable pupils and families.

Pupils feel safe at school.

They know they can talk to any adult in the school about their worries or concerns, no matter how small. Pupils like the 'Voice Box', where they can raise any issues they may have discreetly. Pupils have been taught how to keep themselves safe, including in the community and online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, teachers do not check that pupils have understood the subject content that they are learning before moving on. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders should put in place strategies to develop teachers' practice to ensure that they routinely check understanding so that misconceptions and gaps in pupils' knowledge are addressed quickly.

• Although pupils can attend a number of different clubs and activities, leaders do not monitor the take-up of these by different groups of pupils. This means that some disadvantaged pupils may miss out on these enrichment opportunities.Leaders should routinely monitor the take-up of clubs and activities to ensure that pupils from different backgrounds and with different needs benefit from these additional opportunities.

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