Albany Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 April 2026

Pupils at Albany Junior School feel a strong sense of belonging to their highly inclusive and welcoming school community. They know that staff care deeply for them. Pupils recognise that staff work to make each day the best it can be for them. They benefit from the school’s unswerving commitment to ensuring that they are safe, well cared for and ready to learn. Pupils place high trust in staff. They know that staff will support them to overcome barriers to their learning or wellbeing. Pupils are overwhelmingly positive about their school. They enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in their high attendance. Pupils’ behaviour is typically very positive. They generally play well together at social times. Pupils learn how to be a good friend. They appreciate that pupils are usually kind to each other. Pupils are emphatic that bullying is not tolerated at school and rarely happens. They know who to talk to if they have concerns and are confident that these will be addressed immediately by staff. Pupils benefit from classroom environments that are calm and purposeful. This helps them to focus on their learning. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers are generally well supported to access their learning. Pupils enjoy lessons and get help when they need it. However, some pupils still have gaps in their knowledge, particularly in some aspects of transcription and writing. Not all pupils achieve as well as they could in national tests. Leaders have begun to take appropriate steps to address this so that a greater proportion of pupils will be better prepared for their next stage of education. Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities, including visits, clubs and leadership opportunities. These help pupils to broaden their horizons and understand the world beyond their local area.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should continue to strengthen recent work on securing consistently high-quality teaching so that a greater proportion of pupils build secure reading, writing and mathematics knowledge and are ready for the next stage of their education.
• Leaders should ensure that teaching routinely and precisely checks pupils’ understanding, particularly those at risk of falling behind, so that this information is used to address any misconceptions and adapt teaching accordingly.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)