Burlington Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 January 2026

This school is a happy place where pupils feel valued by the staff who work with them. Pupils have a diverse range of needs. Leaders and staff seek to provide support to help all pupils achieve well. Pupils feel safe in school. Pupils benefit from staff's comprehensive understanding of them at an individual level. This helps staff to sort out any problems or worries that pupils might have. Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should and are persistently absent. Leaders have taken steps to improve attendance. These actions are at an early stage and have not had time to show sustained impact. Pupils enjoy learning. Typically, they are prepared well for their next steps. However, pupils' achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has been inconsistent over time. Staff do not use assessment well enough to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding and make the necessary changes to learning. Recently, achievement has improved because leaders have refined the curriculum and approaches to teaching, including the accuracy of assessment. This work has been particularly successful in improving pupils’ reading and writing. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should in writing and some aspects of mathematics. Pupils benefit from a generally calm and purposeful learning environment. Classrooms are typically orderly, which helps pupils to concentrate well on their learning. Pupils enjoy spending time with their friends during social times. Pupils trust that incidents of challenging behaviour, including bullying, are managed well by staff. Pupils speak positively about their experiences at school. They enjoy 'Beyond the Bell' activities such as crochet and sewing. The school invites visitors, such as local police, to speak about how to stay safe in a range of situations. Carefully planned visits, including to museums and a visit to London, help to prepare pupils for life beyond the school.

What the school should improve

• Leaders need to ensure teachers use assessment information to clearly understand pupils’ starting points and adapt teaching appropriately to support all pupils to achieve success. • Leaders need to ensure that all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are effectively supported to access a curriculum that is tailored to their specific needs, so that they achieve with greater success. • Leaders need to continue their work to improve all pupils' achievement, particularly for middle and high prior attainers in mathematics, so that outcomes are at least in line with national averages. • Leaders should continue to implement and refine their attendance strategy to reduce pupils' persistent absence.

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