Caister Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 July 2024

Pupils are confident and respectful citizens of Caister Junior school. Pupils are kind and polite. Leaders encourage pupils to see themselves as positive members of a diverse and multi-cultural society. Pupils become 'agents of change'. They ensure everyone feels included and understand that derogatory language is not tolerated. Pupils play well together during break time activities. Pupils feel happy and safe. The school appreciates that many pupils and their families face wider challenges in everyday life. It provides an extensive range of clubs, visits and trips that enrich pupils learning. Residential trips open pupils' eyes to life beyond their immediate community. Abseiling and rock-climbing activities contribute to building pupils' character and confidence. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) know staff are on hand to support them. Some pupils enjoy learning in a small group in 'The Hive'. This provides a calm quiet space, where distractions are minimal. The school sets clear expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils learn to be 'ready, respectful and safe'. The school celebrates pupils' efforts and conduct. Pupils are proud to receive points for their achievements. Consequently, pupils focus on learning and achieve well.

What the school should improve

• In some instances, the sequence of the curriculum does not help pupils to make connections in their learning so that they gain a greater depth of understanding in some subjects. This means that pupils are not as well prepared as they could be to confidently integrate learning into new ideas as they progress through the curriculum. Leaders should review the teaching in the curriculum so that this helps pupils to integrate new knowledge into wider learning as they progress through the curriculum.
• There is variability in the standard of pupils' written work. This is because some pupils grammar, spelling and punctuation is not consistently checked and corrected. This makes some writing difficult to read and means they cannot record their thinking in the depth they are capable of. Leaders should ensure that they establish shared expectations for pupils written work across the curriculum so that all pupils learn to apply high standards of English across the wider curriculum and develop the necessary skills to prepare them well for their future learning.

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