Calmore Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 April 2026

Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging at Calmore Junior School. Pupils feel like ‘part of the family’ and enjoy coming to school where they feel safe, happy and valued. Pupils show this through the way they care for and support one another. Leaders and staff build a positive culture, and pupils strive to meet the high expectations consistently modelled by staff. Pupils play cooperatively and include others, so playtimes feel active and joyful. Pupils understand what bullying is and trust staff to act when concerns arise. Pastoral provision is highly effective. Pupils and staff enjoy positive, respectful relationships. This contributes to a sense of community in the school. Staff know pupils and their families well, creating an atmosphere where pupils grow in confidence and feel comfortable being themselves. Pupils behave well and enjoy attending school regularly. Pupils take an ‘ACTIVE’ approach to their learning, becoming ‘ambitious, curious, team focused, independent, vocal and engaged’. This mindset contributes to the school’s calm, purposeful environment. Pupils participate enthusiastically in lessons, listen carefully to instructions and show respect for all staff. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the curriculum because lesson activities in some subjects do not always address gaps in prior knowledge quickly enough. These gaps slow progress and are reflected in the school’s published outcomes. All pupils access a wide range of opportunities beyond the taught curriculum. Alongside extensive sporting options, pupils join clubs that reflect their interests, including the arts, coding and the popular gardening club. Pupils benefit from visits and experiences, such as pond dipping, or learning about Stone Age life. These experiences broaden their understanding of the world. Pupils value leadership roles such as playground leaders, librarians, house captains and children’s council representatives. These responsibilities help pupils develop confidence and responsibility and prepare them well for life.

What the school should improve

• Leaders and governors should continue to refine and embed their improvement priorities so that actions are sharply focused on those areas which will have the greatest positive impact on pupils’ achievement.
• Leaders should ensure that all staff routinely identify and address any weaknesses in pupils' transcription skills across the curriculum, so that pupils consistently produce high-quality work in preparation for the next stage of their education.
• Leaders should ensure that the delivery of the phonics programme is further embedded so that pupils at the early stage of reading receive support that is consistently effective and which helps them to close gaps in their knowledge quickly and successfully.

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