Christ Church Church of England Junior School, Ramsgate

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 July 2026

At the start of each day, pupils arrive promptly with a spring in their step. They quickly settle in their classrooms, ready to begin learning. Generally, pupils enjoy learning and achieve well from their starting points. They develop a keen interest in many aspects of their learning, particularly in subjects such as history, art and music. Some pupils have gaps in communication and language, reading, spelling, handwriting and mathematics. These pupils do not always receive the support they need to help them catch up quickly enough. This makes learning across the curriculum more challenging for a significant minority of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils, including those who have joined the school more recently, have a clear sense of belonging at Christ Church. They value one another and the positive relationships they build with adults. Pupils enthusiastically participate in school life and relish the range of pupil leadership opportunities available to them. They demonstrate a real sense of care for their school community and facilities. Each day, for example, pupils carefully help to set up and put away playground equipment for breaktime and lunchtime. Pupils benefit from carefully planned breaktime and lunchtime provision and enjoy a broad range of play opportunities. An increase in physical activity and play during the school day reduces instances of conflict at breaktimes. However, when pupils need support with friendships or social situations, staff are there to help them. Over time, pupils become increasingly able to manage positive friendships independently. Instances of bullying are rare, but when they do occur, the school takes quick and effective action. Christ Church is a safe and secure place for pupils. Pupils generally enjoy attending school. Where pupils struggle with regular attendance, the school provides effective support for them and their families.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure a clear and strategic approach to school improvement, particularly in relation to curriculum and teaching, by identifying the right priorities to secure the best possible academic outcomes for pupils.
• Leaders should draw on the best available evidence to develop a coherent professional development programme that enables teaching staff to develop their expertise and improve the quality of teaching.
• Leaders should ensure that all pupils who are at an early stage of learning to read are taught through a rigorous systematic synthetic phonics programme and have ongoing opportunities to develop reading fluency.
• Leaders should ensure that curriculum teaching prioritises identified gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge of literacy and numeracy so that pupils catch up quickly and access the full curriculum successfully.

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