East Boldon Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 June 2026

Pupils enjoy attending this inclusive and high-achieving school. They embrace the school’s motto of ‘Be The Best We Can Be’, try hard in their work and treat each other with respect. Pupils engage enthusiastically in all the school has to offer, including an exciting and thoughtfully developed personal development programme. Pupils move around the building in a calm manner. Their warm relationships with adults help ensure they feel safe and happy. Pupils on the school council carefully select music for singing assemblies. Everyone joins in this joyful part of the day. It is one of the many ways pupils develop a sense of belonging and togetherness in their school community. Pupils benefit from a consistently high standard of teaching. They speak confidently about their learning and have numerous opportunities to apply learning in sophisticated ways. As a result, pupils, including those who face barriers to learning, achieve very well at this school. Their outcomes in external assessments are typically above national averages, and this has been sustained over time. Pupils’ progress in core subjects such as reading and maths is a particular strength of the school. They are very well-prepared for their next steps by the end of Year 6. Overall, pupils attend well. Many pupils enjoy arriving early for breakfast club. Here, they can socialise with adults and peers while making a positive start to the day. Pupils rarely use discriminatory language and know why it is wrong. Bullying is uncommon at their school. If it does occur, pupils are confident they can turn to an adult who will act without delay. Pupils access a range of exciting opportunities in school to develop their character and discover their talents. This includes learning to play golf, attending ‘beach school’ or going on increasingly adventurous residential trips.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should improve the rigour with which they draw together and analyse information across inclusion and behaviour, this work should directly inform strategic actions to adapt and improve provision for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Governors should review the methods they use to assure themselves of the quality of leaders’ work, in line with their statutory duties, so that they can even more robustly challenge leaders across all areas of the school’s work.

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