Elson Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 29 June 2022

Teachers, leaders and governors are committed to making a positive difference to the lives of all pupils who attend Elson Junior School. Staff have together improved every aspect of the school so that it is achieving its vision of helping pupils to be happy and successful members of society. Pupils enjoy learning because lessons are well organised. They listen attentively to each other and adults, and eagerly engage in practical tasks. Staff are adept at helping any pupils who get over-excited to quickly refocus on their learning. One pupil said: 'We like the 'Elson lesson' because teachers always tell us what we are going to learn and how we are going to learn it.' Pupils feel happy and safe in this nurturing school. They are typically calm, friendly and polite to each other. A few older pupils said that sometimes pupils do fall out with each other, but that teachers will help sort out any issues. Pupils and families especially value 'Well-being Wednesdays' because pupils spend time learning how to maintain positive mental health.

What the school should improve

• Assessment in the foundation subjects is not as effective as it is in English and mathematics. This means that teachers do not always adapt learning to fill pupils' gaps in learning. Leaders need to develop how they check pupils' knowledge in each subject so that all pupils are supported to build on their prior knowledge.
• Pupils' learning in foundation subjects such as history and geography is impressive, because teachers follow a carefully sequenced curriculum that prioritises the important knowledge they want pupils to know and remember. This is not the case in other, less well-developed subjects, but it is clear from leaders' actions that this development is well under way. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. Leaders need to continue their work to make sure that each subject is planned and implemented to the high standards evident in geography and history so that pupils receive a consistent quality education across all subject areas.
• Leaders use a variety of systems to record information. While these are well understood by leaders, they are not cohesive. There is a danger that emerging trends or important information about pupils could be missed. Leaders need to embed a clear, streamlined process to support sharper analysis of pupils' wellbeing and behaviour.

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