Henleaze Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 July 2024

Pupils have plenty of enrichment activities that develop their character and interests. However, the curriculum lacks the same ambition. Staff do not have high enough expectations of pupils' learning. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they should. This is an inclusive school where pupils look after one another. The emphasis on their personal development means that pupils appreciate that everyone is different. They have a mature understanding of equity. This is summed up in their belief that 'fair doesn't always mean the same'. Pupils behave well. The school has worked with pupils to review the policies and practice for securing good behaviour. The new approaches are working. Pupils are respectful towards one another and adults. Older pupils say how much better behaviour is compared to when they started at the school. Pupils' knowledge about online safety is strong. They know how to keep themselves safe online. The culture of mutual respect means that pupils trust adults to listen to them. Pupils feel safe because adults listen and are effective at supporting them with their worries. Pupils develop a sense of citizenship. They are proud of the charity work and fundraising they do. They understand they can make a difference to people and their environment.

What the school should improve

• The school's checks on the implementation and impact of the curriculum are not rigorous enough. As a result, the depth at which pupils learn the curriculum is too variable. The school needs to check the effectiveness of the curriculum robustly so it can assure itself that pupils know more and remember more.
• The reading curriculum, including phonics, is not ambitious or implemented well enough. Pupils, including those who have fallen behind, do not develop sophisticated reading skills. The school must ensure that the reading curriculum is ambitious and coherent and that is implemented as intended so that pupils learn to read well, including those who have fallen behind.
• Staff do not all have the required subject or pedagogical knowledge they need to plan and teach the curriculum sufficiently well. This leads to inconsistency and a lack of ambition. The school must ensure that staff have the expertise they need to implement the curriculum as intended.
• Planning and provision for some pupils with SEND are not precise enough. This means that some pupils struggle to learn well because what they are intended to learn is not matched, or adapted, well enough to their individual starting point. The school must support staff to plan and adapt teaching with precision so that pupils with SEND learn well across the curriculum.

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