Irthlingborough Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 February 2025

The school is a friendly and caring place where pupils feel supported by staff. Pupils make friends easily. They know who to turn to if they have worries. Pupils enjoy their learning. They listen in class, do as they are asked and walk sensibly around the school site. On the rare occasions that inappropriate behaviour occurs, teachers deal with it swiftly. The school has high expectations of pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Typically, pupils achieve in line with the national average by the end of Year 6. The personal development programme enables pupils to experience many new opportunities within and beyond Irthlingborough. For example, in Year 3, pupils visit the seaside, and in Year 5, pupils learn to ride a bicycle safely. In Year 6, pupils develop team- building skills on the Isle of Wight and travel to London to watch a show in the West End. Pupils are supported to develop their talents and interests successfully. Clubs include crocheting, ballroom and Latin dancing and football. Pupils also take on responsibilities, such as becoming elected school councillors, digital leaders and well-being ambassadors. The school organises daily opportunities for pupils to learn from each other, reflect and to boost their mental health. For example, pupils take part in guided meditation during 'Mindfulness Monday' and debate moral questions during 'Philosophy Friday'.

What the school should improve

• The school does not check that pupils understand and remember what has been taught as effectively as it could. As a result, occasionally, pupils have gaps in their learning or develop misconceptions. The school should make sure that teachers routinely check that all pupils understand and remember what has been taught before new learning is introduced.
• Sometimes, writing tasks are too challenging for pupils who struggle with their writing. This means that some of these pupils do not catch up with their peers and do not complete age-appropriate writing tasks successfully across subjects. The school should continue its work to adapt the teaching of writing so that these pupils secure the foundational knowledge and develop their transcriptional fluency before attempting challenging writing tasks.

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