Newlands Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 April 2026

Pupils feel proud and fortunate to attend this school. Pupils, including those who face barriers to their learning, enjoy their lessons. They appreciate their teachers for making learning 'such fun'. When pupils face barriers to learning, staff identify these quickly and address them with expertise. Pupils achieve consistently well across the curriculum and are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps. This is a highly nurturing and loving school community. Staff know pupils and their families extremely well. Pupils are warmly welcomed each day; they attend regularly and are rarely late. Lessons are calm, and learning is never disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils know they can turn to many trusted adults if they need help. They report that bullying, harassment and discrimination are not tolerated. As a result, they feel extremely safe. The school’s values of pride, respect, kindness and responsibility are fully embedded in daily practice. Staff make every effort to ensure that pupils, including those who are most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, become responsible, respectful and active members of the school's community. Pupils are selected daily to serve as ‘VIPs’, carrying out important classroom tasks. They relish these opportunities. Older pupils act as excellent role models for younger pupils. Staff are fully committed to broadening pupils’ opportunities and experiences. Enrichment activities are embedded throughout the curriculum. All pupils learn about a wide range of faiths and cultures. They visit various places of worship to deepen their understanding. Pupils take part in extensive additional activities, trips and adventures. They participate in sport, explore music and enjoy reading sessions, accompanied by a biscuit. Pupils explain that there are so many exciting things to do in school that they never want to go home.

What the school should improve

• Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure continued improvement to their curriculum implementation, particularly in the foundations of writing, to achieve and sustain strong standards of teaching which have a transformational impact on the achievement of all pupils, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders should continue the work to analyse more closely the attendance of different groups of pupils, to identify priorities more accurately and to continue to improve their attendance so that it returns to levels consistently above the national average for all pupils.
• Leaders, including governors, should continue the meaningful opportunities to collaborate with local partners. They should develop further their knowledge, insight and expertise so that they conduct their role consistently effectively and so rapidly ensure at least high standards across any of the areas of school where this is not yet the case.

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