Old Catton CofE VC Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 March 2023

At Old Catton CofE Junior School, the vision is for pupils' time at school to be filled with 'love, hope and joy'. The curriculum is brought to life by lively and creative lessons. Pupils go through their school life with confidence and a sense of optimism for their future lives. This is reflected in pupils' attitude and views about their school. Staff have high expectations for all pupils. Because of strong working relationships between the pupils and staff, pupils always work hard to live up to them. Pupils' knowledge builds well across most of the subjects they study. This is a productive, well-organised school. Pupils know that bullying is unkind. They say that it happens rarely. If it does happen, they know staff will be able to resolve it. Pupils learn how to make safe choices, and they receive lessons on the safe use of the internet. Pupils take part in a wide range of creative and sports activities. These include singing in the choir or joining the football clubs. Pupils like to practise their teamwork skills. They also enjoy trips to local historic sites, which brings their learning to life.

What the school should improve

• In a few areas of the curriculum, leaders have not fully clarified their expectations for the specific knowledge and skills that should be prioritised and remembered by pupils. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these areas. Leaders should complete the work started to ensure that the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and apply is clear. This will support teachers to build fluency in pupils' ability to recall past learning, enabling them to achieve consistently well in all areas of the curriculum.

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