St Ives Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 29 November 2023

This is a school that focuses on the development of the whole child. Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. Parents agree. Staff greet pupils warmly each day. Pupils who join from the neighbouring infant school settle quickly. Pupils are kind and respectful to each other. Staff effectively support the small number of pupils who sometimes find managing their emotions difficult. Bullying is rare. However, the school swiftly deals with any incidents that do occur. However, the quality of education requires improvement. The school recognises this. It has rightly made significant changes to the curriculum, including placing the local area at the heart of these changes. However, for much of this work it is too early to have had an impact on how well pupils learn over time. The school's work on pupils' personal development is a strength. Pupils demonstrate the 'super powers' characteristics such as resilience and reflectiveness. Pupils build their independence through a series of residentials. This culminates in a trip to London to help pupils understand diversity and life in modern Britain. Pupils extend their interests through a range of clubs such as art, dance, netball and skateboarding. They learn new skills, such as baking, through the 'SIJS Award'.

What the school should improve

• Some staff do not provide effective support for pupils who have fallen behind in reading. This slows their progress in becoming confident readers. The school should ensure that staff have the subject knowledge to support pupils who have fallen behind.
• Teachers sometimes do not implement the curriculum with the same high ambition as curriculum plans. They do not adapt the learning well enough for pupils, including those with SEND, or provide tasks which match the knowledge identified in the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not learn some of the curriculum well and have gaps in their knowledge. The school should ensure that staff know how to implement the curriculum in line with its expectations.
• The school does not know how well pupils are learning in the wider curriculum subjects and where their gaps in knowledge are. As a result, teaching sometimes does not address these gaps. The school should ensure that systems for checking what pupils have learned are clear and used to address gaps in learning.

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