St Margaret's Church of England Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 September 2023

This is a happy, calm and caring school. Pupils' well-being is a priority for everyone. One parent expressed the views of several and commented, 'The staff have a personal and caring approach which we value highly.' Pupils are happy to come to school and feel safe. They are enthusiastic learners and enjoy all aspects of school life. They achieve well overall. Pupils are valued, know that their opinions matter and that staff will always help them. The school's values of respect, resilience and responsibility are deeply embedded in the school's culture and are lived up to by the pupils in all that they do. Pupils are great ambassadors for their school. They take huge pride in achievements such as a 'Fair Play' award and their work to raise funds for charities. Pupils behave very well. They know and understand the expectations for their behaviour in lessons, during social times and in the playground. Newly introduced approaches are appreciated by pupils to help them identify and manage their emotions and behaviour. Pupils are confident that if any issues should arise, they can talk to staff. Any concerns are dealt with quickly and fairly.

What the school should improve

• Expectations are not always as ambitious as they could be for pupils' achievement. As a result, too few pupils achieve higher standards in their work, especially in writing. The school should raise teachers' expectations further so that pupils produce work that is the very best that they can do.
• Not all areas of the curriculum are currently monitored as closely as they should be. As a result, there is sometimes a lack of clarity on how effectively the curriculum, including the new phonics programme, is implemented. The school should continue with its plans to monitor the curriculum implementation to ensure that pupils are achieving as well as they can.

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