St Paul's CofE Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 26 May 2023

Pupils enjoy coming to school and show a clear sense of pride at being part of the St Paul's school family. Warm relationships between staff and pupils are quickly established, making pupils feel safe and happy. These positive relationships are underpinned by the school's clear Christian values. Pupils live up to adults' high expectations of their behaviour. Learning is seldom interrupted by off-task behaviour. Fallouts or instances of bullying are unusual. When they do happen, leaders make sure they are dealt with quickly and effectively. Leaders want all pupils to do well. They have developed a suitably broad and balanced curriculum. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well during their time at the school. Pupils enjoy taking on different roles and responsibilities, such as being members of the school council. Sport is given a high profile at St Paul's. Pupils relish having the chance to represent their school in local sports competitions, including football, golf and gymnastics. Pupils take advantage of a wide range of enrichment activities that the school offers. They speak enthusiastically about after-school clubs, school trips and the residential visit to Grasmere. Pupils enjoy spending time in the school's substantial outdoor learning area. They are keen, too, to contribute to their local community through activities such as litter picking and flower planting on 'Welly Wednesdays'.

What the school should improve

• Pupils are not given a sufficiently ambitious and diverse range of books to choose from. This does not encourage them to develop a love of reading. Leaders should ensure that pupils have access to a wider range of quality texts so that pupils can explore and enjoy books drawn from a broader range of authors and genres.
• In a number of subjects other than English and mathematics, assessments are not well matched to the planned curriculums. They do not provide teachers with the information they need to check that children have learned and remembered key knowledge and vocabulary as intended. Leaders should ensure that assessments identify where pupils have not learned the planned curriculums so that gaps in learning can be addressed.

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