St Joseph's Catholic Junior School

Inspection of a good school: St Joseph’s Catholic Junior School 150 Vicarage Road, Leyton, London E10 5DX

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Outcome

St Joseph’s Catholic Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this friendly and inclusive junior school. They arrive punctually, feel happy and are safe. Leaders aspire for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve highly. Pupils are benefiting from the revised curriculum that leaders have put in place.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to behave well at all times. Pupils respond positively to these high expectations. Behaviour in lessons and around school is good. Pupils are polite and show care for each other. Relationships between pupils and staff are strong. Pupils know that staff listen to their concerns and never tolerate bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers recognise the many strengths of the school and positive changes made by the new leadership and staff. Pupils benefit from a range of visits, visitors and wider learning opportunities, including visits to museums. Pupils are proud of the opportunities they have to make a positive contribution to school life, for example as school councillors and subject ambassadors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents value the variety of clubs that allow pupils to develop their talents and interests, such as cooking, multi-sports and jazz contemporary dance.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. Pupils get on well with their peers and show respect for other pupils’ ideas. Classrooms are free from low- level disruption, ensuring pupils learn without interruption.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is prioritised. Leaders have made sure that most members of staff have been well trained in the school’s new phonics programme. As a result, pupils at the early stages of learning to read, including those new to the English language, do so with increasing confidence. Staff help pupils to segment and blend words accurately. 4 and 5 May 2023

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In most subjects, pupils achieve well and develop a deep body of knowledge. In mathematics, the curriculum includes a sharp focus on ensuring that pupils become fluent in their number and calculation knowledge. This is particularly evident in pupils’ knowledge of fractions and ordering decimals. Staff ensure that pupils have regular opportunities to practise and develop their skills in a range of subjects. For instance, in art and design, pupils presented their sketchbooks and displays around the school with great pride. Pupils enjoy visiting art galleries in London and study a wide range of artists such as Frida Kahlo and William Morris.

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Leaders sequence subject content in a logical manner. In some subjects, staff have only recently put the revised curriculum into place, and it is already having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. However, in a few subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to be taught and the order in which they should learn it. This leads to gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding in these subjects.

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Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and well supported. Teachers and teaching assistants are knowledgeable regarding these pupils’ specific needs. Staff put necessary adaptations in place to ensure that these pupils follow the same curriculum as their peers.

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Leaders support pupils’ wider development by giving them opportunities to take a lead in their school. For example, subject ambassadors help their peers to read a wide range of books. Eco-ambassadors encourage recycling projects in the school and local community. Leaders organise events to celebrate and learn about different cultures and faiths. All pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy taking part in inter-school sports competitions.

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Most staff enjoy working at the school. They said their workload was manageable and that leaders looked out for their well-being.

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Recently appointed senior leaders have made positive changes in a short time, including to reading and to the curriculum. The governing body is working with the local authority and diocese to enable the new leaders to make further improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are regularly trained to recognise and report concerns. Leaders meet frequently to discuss pupils’ welfare. This means that they know their pupils very well. They identify any concerns and respond to them swiftly. Support to pupils is always available in school. Leaders work with outside agencies to secure additional help when needed.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum helps pupils to learn about how to manage risks and keep themselves safe outside of school. For example, in computing, pupils learn about how to be safe online. 4 and 5 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some of the foundation subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to be taught and the order in which they should learn it. This leads to gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Leaders should ensure that all foundation subjects are planned and sequenced carefully so that pupils build their knowledge and skills securely over time.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 4 and 5 May 2023

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School details

Local authority London Borough of Waltham Forest

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in May 2021. The school has joined a hard federation with St Joseph’s Catholic Infant School.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school holds a Roman Catholic religious character. Its most recent section 48 inspection took place in May 2022.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. The inspector held discussions with members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair. He also spoke with a representative from the Brentwood Diocesan Board.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, considered the 4 and 5 May 2023

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curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documentation related to safeguarding. This included the record of pre-employment checks.  The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day and considered the views of parents, pupils and staff, including through responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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