St John's CofE Junior Mixed and Infant School

Inspection of St John’s CofE Junior Mixed and Infant School Crescent Road, Friern Barnet, London N11 3LB

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time. From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 19 and 20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that is truly at the heart of its community. It is a warm and welcoming place. The strong working relationships between all members of the school community benefit everyone. Pupils say they feel happy and safe. They are proud of the way older pupils help younger pupils. Pupils shared that adults help with any issues immediately.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined that all pupils will get a good start to their education here. To realise this, the school provides pupils with a wide range of experiences to expand their horizons. For example, pupils visit the ballet and the opera. They learn to care for the school rabbits.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are highly focused in their lessons. This starts right from the early years, where children show a high level of interest in their play. They share resources and communicate with their peers positively so that everyone can benefit from the many activities on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are very positive about all the school has to offer. They really appreciate its place as a ‘small school in a big city’.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious and coherent curriculum for all pupils, which covers the breadth of the national curriculum. This is ably complemented by a broad range of visits and workshops. The curriculum is designed so that learning builds progressively over time. For example, in geography, pupils in Year 5 build on their learning in Year 4 about maps successfully. Teachers check carefully that pupils are confident in their prior knowledge and skills before introducing new learning.

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better?

Leaders have responded positively to the increased numbers of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This includes through training and recruiting specialist staff to ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are well met. For example, the school provides dedicated speech and language programmes in early years. However, on occasion, the necessary adaptations are not always provided in lessons. When this happens, pupils with SEND do not get the most out of their learning.

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better?

The school has a very ambitious offer for developing pupils’ sporting experiences. Pupils can take part in wide-ranging opportunities such as archery, kayaking and taekwondo. Pupils say they really enjoy these. They are very proud of the achievements of many of their teams, which do well in competitions. There is a comprehensive offer for music, including tuition in playing a range of instruments.

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better?

The school prioritises reading right from the early years. There is a sharp focus on ensuring that children learn phonics swiftly and confidently. The books that pupils take home are carefully matched to the sounds that they know, enabling them to 19 and 20 September 2023

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become increasingly fluent. The school is equally passionate about developing in pupils a love of reading. In early years, there is a dedicated quiet space for reading, which children relish. The whole-school community spends dedicated time reading every day. Carefully chosen class texts further ignite this love of books.

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Pupils behave impeccably around the school. They show consideration to each other and to adults. From early years upwards, they show a high level of commitment to their learning. For example, in Nursery, children listened carefully and took turns to say the name of their classmates. Leaders ensure, through comprehensive monitoring systems, that pupils attend the school regularly.

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Leaders promote pupils’ personal development exceptionally well. Pupils socialise with people from across the community. They enjoy serving lunch to elderly churchgoers and spending time with service users at a local Age UK centre. There are benefits all around when pupils visit a nearby special school. Pupils take an increasingly active role in the local environment by, for example, encouraging their peers to walk or cycle to school to improve local air quality. They debate such topics as whether it ought to be mandatory to give blood. Such debates teach pupils to approach contentious topics thoughtfully, listening to and respecting each other’s views.

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Staff are very happy working at the school. They comment that there is a great team atmosphere, where everyone is supportive of one another. They feel that leaders consult them before making any major changes. They appreciate the regular training that they receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teaching does not provide effective adaptations for pupils with SEND. This limits these pupils’ learning of curriculum content. The school should ensure that teachers have the training and support to be able to provide highly effective adaptations for pupils with SEND so that they achieve optimally.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 19 and 20 September 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 and 23 February 2012

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England voluntary aided school.  The school is in the Diocese of London. Its most recent section 48 inspection took place in June 2017. The next one will be scheduled according to the Diocese’s inspection calendar.  Historically, the school has had a lower-than-average proportion of pupils with SEND, which has increased recently.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point in time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 19 and 20 September 2023

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 Inspectors held discussions with a range of school leaders, including the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator. They also met with a group of governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body, as well as holding a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading and phonics, science, geography and Italian. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the beginning and end of the school day and took account of the results of parent surveys, including Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in their lessons, in meetings and informally around the school to gain their views on their learning, behaviour and personal development.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of information pertaining to behaviour, attendance and the extended opportunities offered, such as trips and workshops.

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Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alex Hayes Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 September 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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