City Junior School

Inspection of City Junior School 4 Gray’s Inn Place, London WC1R 5EY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school makes pupils’ personal development a very high priority. This is because it wants to encourage pupils to be responsible citizens. The school provides varied and rich opportunities to motivate pupils to have a positive impact on the world. For example, pupils take part in fundraising events to support local and global organisations. Pupils enjoy placing objects in the school’s ‘basket of wonder’ which are then discussed during assembly time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils access a wide range of clubs. These include mythology, embroidery and fencing. Pupils take part in residential educational visits each year. The school makes sure all pupils can benefit from all that school has to offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils conduct themselves with considerable maturity and respect for others. They behave responsibly in and out of class. Pupils enjoy helping each other and working together. Pupils are taught about different types of bullying and the importance of treating others fairly. If any problems arise, the school sorts them out swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is highly ambitious for pupils to build strong knowledge from their starting points. Pupils are helped to understand and remember their learning across subjects.

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better?

Pupils enjoy every opportunity to read during the school day. The school encourages pupils to read widely and often. Leaders and teachers listen to pupils read frequently. As a result, they are precise in identifying where pupils may struggle. Pupils who need additional support with reading receive effective help. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to support them in helping their children with their learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school draws upon the expertise of external professionals and ensures that appropriate adaptations to resources and support are in place to help all pupils, including pupils with SEND, to learn the curriculum. Leaders and the governing body work together to monitor staff workload. Staff value the school’s efforts to support them with their well-being.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious in scope. Pupils study a broad range of subjects. Leaders set out the important knowledge and skills that they want pupils to know and remember in different subjects. Typically, the order in which pupils are taught curriculum content supports pupils to build strong knowledge cumulatively over time. Learning opportunities provided help pupils to understand and remember this knowledge well. For example, in Year 3. pupils used their previous knowledge of colour, shade and paint techniques to create Stone Age-style artwork. 10 to 12 October 2023 Where subjects are at an earlier stage of development, some information is not arranged in a logical order. It does not build on previous knowledge and skills as effectively. The school has plans already to develop subjects further.

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better?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They keenly participate and contribute to lessons. This is because they are very enthusiastic about their learning. Any low-level disruption to learning is extremely rare.

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better?

Pupils have opportunities to explore concepts such as equality and fairness in assemblies and thinking-skills sessions. The personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) curriculum includes appropriate information about the importance of healthy, age-appropriate relationships. Pupils are taught what to do if they experience anything worrying online. The school provides opportunities for pupils to share their ideas to improve the school and to contribute to wider world issues. This includes participating in the school’s ‘pupil parliament’ and the pupils’ eco-team.

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better?

The governing body is experienced and has a clear understanding of its role. It has appropriate knowledge and skills to provide effective support and challenge. The governing body ensures statutory obligations are met. This includes making sure the school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Some subject content is not arranged in a logical order. As a result, it does not build cumulatively on pupils’ previous knowledge and skills effectively. Leaders should make sure that subject knowledge is effectively sequenced in all subjects so that pupils build on what they have learned before.

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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.

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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. 10 to 12 October 2023

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School details

Proprietor The Mayor and Commonality and Citizens of the City of London Chair Anett Rideg

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School details

Email address office@cityjuniorschool.org.uk 10 to 12 October 2023

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Information about this school

 This is a selective day school for boys and girls in Year 3 to Year 6. Currently, there are pupils on roll in Year 3 and Year 4 only.  The school was registered by the Department for Education on 4 November 2022. This is the school’s first standard inspection.  The chair of governors took up the post in May 2023.  Currently, the school premises are shared with two other schools in the City of London Corporation. The schools are City of London School for Girls and City of London School. The pupils are in Years 5 and 6.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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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

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders and representatives of the board of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art, history and PSHCE.  For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about 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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Information about this inspection

considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors examined pupil, parent and staff responses to Ofsted’s online surveys. 10 to 12 October 2023  Inspectors observed arrangements at breaktime and lunchtime.  During this inspection, a separate inspection to consider a proposed ‘material change’ for City for London School, which shares the same proprietor and has applied to the Department for Education to make a ‘material change’ to its registration, was carried out by the Independent Schools Inspectorate and is the subject of separate reporting arrangements.

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The school’s proposed change to the maximum number of pupils

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school is likely to meet the

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relevant independent school standards if the material change relating

to the school provision is implemented. Information about the material change inspection.  The school proposes to increase its registered capacity from 150 to 225 pupils. This is to accommodate a new Year 3 cohort joining the school in September 2024.  The premises meet the requirements of part 5 of the independent school standards. Currently, there are several unused, well-maintained and resourced classrooms which could readily accommodate the proposed additional 75 pupils. These additional classrooms are not currently used by the school and are not used by the two schools which share the school’s site. The school’s main hall and outdoor facilities are suitable to meet the requirements of the proposed increase to the registered number of pupils.  The school has appropriate subject plans in place for pupils in Years 3 to 6. The school has ensured that it has qualified and well-trained staff to implement the

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relevant independent school standards if the material change relating

curriculum effectively. Resources and equipment provided by the school are suitable. 

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nick Hitchen Ofsted Inspector 10 to 12 October 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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