St Paul's CofE Junior School

Inspection of St Paul’s C of E Junior School Oxford Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 2YJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since June 2011. 6 and 7 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to belong to this diverse and friendly school community. They strive to live out the values of their school family in all that they do. A shared culture of high expectations permeates throughout. Pupils want to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s inclusive ethos supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Pupils acknowledge that some of their peers find learning more challenging than others. They show kindness and respect in their actions. Reflecting this, one pupil said that when someone is struggling, ‘we lend them some of our calm’. Pupils are polite and courteous to their peers and adults. Older pupils are strong role models to those who are younger. Pupils are taught to recognise how their actions affect themselves and others. The school teaches them strategies to take responsibility for, and manage, their behaviour effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to carry out leadership roles in school. Pupils apply for responsibilities such as ‘reading ambassadors’, house captains and sports leaders. They carry these out with maturity. ‘Well-being leaders’ support pupils if they have any concerns. Pupils know that they can go to an adult if they are worried about something.

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. In many subjects, precisely identified curriculum content ensures that teachers know exactly what pupils must learn. This means that teachers can check pupils’ learning diligently and correct pupils’ mistakes quickly. This is particularly strong in English and mathematics. Pupils appreciate the timely feedback they receive from their teachers. This helps them to keep up with their learning. Pupils achieve well in these national tests.

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better?

Mostly, teachers design tasks that help pupils to learn well. They present knowledge clearly, using subject-specific language that develops pupils’ vocabulary and builds their understanding. However, in some subjects in the wider curriculum, teachers do not use the most effective strategies to enable pupils to learn as well as they could. The school recognises the need to strengthen teachers’ knowledge further in how to help pupils achieve well in every subject.

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, especially those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged in other ways. Pupils respond to this ambition. This is because the school clearly identifies these pupils’ needs precisely and accurately. Teachers receive regular training so that they can provide for pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged effectively. Adults support pupils’ learning well. They know the steps that are required to help pupils with their learning and development.

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better?

The teaching of reading is strong. The school is committed to ensuring that all pupils can read with confidence and enjoyment. Staff ensure pupils benefit from a continuous, well-sequenced reading curriculum. Pupils experience high-quality texts 6 and 7 March 2024

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of varying genres, which promotes pupils’ acquisition of extended vocabulary. Although staff have the right expertise in teaching pupils to read, there are some pupils who do not catch up as quickly as they need to. They do not always have enough practice in matching letters to sounds. This reduces their fluency and also limits their achievement in some areas of the curriculum.

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Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning. They work hard in lessons and behave well. The school works hard to encourage high attendance. When pupils’ attendance is not what it should be, the school takes appropriate, bespoke action to ensure that attendance improves.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils learn to be tolerant and respectful of difference. They gain age-appropriate knowledge of healthy relationships and how to stay safe when online. Clubs, such as those for chess, running and various sporting opportunities, help to nurture pupils’ talents and interests.

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There is a shared ambition across the school for all pupils to experience a high- quality education. A highly reflective set of governors works closely with leaders and staff to improve the school. Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel valued, respected and well supported to do their jobs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils are further behind in their reading than they should be and are not catching up quickly enough. This limits their success in some areas of the curriculum. The school should ensure that these pupils have sufficient opportunities for precise and accurate practice in order to apply their phonics knowledge, so that their reading becomes increasingly fluent as words become more familiar.  In some subjects, teachers do not always design tasks that enable pupils to learn the intended curriculum effectively. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school needs to improve teachers’ subject and teaching knowledge to ensure that they can support pupils to learn well across the whole curriculum.

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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 6 and 7 March 2024

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Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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 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). 6 and 7 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Penelope Wallace

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 June 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Paul’s is much larger than the average-sized junior school.  This is a Church of England voluntary-controlled junior school.  The proportion of pupils who speak English is an additional language are above average.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The number of pupils with an education health and care plan is well below average.

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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. 6 and 7 March 2024

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 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.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and subject leaders. The lead inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and a representative from the local authority. They also spoke to a representative from the diocese.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and art. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also considered planning, documentation and pupils’ work relating to writing.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The views of parents and carers were considered through their responses to Ofsted Parent View. The views of pupils and staff were gathered through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documents, including its self- evaluation, school development plan, reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Dr Mineza Maher, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Parker His Majesty’s Inspector 6 and 7 March 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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