All Saints Junior School

Inspection of All Saints Junior School August House, Brownlow Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 6NP

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

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The headteacher of this school is Susannah Daniel. This school is part of Anthem Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mohsen Ojja, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jay Bhutani.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness 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 July 2013. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils excel at this kind and nurturing school. They become knowledgeable ‘global citizens’ who love to learn and debate with their peers. Pupils achieve so highly because of the exceptional teaching and support that they receive. The values of ‘love, respect and forgiveness’ are embedded in the culture of the school. Pupils therefore become tenacious learners who tackle new problems intelligently and relish challenge. They learn from mistakes in their work, demonstrating maturity and self-reflection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary here. Pupils are joyful, kind and respectful. They welcome new pupils to the school with warmth and positivity. Classrooms are industrious places where pupils are expertly guided by staff. Pupils know that the rules and routines of the school keep them safe and prepare them well for life beyond school. They act with remarkable maturity during play times, organising themselves for quizzes and politely discussing their days so far.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This remarkable school provides all pupils with a rich set of experiences to ensure that everyone develops the life skills that they need to ‘be ready to fly’. Elected pupil leaders are passionate and organised individuals. They contribute meaningfully to school life, gathering views of pupils, presenting to staff, organising events and communicating with parents. Pupils gladly soak up every opportunity to explore, learn and grow.

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

The school has relentlessly high aspirations and expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is designed with precision to ensure that all pupils develop deep knowledge about every subject, with opportunities to think critically. Literature is embedded thoughtfully throughout the curriculum. Pupils love reading the carefully chosen range of high-quality texts. They read precisely, fluently and with enthusiasm. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and highly appropriate support put in place. For example, where pupils need support with language, they participate in very effective ‘warm up’ sessions to learn new vocabulary before class discussions. This means that every pupil benefits from the excellent teaching throughout the school.

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

All pupils achieve very highly here, which is reflected in their outcomes at the end of key stage 2. The intelligent design of the curriculum means that, over time, pupils produce impressively sophisticated written work that demonstrates an understanding of subjects beyond their years. Teachers are highly skilled in their delivery of the curriculum. They explain new learning clearly and in small steps, modelling examples with precision. The tasks that teachers set inspire pupils to extend and apply their learning. This means that pupils learn, know and remember more over time, for example writing essays on empire that draw on multiple sources to explore the relationship between Britain and the wider world.

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

Pupils’ attitudes to learning are remarkably positive. They are mature and thoughtful individuals who demonstrate high levels of resilience and independence. Staff have high 8 and 9 October 2024

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expectations of pupils’ engagement and attitudes. Pupils understand these expectations well and rise to meet them. Attendance is high because pupils love coming to school. They feel valued for the effort that they put into their work. The warm relationships between pupils and staff mean that when pupils have any worries, they know that they will be helped quickly.

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The school’s exceptional personal development programme provides pupils with life-long skills and knowledge to prepare them for the outside world. Pupils have an impressive knowledge of mental health, including the anatomy and function of the brain. They use this to manage challenging work and to think about, and adjust, their own behaviours. Pupils have an excellent knowledge of cultures and democracy, drawing on their understanding of ancient civilisations and the modern world to debate and discuss governance.

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The trust knows the strengths of the school well. There are clear structures in place to ensure high standards are maintained. Staff workload is considered thoughtfully so that expertise is focused on excellent teaching and support for pupils. Parents and carers are, rightly, full of praise for the school and the brilliant start in life that their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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’ 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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Website www.allsaintsjuniorschoolreading.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 July 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school is part of the Anthem Schools Trust.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth-form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 8 and 9 October 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.  Inspectors met with school leaders, including the headteacher and deputy headteacher. The inspectors also met representatives from the governing body and the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, Latin and history. 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. The inspectors also discussed the curriculum and provision for pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, governors, staff, parents and

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pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts the pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors talked with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. They took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys of staff. They considered the responses to the online parents survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Alexandra Aldridge-Gibbons, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Ellison His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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