Ramsey Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ramsey Junior School Station Road, Ramsey, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE26 1JA

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

Ramsey Junior School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Jo Stroud. This school is part of The Elliot Foundation Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Hugh Greenway, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tim Coulson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is welcome at Ramsey Junior School. Pupils are happy, friendly and respectful. Relationships between adults and pupils are strong. Staff know pupils well and provide care and support if they face difficulties. Pupils have confidence in staff to sort out any worries they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations of what all pupils can achieve and how they should behave. Pupils happily rise to meet these expectations. The school environment is calm and purposeful. Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around the school. They value the tools they have been given to express their feelings. Pupils believe that behaviour is improving over time and that bullying is rare. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning help them persevere when their work is challenging.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their responsibilities, such as being part of the green team or the school council. Elections for these roles help pupils understand the importance of democracy. Pupils participate in local community events regularly and learn to become active citizens. Pupils visit places of interest to enrich their learning. For example, they develop their understanding of local history through visits to nearby sites such as Flag Fen. Visits from a magistrate and the police help pupils understand and build trust in British institutions. They are taught to value the opinions, cultures and beliefs of others. 25 and 26 February 2025

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

The school, with support from the trust, has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum to meet the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has identified the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils will learn. It has organised the curriculum well to ensure pupils gain knowledge and skills over time.

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

The school fosters a love of reading. It achieves this through a selection of well-chosen texts, author visits and inviting library spaces. Books help pupils build empathy, compassion and respect for diversity in today’s Britain. For those who struggle with their reading, the school provides targeted and effective support to help them catch up. The school has strengthened the reading and writing curriculum, which is reflected in improved outcomes. There is a similar focus in mathematics, where staff have received training to deliver a more challenging curriculum.

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

Generally, teachers establish what pupils know. Yet, in some cases, teachers do not identify specific gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Similarly, at other times, teachers do not recognise when pupils are ready to move on. This means teachers lack the necessary information to guide pupils to appropriate next steps. This prevents some pupils from learning as well as they could. The school promptly identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers usually adapt their teaching methods well to meet the needs of these pupils.

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

The school works hard to support children and their families in overcoming the challenges they face. There is a strong commitment to building links with local businesses and community leaders. This has created a network of support for families.

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

The school’s values are skilfully woven through the curriculum and assembly themes. Pupils move quietly around the school and take pride in their environment. The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is a strength. It has developed an enrichment offer with pupils’ interests firmly in mind. Pupils value activities that improve their physical and mental well-being. They benefit from high-quality pastoral support and positive relationships with teachers and other staff.

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

Some parents view the school positively and recognise how it supports their children’s development. At times, the school’s engagement with parents is not as effective as it could be. This means that some parents do not understand the school’s work or trust it consistently. Further work is needed to engage parents as partners.

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

Robust processes allow trust leaders to assess the school’s strengths accurately. They tailor their support to the school’s needs. Over recent years, the trust has strengthened and stabilised school leadership. The school matches professional development to staff’s roles, interests and improvement goals. Staff benefit from development opportunities the trust provides. Time to work on projects and advance notice of deadlines helps reduce staff workload. Staff are proud to work at the school and for the trust. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teachers do not use appropriate assessment strategies to identify gaps in pupils’ learning or to recognise when they are ready to move on. As a result, teachers are not as well informed as they could be when designing the next steps in pupils’ learning. This can hinder some pupils from learning as well as they could. The school should ensure teachers use assessment more effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and to use this information to inform their teaching.  The school’s engagement with parents is not as effective as it could be. Some parents do not understand the rationale for changes or trust the decisions that have been made. To address this, the school should improve how it communicates and engages with parents. By doing so, parents will feel more involved, better informed and able to work positively with the school to support their children’s education and well-being.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 predecessor school, Ramsey Community Junior School, to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2014.

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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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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Principal Jo Stroud (Executive Principal)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust.  The principal joined the school in March 2022.  The principal is also executive principal of Ramsey Spinning Infant School.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the principal, other senior leaders, subject leaders and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator. He also spoke to the East Anglia 25 and 26 February 2025

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regional director of the trust, the CEO and the director of legal, SEND and governance.  The inspector conducted meetings with staff regarding safeguarding, special educational needs provision, behaviour, attendance and pupils’ personal development.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them informally about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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 inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey, responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, and correspondence received during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Simon Eardley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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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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