Junction Farm Primary School

Inspection of Junction Farm Primary School Butterfield Drive, Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees TS16 0EU

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

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Louise Daly. This school is part of Spark Education 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), Louise Spellman, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Charlotte Irving.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Junction Farm Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Junction Farm Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 29 and 30 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The expectations for pupils at Junction Farm are very high. The school prioritises their work to develop ‘the whole child’. This underpins the extensive opportunities given to pupils during their time in the school. Pupils embrace becoming ‘Junction Farm STARS’ and are proud to live out the school’s ethos fully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders work hard to ensure that pupils’ needs are understood well and supported effectively. This means that many pupils leave the school achieving very highly, ready for the next stage of their education. Outcomes for the school are consistently strong.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Around the school and during playtimes, behaviour is exemplary. Pupils thrive in calm classrooms. There are very few instances of low-level disruption. Where pupils need support, leaders take sensitive action to address this quickly and effectively. During free time, pupils enjoy a wide range of lively and planned risk-taking play activities. A range of pupil leaders support this work effectively. Pupils across the school embrace these opportunities and play harmoniously together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe in the school. They recognise the many ways the school has given them to report their concerns. They particularly appreciate ‘Walter the Worry Monster’.

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

The school has established an ambitious curriculum. The school has identified the key knowledge it wants pupils to know. In some subjects, pupils build new knowledge and connect ideas together well. For example, in mathematics, pupils produce high-quality work and achieve well. This is because teachers carefully consider the tasks they want pupils to complete and how this will help them gain knowledge and skills. However, in some curriculum areas, this work is less successful. In these subjects, the tasks chosen by staff sometimes lack focus and do not enable pupils to gain the knowledge they need consistently.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported in this school. Throughout provision, including in the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), the needs of pupils are carefully identified and understood. Leaders target resources effectively to support these pupils. As a result, pupils receive effective intervention and support to learn the curriculum with increasing independence.

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

Reading is a priority. Pupils take part in daily sessions through the school’s phonics programme. However, the writing curriculum does not require pupils to apply the sounds they learn well enough. This means that, occasionally, pupils’ writing is underdeveloped. Teachers read regularly to pupils, which pupils enjoy and benefit from greatly. The school’s reading shed and visits from authors promote a love of reading effectively. 29 and 30 April 2025

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Children in the early years thrive at this school. Leaders have constructed a curriculum that focuses on ensuring children are ready for Year 1 and beyond. The curriculum is brought to life by a wide range of exciting and purposeful learning opportunities. Children enjoy using the variety of well-considered resources to support them in building models, creating their own tickets for a music concert and taking risks with woodwork tools. Children are deeply engaged in these opportunities and show very high levels of motivation and resilience.

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Through the school’s personal development offer and experiences, pupils gain important skills needed for life in modern Britain. This work is exemplary. The school is tenacious in its ambition to equip pupils with the skills and knowledge they need to be safe. A range of external agencies are utilised very well to support this approach. The very well-planned curriculum provides pupils with a range of meaningful opportunities and experiences. The school ensures that these opportunities are highly inclusive and takes intelligent action to make them available to all pupils. As a result, the uptake is strong. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the trips and residential opportunities they have. Around school, pupils make a valuable contribution. There are a wide range of useful leadership opportunities available to them.

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Leaders at all levels have very high ambitions for pupils in the school. Trustees and governors know the school well and carry out their roles effectively. With other leaders from the trust, trustees and governors check the information they receive to understand the impact of their decisions on pupils. The school has managed a recent period of instability well. For example, it has ensured that staff feel valued and support the changes needed. The school prioritises staff workload when making decisions, which staff value deeply.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the tasks given to pupils do not enable them to learn the intended curriculum consistently well. This means that some pupils are unable to recall key learning, make connections or complete work to the same high standard across subjects. The school should ensure that the tasks selected for pupils to complete enable them to learn the intended curriculum consistently well.  Sometimes, the writing curriculum has limited opportunities for pupils to apply what they learn in phonics lessons. This means that sometimes pupils’ spelling lacks accuracy when they are spelling independently. The school should ensure that pupils apply their learning in phonics through the writing curriculum so they can write with greater independence and success. 29 and 30 April 2025

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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 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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.  The school opened on 1 August 2016.  The school is part of the Spark Education Trust.  The school provides an on-site specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. This provision supports 10 pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.

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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; leadership and early years. Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 29 and 30 April 2025

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke to senior leaders, including the CEO, other trust leaders and representatives from the board of trustees and local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, geography and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors also reviewed behaviour and attendance records.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils read.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator, spoke to pupils with SEND and reviewed the plans in place to support these pupils. They visited lessons and the school’s specially resourced provision to see how well pupils with SEND are learning.  Inspectors observed behaviour at the start of the day, at playtimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons.  To gather parents’ views, inspectors took account of the views from Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including free-text comments. Inspectors also talked to parents at the start of the school day.  To gather the views of staff and pupils, inspectors reviewed the responses to the Ofsted surveys and discussed the school with them during other inspection activities.

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Inspection team

Scott Grason-Taylor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gemma Jeynes Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 April 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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