St Andrew's CofE Junior School

St Andrew's CofE Junior School

Address: Hadfield Road, SK13 2DR Unique reference number (URN): 112869

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and well-being Strong standard

Leaders have ensured that the school’s extensive personal development programme is ambitious and relevant for its pupils. It is carefully designed to reflect the school’s context. As such, the school’s vision and values sit at the heart of the offer. The programme is taught in a way that is accessible for all pupils, regardless of any additional needs. As a result, pupils develop secure knowledge and skills that relate to all aspects of the personal development curriculum. This includes an appropriate, age-related understanding of relationships and sex education. Pupils can discuss matters thoughtfully and with insight and respect. They develop qualities of resilience and independence as a result of what they have learned.

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Personal development and well-being Strong standard

Pupils develop informed respect for a range of faiths and cultures represented in British society. They understand the importance of treating one another equally. They readily celebrate differences. Pupils treat each other with care and empathy. They are rightly proud of the many activities and events that take place to enhance their outcomes and experiences. For example, the school’s partnership with a school in Zimbabwe, its ‘climate action plan’ and the pupil-led ‘Green Team’ are testament to its global awareness commitment. Closer to home, the school is a meaningful presence in the local community. The school holds an impressive number of awards, such as the gold ‘green trees’, ‘hedgehog-friendly schools’ award, and several other outdoor-related initiatives. Pupils are brimming with excitement as they describe their achievements in these areas.

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Personal development and well-being Strong standard

High-quality pastoral support is offered to any pupils or families who are in need of help. Highly positive relationships underpin and enrich pupils’ experiences. Parents and carers praise the open and supportive culture that the school provides.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils’ attendance is typically at least in line with the national average and is steadily improving over time. This applies equally to all groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders systematically check patterns of absence and step in quickly to provide appropriate support.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The atmosphere around school is calm and purposeful. In lessons, pupils show positive attitudes to learning. At social times, pupils understand the routines and follow the rules. Leaders have ensured that rules are fair and accessible for all pupils. On occasion, some pupils struggle to control their emotions. When this happens, trained staff understand how to adapt the school’s behaviour policy according to pupils’ needs. Staff say that they feel well supported by leaders to manage pupils’ behaviour. Pupils appreciate the activities available to them in the playground, including the quieter spaces. As a result, playtimes are positive social experiences for pupils. The 'MACAWS' pupil leaders play a positive role in encouraging and supporting friendships at breaktimes. Leaders promote a culture of respect in which any rare instances of bullying or discrimination are quickly addressed

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders know their pupils well. This enables them to identify the challenges faced by some pupils that may affect their learning. Leaders have a sharp oversight of key pupil groups, such as those eligible for the pupil premium, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known (or previously known) to children’s social care. There is a clear ambition for all pupils to achieve their potential regardless of any disadvantage. There are well-designed systems to identify and assess pupils’ needs and barriers to learning. Leaders support and train staff to adapt their teaching accordingly. There are systems for staff to share important information about pupils’ achievement, attendance and wellbeing. This supports pupils' smooth transition at key points, such as at the start of a new school year.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school uses the additional funding it receives, for example the pupil premium, to identify, address and reduce barriers to learning. The school works extensively with families, professionals and a range of specialist services. This informs future teaching and shapes pupils’ next steps in their education.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a secure understanding of the school’s context and its place in the community. There is a thoughtful approach to identifying school improvement priorities, based on an awareness of the school's strengths and areas for development. Leaders generally take appropriate action to steer necessary improvement. Leaders act as a united and dedicated team, providing positive professional role models for staff.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors understand their strategic role and are supportive of the school’s ethos, vision and values. They meet their statutory duties. Governors give due regard to the workload and wellbeing of staff and leaders. The chair of governors holds regular meetings with the headteacher. These meetings are both supportive and challenging, ensuring the best interests of pupils are at the forefront of decision-making. It is less clear to what extent members of the wider governing body ask similarly probing questions to hold leaders to account for the school’s performance.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

There is a well-connected, strategic approach to providing staff with appropriate professional learning opportunities. Staff value the training that they receive. They say that they are well supported by school leaders and that their workload and wellbeing are thoughtfully considered. Leaders and governors successfully engage with parents and carers to elicit their views and build trusting relationships.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics over time has not been as high as it should be. Although there was clear improvement in pupils’ attainment in national tests in 2025, notably in reading, the overall results over the last three years remain below the national average. Disadvantaged pupils continue to have some gaps in their foundational knowledge and skills that are not closing as quickly as they should. Pupils’ ability to demonstrate secure knowledge and skills across a broad range of subjects is inconsistent. This is reflected in their limited ability to talk about their learning, and in the inconsistent quality of their written work. Leaders recognise these key issues and are taking appropriate steps to improve pupils’ achievement. These measures are in the early stages of being implemented and have yet to have impact over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders are ambitious for the curriculum to be taught effectively, however, there are inconsistencies in how well this happens across the school. Where teaching is effective, staff demonstrate secure subject knowledge. They make use of appropriate questioning and assessment that enables pupils to learn and remember more. This is not consistent across all subjects and classes. Where the teaching is less effective, pupils do not learn the intended curriculum as securely as they should. On occasion, tasks are not accurately matched to pupils’ capabilities. For example, some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are given work that does not match the targets set for them. These inconsistencies hinder pupils’ ability to develop essential knowledge and skills and to apply what they know across the curriculum. Leaders have begun to take action to improve teaching, for example, in relation to writing. This development is at an early stage.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

A broad and balanced curriculum is in place across all subjects and is designed to enable pupils to develop secure knowledge and skills that build on what they already know. Leaders prioritise reading and ensure that suitable help is available for any pupils who need extra support, for example in phonics.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school is a happy and safe place to learn. Pupils are proud to be part of the school and they attend well. They live out the school’s vision and values to ‘develop compassion, responsibility and resilience in a caring environment’. Pupils understand and demonstrate the importance of respect and good behaviour. Pupils agree that staff are quick to sort out any worries they have or deal with problems that may arise. Pupils thrive because staff are kind and caring. Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils to achieve their potential, regardless of their personal circumstances or barriers to learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school’s well-established ‘MACAWS’ programme is an important factor in supporting pupils’ well-being, and their social and emotional needs. Pupils proudly tend the beautiful ‘MACAWS’ playground garden. They enjoy spending time in this quiet, calming area of school. Pupils enthusiastically take on roles and responsibilities that enhance the life of the school and promote their wider personal development.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy their learning and generally try hard in lessons. Their achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has been inconsistent over time. Recently, achievement in most areas has improved as a result of leaders’ work to raise standards. This work has been particularly successful in improving pupils’ reading. However, some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, still do not achieve as well as they should in writing and in some aspects of mathematics.

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Next steps

• Leaders need to continue their work to improve pupils' achievement, particularly in writing, and build on the improvements already made. • Leaders need to ensure that the well-designed curriculum is taught consistently well in all subjects and year groups, so that pupils secure the knowledge and skills they need for their next steps. • Leaders need to ensure that all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support to access a suitable curriculum, dependent on their specific needs, so that these pupils can be successful. • The governing body should make sure that it has an accurate view of the school's strengths and those areas that need to improve so that it can enhance the support and challenge that it provides to leaders.

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Lead inspector:

Christine Watkins, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Jayne Ashman, His Majesty's Inspector Damienne Clarke, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Bruce Levitan.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our updated inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other senior and curriculum leaders, the chair of governors and other members of the governing body, and a representative of the local authority during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school: This school has a Church of England voluntary controlled religious character. Its most recent section 48 inspection was in April 2024.

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About this inspection

The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Mrs Amanda Cornwall The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and maths measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in maths

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in maths

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in maths.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in maths

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in maths and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (1 term) 13.0% 14.3% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standards expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standards set out in statutory and non-statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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