Schools & FE · Report card

John Locke Academy

Inspected 9 Jun 2026 · published 8 Sept 2026 · URN 140387

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Nick Hitchen (lead), Colette Shulver, Karen Matthews, Meena Walia, Sahreen Siddiqui

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Strong standard
Inclusion verified
Strong standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
9 Jun 2026
Inspectors verified
Colette Shulver, Karen Matthews, Meena Walia, Nick Hitchen, Sahreen Siddiqui
Postcode verified
UB10 0FW
Name on report verified
John Locke Academy
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
140387

Page 1 of 15

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsStrong
InclusionStrong
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+80Very positivemore positive than 66% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisehighly effectiveeffectiveeffectivelyhigh expectationskindconsistentlyconfidentambitious

Criticismconcernsgapsnot strongstrugglenot consistentlynot secure

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1420w+88
Leadership234w+39
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve101w+67

Strengths

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Concerns

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However, the impact of leaders' work is not reflected in consistently strong standards over time in every area. p.4

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 15
Words of findings: 1,806; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Fairly hard; Flesch 50, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 3; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 4%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 46%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 41%

Full report text

John Locke Academy

Address: Bader Way, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB10 0FW Unique reference number (URN): 140387

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Early years Strong standard

Leaders and staff ensure that children really flourish in the early years. Before children join the school, staff get to know pupils, parents and carers. Leaders quickly and accurately identify needs and any barriers to learning that children have. This enables staff to provide tailored support from the outset.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

The early years curriculum is carefully designed to make sure that children make very secure progress across all areas of learning. Well-trained staff teach the curriculum fully effectively through tasks that capture children’s interest. Their interactions with children are highly purposeful and skilful.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

From Nursery, there is a keen focus on developing children’s communication and language. The support that these youngest children receive, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is highly effective in developing their vocabulary. Staff ask very well-judged questions that develop children’s thinking, encouraging them to reason and to solve problems for themselves. As a result, children use an increasingly complex range of language in their everyday talk with peers and adults.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Reading is a high priority for leaders. In Nursery, children begin to recognise letters and the sounds they represent. In Reception, they build on this to read words and sentences. Children apply their phonics knowledge in their early writing effectively. By the end of the early years, children, including disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are very well prepared for the Year 1 curriculum.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have built a highly inclusive culture in which every pupil is known and valued. Leaders and staff have high expectations of all pupils. They ensure that all pupils feel that they belong and know how to be successful. Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained to put in place highly effective strategies. These successfully reduce barriers to learning.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders get to know pupils swiftly. Leaders quickly and accurately identify when any pupils need extra help to overcome barriers to learning or their wellbeing, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders work in close partnership with staff, families and external professionals to plan effective adjustments to the curriculum. Pupils benefit from this support as their barriers to learning are removed consistently well. Leaders carefully track pupils’ progress to check whether further refinements are necessary. For example, individualised plans for pupils with SEND are regularly reviewed to make sure the plans accurately reflect what these pupils currently need. Consequently, most pupils acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed at the next stage of their education.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use additional funding effectively. They make sure that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND have opportunities to achieve well and to participate fully in the wider opportunities that leaders provide.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Typically, pupils achieve well. Pupils’ outcomes have been in line with national averages and are improving over time. In the most recent national tests, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was above the national average. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard is also rising over time. However, disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are closer to national averages. Leaders recognise this and are taking action to reduce the gap between disadvantaged and non ‑ disadvantaged pupils' achievement. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those pupils known to children’s social care, make appropriate progress from their starting points. This is because staff make effective adaptations to reduce barriers to learning and help pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils develop the knowledge they need in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders give a high priority to the teaching of phonics. As a result, pupils learn to read with confidence. Typically, pupils’ work shows that pupils make positive progress across the curriculum. By the end of Year 6, pupils are well prepared for secondary school and speak confidently about their next steps.

p.3

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance closely. Leaders establish warm and positive relationship with parents and carers, and work in partnership with them to address any attendance concerns. This helps pupils who sometimes struggle to come to school to attend more often. As a result, pupils' attendance, including those who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is broadly in line with national averages.

p.3

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. The shared motto ‘kind words, kind hands, kind hearts’ guides pupils’ actions. Leaders ensure that the school’s rules and routines are consistently applied by staff. Pupils behave well both in the school and at playtime. They are polite to each other and to adults. They embrace difference and treat others with dignity and respect. Bullying is not tolerated. Should bullying occur, pupils are confident that leaders and staff will deal with it appropriately. Pupils who need help to manage their emotions receive effective support. Pupils make good use of the classroom ‘calm spaces’, where they can settle themselves and return to their learning ready to focus. Older pupils support their younger peers. Together, pupils, leaders and staff have created a culture that helps everyone to focus on their learning.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders are clear about what pupils should learn in each subject. The broad and ambitious curriculum is carefully sequenced. It builds progressively from the early years to the end of Year 6. Leaders have also linked the curriculum to the school’s context. In history, for example, leaders have drawn on the local area’s links to the Second World War, as the school stands on the site of a former RAF base. Since the last inspection, leaders have mapped out precisely the vocabulary they want pupils to know in each subject. Typically, staff teach pupils new words that extend their learning and give pupils frequent opportunities to use them. As a result, pupils typically use ambitious language in their talk and writing.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Reading sits at the centre of the school’s work. Staff teach phonics consistently well, so that pupils at the early stages of reading build the knowledge they need to tackle unfamiliar words. As they move up the school, most pupils read fluently and for enjoyment. Well- planned support helps those who need to catch up with their classmates.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of teaching and the curriculum across the school. They accurately identify strengths and take action to make well-judged improvements where necessary. Teachers receive effective training to keep their subject knowledge up to date. Typically, teachers explain new ideas clearly and adapt lessons thoughtfully so pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit fully. However, there are times when staff could address gaps in pupils' writing knowledge, such as their use of punctuation, more effectively.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide clear direction for the school. They are accurate in their evaluation of what is working well and what needs to improve further. Leaders are clear-sighted, kind and professional. As a result, they have built a staff team within which morale is high. Staff work well together and feel supported and trusted in their roles. Staff value the support that leaders give to keep their workload manageable and they appreciate the opportunities leaders provide to develop their teaching. However, the impact of leaders' work is not reflected in consistently strong standards over time in every area.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees know the school well. They share leaders' accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for development. Trustees think carefully about when and how to communicate with leaders, so that decisions are made in genuine partnership and leaders feel empowered to make operational decisions. Trust leaders provide valued strategic support. They provide opportunities for the school's leaders to work with other schools in the trust to share effective practice. This collaboration reflects a shared vision, rooted in the goal to 'make learning irresistible'. Trustees hold leaders to account for the school's performance and carry out their duties effectively. They maintain a thorough oversight of safeguarding and of leaders' work to make the school even more inclusive. For example, trustees and leaders are developing plans to capture the voice of parents and the local community more fully.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils grow in confidence at this school, where they feel happy, valued and well cared for. This is because leaders have designed a broad personal development programme to build pupils' character, to support their welfare and to prepare them for life beyond the school. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) programme, including relationships and sex education and health education, teaches pupils how to stay safe, including online. Pupils develop their understanding of respect and diversity. Collective events, such as those marking Eid, Diwali and Pride, promote inclusion and a respect for difference. Pupils explain why everyone should be treated with respect, whatever their background. They have a sound knowledge of some of the fundamental British values, particularly democracy and respect for others. Their understanding of other British values, such as individual liberty, is less secure. Leaders recognise that they need sharper ways of identifying where gaps in

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a range of clubs and visits, and from a wide range of leadership roles. These include the student council, play leaders, eco leaders, and little troopers which is a club for children whose parents serve in the armed forces. Leaders make sure that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can take part in these wider opportunities. Leaders recognise that they need to improve the way that they track who takes part in after-school activities, so they they can better identify which pupils should be encouraged to take up a particular club.

p.5

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils' wellbeing is supported effectively. Pastoral support is targeted and timely, and pupils know where to turn when they need help. As a result, pupils feel well cared for.

p.5