Schools & FE · Report card

St James' CofE Junior School

Inspected 22 Sept 2026 · URN 112362

Original PDF ↗

Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Cleone Cunningham (lead), Sarah Price

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Needs attention
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
22 Sept 2026
Inspectors verified
Cleone Cunningham, Sarah Price
Postcode verified
LA14 1NY
Name on report verified
St James' CofE Junior School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
112362

Page 1 of 15

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

Join free to get a short, plain-English summary of any report.

Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementNeeds attention
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
InclusionExpected
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.

+55Positivemore positive than 25% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositiveeffectivelyfeel safeenjoyeffectiveambitioushighly effectivehigh expectations

Criticismnot consistentlygapsconcernsconcerninconsistenciesnot well designedbelowtoo many

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

Findings1325w+53
Leadership279w+69
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve50w−9

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Too many pupils do not consistently secure the most important knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. p.4

Next steps

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

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: 1,705; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 43, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 2; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 7%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 46%Leadership 10%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 41%

Full report text

St James' CofE Junior School

Address: Blake Street, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 1NY Unique reference number (URN): 112362

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

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils typically want to attend regularly because they enjoy school. Leaders have robust systems in place to improve pupils’ attendance if it begins to cause concern. They are tenacious in their approach and, as a result, attendance is consistently above national averages for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those known or previously known to social care. Leaders are ambitious to improve attendance even further until pupils’ attendance is the best it can be. Leaders have made careful and strategic decisions to support their work on attendance, for example, in relation to improving the curriculum and offering a wealth of clubs and other enrichment opportunities. These opportunities add to the school’s offer to pupils and, as a result, attendance is above national averages.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour. These expectations are underpinned by positive relationships and mutual respect between staff and pupils. Pupils typically behave well. They are friendly and welcoming. Pupils interact confidently and politely with staff and visitors. Pupils benefit from calm and purposeful classroom environments that are helpful to learning. Pupils generally demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Staff ensure that pupils who need additional help to understand and manage their behaviour receive appropriate support. Bullying is rare and is not tolerated.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders know individual pupils and their needs very well. They regularly monitor pupils’ progress and attainment. Leaders ensure that pupils’ needs are identified and that effective interventions are implemented quickly. This has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Leaders ensure that pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide targeted interventions, pastoral support and wider opportunities which enhance pupils’ experiences of the world.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand the range of barriers that pupils face. These include barriers to wellbeing as well as to learning. Leaders monitor the progress and attainment of pupils. They maintain an effective culture of early identification through regular assessment, pastoral oversight and multi-agency collaboration.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work closely with a range of external professionals to secure appropriate support for pupils. Staff increasingly use inclusive approaches and practical adaptations, such as visual timetables, movement breaks and workstations, to reduce barriers to learning. Leaders regularly review the effectiveness of provision and adapt support when it is not having the intended impact.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders maintain a sharp focus on safeguarding and wellbeing, ensuring that pupils receive timely support and that barriers to learning are identified and addressed quickly. Leaders make appropriate use of alternative provision.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a detailed knowledge of the school’s context and the community it serves. This helps them to create a supportive, inclusive environment where barriers to learning or wellbeing are typically overcome. This helps pupils feel safe and valued. Leaders make all decisions in pupils’ best interests.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have established successful processes to identify and support pupils who face barriers to learning or wellbeing, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have a clear understanding of the range of barriers many pupils face, and they are committed to overcoming these so that pupils can thrive. Leaders have identified appropriate areas for improvement. For example, they have taken action to address aspects of writing which have not been taught consistently well, such as handwriting, spelling and grammar. Leaders recognise the importance of high-quality teaching to secure the best outcomes for all pupils, including those with SEND. They have begun work to improve teaching across all classes and subjects.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors understand their duties and carry them out effectively. They bring a range of suitable experience and skills to their roles. Governors offer appropriate support and challenge. Leaders engage well with the local authority and with the diocese. For example, the local authority has supported leaders in monitoring the school's work and identifying appropriate areas for improvement.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff appreciate leaders’ and governors’ consideration of their workload and wellbeing. They benefit from a range of professional learning opportunities. Although these have led to improvements, they are too recent to show a clear impact on pupils’ outcomes. Parents and carers are typically positive about the school and the quality of care and education it provides for their children.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the school's curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education is ambitious and carefully set out. Pupils enjoy these lessons and engage in them thoughtfully, including through discussions and debates. Staff receive appropriate training to help them deliver the content of the curriculum effectively. Pupils learn about risks to their safety and wellbeing they are likely to encounter as they grow older. This includes learning how to keep themselves safe when online and when out and about in the community.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils gain a secure understanding of what makes a relationship healthy through the carefully constructed relationship and sex education programme. Older pupils learn about the physical and emotional changes which will happen to them during puberty. They have an age-appropriate understanding of the concept of consent. Through a scheme run in partnership with the local fire service, pupils learn about how to stay safe in relation to water, alcohol and drugs.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school offers pupils a rich and varied range of wider opportunities, such as kayaking, rugby, choir, golf and music. Leaders check carefully that disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and pupils known or previously known to social

p.3

Needs attention

care access the full range of activities. Visits from local employers and colleges help pupils to be aspirational and to think about their future.

p.4

Needs attention

Pastoral support is provided by specially trained staff and is available to all pupils. Pupils know how to access this specialist help when they need it and can give examples of how it has helped them in the past. The curriculum supports pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and helps them to understand the importance of healthy relationships, diversity and equality. Pupils learn about, and show respect for, different faiths. They can talk about key aspects of a range of different faiths. This helps pupils to be well prepared for life in modern Britain.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Over time, results in national tests at the end of key stage 2 have been below national averages and below those of similar schools. Too many pupils do not consistently secure the most important knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. This means that they are not as well prepared for their next steps in education as they should be.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ work shows that many now typically achieve in line with expectations for their age. However, this is not consistent across classes, subjects and groups of pupils. This is because some pupils still have gaps in their foundational knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. This means that, sometimes, they move on to new learning before they have secured the key knowledge they need to build upon.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Leaders' recent actions are starting to make a difference, but it is too soon to see a sustained improvement in pupils' results.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Although leaders have developed a broad and balanced curriculum that sets out the important knowledge pupils should learn, there are inconsistencies in how effectively staff check on pupils’ learning. This means that, in some instances, misconceptions are not identified and addressed. As a result, for some pupils, gaps in learning remain over time and become embedded. The curriculum is designed to build knowledge logically over time. Reading is prioritised. Pupils who join the school at earlier stages of reading generally benefit from effective phonics teaching from well-trained staff.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

When teaching is most effective, teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding and address any misconceptions promptly. They encourage pupils to think carefully and to discuss their learning. Teachers typically use a range of helpful adaptations to ensure that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, can access the learning. For example, in mathematics, teachers use physical resources and structured explanations to ensure that pupils with SEND develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. This helps them to access the same curriculum as their peers. However, in some subjects and classes, activities are not as well designed as they should be to help pupils build knowledge securely over time. Leaders have identified appropriate areas for improvement and are working to ensure that highly effective teaching and assessment is consistent across subjects and classes.

p.4