Ofsted Report

In March 2022, Ofsted visited St James CofE Primary and we are very proud to announce that the inspection has assessed our school as Good.  

There is much to be celebrated about our fantastic school and we are proud of the following findings: 

• Pupils are happy and safe at school; they enjoy learning, including visits and workshops both in school and the local area; and they are active citizens in their school community through support for the local foodbank and raising money for charity as well as having the opportunity to take on leadership roles including house captains, rights respecting leaders, science technicians or school counsellors  
• Inspectors noted that the children are well-behaved and know how to keep themselves and each other safe 
• Governors and the leadership team have high expectations for all the pupils. They have made sure that curriculum leaders identify what pupils need to know to be successful in the future 
• Leaders and staff get to know each child, expecting and encouraging them to work hard and achieve their best 
• Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that allows the children to develop their understanding across and within subjects 
• The teaching of Early Years reading which came out as a particular strength of the school, with the staff who teach early reading seen as confident and knowledgeable at teaching phonics 
• The Inspectors praised the progress the children had made and their clear love of and enthusiasm for reading 
• The investments we have made in our teachers and resources to support a rich and diverse reading curriculum, including ensuring that reading resources reflect the rich, cultural diversity of modern Britain  
• Inspectors noted that our teaching of science is ambitious with high level objectives and clarity of learning 
• Maths is taught well, the children are engaged and well supported  
• Staff quickly identify any children who have fallen behind or are not on track to achieve expected progress or attainment so that they catch up and keep up 
• Staff support the small proportion of children with SEND well, helping them to be successful and keep up and make progress in line with their peers 
• The school promotes pupils’ artistic and cultural skills 

Moving forward, our focus as a school will be on planning to deepening our children’s understanding in Early Years even further.

You can read our full Ofsted report here.