A THORNBURY school’s broad, ambitious curriculum and “high aspirations” for pupils have been praised by inspectors.
Ofsted visited Crossways Junior School, in Knapp Road, over two days in June and the regulator’s report, published in September, said the school was ‘good’ in all areas – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and personal development.
Inspectors Sarah Favager-Dalton and Richard Vaughan said the school’s values – contribute, aspire, respect and equality (CARE) – have a “tangible impact” on pupils.
They said: “The school has high aspirations for what every pupil can achieve and how they behave.
“Pupils who struggle to meet the school’s high expectations receive the support they need so that they can learn, attend and behave well.”
The inspectors said children enjoy their time at the school, which has 246 pupils aged from seven to 11 on its roll.
They said pupils are calm, courteous and welcoming, treating each other with tolerance and respect.
The report said: “One pupil described the supportive relationships that exist at the school as ‘heart-warming’. This encapsulates the view of many.
“Bullying is uncommon and is not tolerated. However, a few pupils and parents lack confidence in how well it is dealt with.”
The inspectors said pupils “achieve well”, producing high-quality work, and are able to build a deep understanding of subjects with help from teachers to connect their learning.
Reading is at heart of ‘broad and ambitious’ curriculum
The report said: “The curriculum is broad and ambitious. Staff know exactly what knowledge pupils need to learn at each stage.
“Teachers consistently use the approaches to teaching that the school has identified as being most effective.”
The inspectors said reading “is at the heart of the curriculum”, with books chosen to build pupils’ love of reading, their confidence and fluency.
Children were also given opportunities to join clubs, take leadership roles and “contribute to the wider community”.
The visit was Ofsted’s second in 18 months to the school, after an inspector who visited in February last year identified some areas for improvement.
The new report said: “Leaders have involved staff in developing new policies and processes to rapidly improve the school.”
High-quality training and skills development for staff means they are “proud to work at the school”.
To improve further the inspectors said the school should work to ensure that “gaps in knowledge” are identified at a class and curriculum level, to ensure pupils learn as much as they can, and improve communication with parents who raise concerns so they know these have been dealt with.
The school is part of the Crossways Federation, along with next-door Crossways Infants.
‘We are proud of what we do’ – head
Federation head teacher Jo Geoghegan said: “We are delighted with the report and pleased that inspectors recognised the improvements that have been made since their previous visit.
“Our children were rightly praised for their excellent attitudes and behaviour.
“Our staff were also deservedly praised for their hard work.
“Crossways are two unique and fabulous schools, where children enjoy their learning every day.
“We are proud of what we do here and continue to be aspirational for both schools and our community.”
Picture: Crossways Federation head teacher Jo Geoghegan celebrates with children after inspectors from Ofsted praised the junior school’s high aspirations, ambitious curriculum and well-behaved pupils.