Upminster Junior School in St Marys Lane praised by Ofsted

The education watchdog visited Upminster Junior School in St Marys Lane on April 15 and the report was published on June 30.

It placed the primary school in the "strong standard" level for all six categories: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance and personal development and wellbeing.

Ofsted found pupils to be "rightly proud" of attending the school.

The report said: "They are incredibly happy and relish coming to school every day.

"Teachers and leaders have extremely high expectations for pupils in all they do.

"Staff regularly remind pupils of what they can achieve and this fosters a culture of self belief that is firmly embedded."

Inspectors also found a "relentless drive" to ensure pupils secure strong foundations in reading, writing and maths and noted that outcomes at the end of year six are "significantly above national averages".

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make "excellent progress".

As well as praising pupils' achievements, the report highlighted the "impeccable" behaviour of children across the school.

It said: "Not a moment of learning time is lost because teachers consistently apply the same high expectations for behaviour and routines across the school.

"If pupils need support to manage their behaviour, leaders and teachers identify potential triggers and implement effective adaptations and approaches that successfully reduce risk."

A "broad and coherently sequenced" curriculum has been put in place which inspectors found to be continually checked to ensure pupils learn important information at the right time.

Inspectors also credited the personal development of pupils at the school and their social awareness.

They said: "The personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationships and sex education programmes are skilfully designed to meet the needs of all pupils.

"Leaders’ work to develop pupil character through leadership is impressive.

"For example, pupils who take the role as 'online ambassador' deliver assemblies that help their classmates to identify misleading information.".

Going forwards, the report said leaders at the school and the Hornchurch Academy Trust should "sustain their highly effective work" to drive a "transformational impact" for all pupils in all areas.