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Original poster

Does your child go to a "Good" junior school? Or do you know of one near you?

45 replies

ShoeWhore · 03/12/2013 23:21

Junior not primary, I mean. I have heard it said it's almost impossible for Junior schools at the moment as they have no control over the end of KS1 SATS results (and apparently primary schools just fiddle theirs to beat the system)

I want to prove it can be done Grin Can you help me? PM me if the info's too sensitive for a public post.

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bundaberg · 03/12/2013 23:37

don't they do ks1 SATS before starting junior school?? so how would that affect them?

fairly sure primaries can't/don't "fiddle" them, unless by fiddle you mean coach them to pass rather than just teaching them in a regular fashion?

bundaberg · 03/12/2013 23:39

looked at one nearest me, it used to be "good" but after this year's inspection it "requires improvement" i think that's more down to changes in ofsted than anyhting else... will have a look at others in the area!

SidandAndyssextoy · 03/12/2013 23:42

Dulwich Hamlet Junior School in Dulwich, SE London, has an Outstanding Ofsted. It does however have a very small catchment in a wealthy part of London.

bundaberg · 03/12/2013 23:42

here you go... this is near me, and is rated "good" but hasn't been inspected since 2011

ta daa

Original poster
ShoeWhore · 03/12/2013 23:43

What has been suggested to me bundaberg is that primary schools hold down their KS1 results so they can show better progress in KS2. Junior schools don't have that option and of course infant schools are trying to show as much progress as possible, which makes it harder for junior schools to compete.

Apparently.

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Original poster
ShoeWhore · 03/12/2013 23:45

Thank you. Keep em coming. If we can find one inspected in 2012/13 and with a reasonably mixed catchment area I will be a very happy bunny Grin saddo

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AngryFeet · 03/12/2013 23:46

Mine go to an outstanding school. Ridgeway Primary in Sanderstead, Surrey. I think it was done in 2011.

AngryFeet · 03/12/2013 23:48

It has infant and junior depts but is in a fairly wealthy area.

Marmitelover55 · 04/12/2013 00:16

Sefton Park junior school in bristol - went from satisfactory to good this year.

Marmitelover55 · 04/12/2013 00:17

And Elmlea and Henleaze in bristol (both outstanding I think).

clary · 04/12/2013 00:22

Yes my DS2's school was rated as good by Ofsted in January this year.

It's in Derby but a fairly nice part tbh so many not fit your bill. Was satisfactory before and good before that.

toomuchicecream · 04/12/2013 07:04

One I used to teach at was rated good in October last year. Meets your criteria. No way would I have ever sent my child there - that's why I left. Think the only way they achieved it was by being very big - ofsted is very data driven, with 100 children in a year group you can have 15 in year 6 not get level 4 and still achieve a very respectable 85%. Another school I know had 12 in year 6 last year, 3 of whom had arrived in the previous year with big problems - 2 of thrm didn't get level 4 and the data looks worse.

noramum · 04/12/2013 07:23

DD goes to an Infant and will move to the linked Junior next year. This Junior was always good, until Ofsted came in Spring and downgraded them.

The reason, no enough feedback to the children about their work. Lessons not interesting enough for the various levels.

Important yes but hardly a disaster. The Infant produces above average KS1 SATS results and the year6 results are also above average in 80% of the years, so they must do something right.

I spoke to some of the parents who already have children at this Junior and nobody was negative.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 04/12/2013 07:43

My DS's junior school is an 'outstanding' junior school. ( although the last full inspection was years ago! The separate infant school which feeds into it is rated good with outstanding features ( interim inspection a year ago)

There is talk that the infant school inflates the sats results but I think this is because the junior school is so academically pushy that even the children with the highest scores from y2 will find the transition to y3 a struggle.

My DS left year 2 with level 3's across the board. We were happy with that until we met his new y3 teacher who told us that he should have left the infants on level 4 and that she will be pushing him hard to bring him up to scratch. We really got the impression that she thought the infant school had let him coast.

My DD who is behind in all areas is going to really struggle when she goes up to the junior school.

Xochiquetzal · 04/12/2013 09:10

Woodlands Juniour School in Tonbridge, Kent is rated as outstanding.

Meita · 04/12/2013 09:43

Our local junior school used to be outstanding, but was graded 'good' in 2012, so fairly recently.
The intake is described as being average, on average ;) but with a very broad spread i.e. some very very able kids and some not very able kids and everything in between. Larger than average proportions of FSM, EAL, SEN. The same kids who go to the local infants first, which is also (and recently) graded 'good'. The area is sort of diverse, there is a large council estate in the village, but there is also a university and quite a few of the staff live in the village.
Their Value Added scores are actually quite good, above 100, but not comparable with the VA scores of the local primaries. I am pretty sure that there is some truth in the statement that some primaries do very 'conservative' assessments at KS1 and then find it easier to get good VA scores, whereas some infants schools are sort of 'enthusiastic' in their KS1 assessments, making it harder for the junior schools to get good VA scores.

I think when you compare VA scores for juniors and primaries, you should always put them in relation with attainment. If they get the same final results, does it matter how much of the progress was made in KS1 and how much in KS2?

Galena · 04/12/2013 11:02

This one is good - and have just been inspected again, so will be interesting to see what happens. They also had an interim inspection at the start of last year which said standards had been maintained.

Galena · 04/12/2013 11:07

Good Junior

PeppermintScreams · 04/12/2013 11:27

Look at Junior schools in the London Borough of Bexley. A lot of them are "good".

My son's infant school is outstanding and the associated junior school has just been rated good under the new grading.

TheSmallHoofPrintsInTheSnow · 04/12/2013 11:42

Ours is a good and assessed last year I think. The first school that feeds it was assessed as a good this year under the new criteria. I'll message you the link.

TheSmallHoofPrintsInTheSnow · 04/12/2013 11:43

Well I would if I could make MN let me do it, for some reason it's not working.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/12/2013 11:48

The one near me is outstanding. DS is only in year two though, he was crazily impressed when he heard there was going to be a purpose built Lego construction studio.

Both the infants are assessed as good.

Original poster
ShoeWhore · 04/12/2013 11:54

Thank you all very much. This is so useful!

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GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 04/12/2013 12:11

I can think of an Ofsted outstanding junior school (last inspected 2009 and very middle class intake though) but wonder why you want to know. Are you doing an article on this topic?