Ofsted inspectors praise Sheffield junior school after history of underperformance

Staff and children at a Sheffield junior school are celebrating after rapid improvement has seen it land a positive inspection report.
Students at Emmanuel Junior Academy, in Waterthorpe celebrate the OfstedStudents at Emmanuel Junior Academy, in Waterthorpe celebrate the Ofsted
Students at Emmanuel Junior Academy, in Waterthorpe celebrate the Ofsted

Emmanuel Junior Academy, in Waterthorpe, has been rated as good following a visit by inspectors from education watchdog, Ofsted.

Headteacher Charlotte Newton-Wall said it was a 'fantastic achievement' after several years of hard work.

Headteacher Charlotte Newton-Wall is delighted with the Ofsted reportHeadteacher Charlotte Newton-Wall is delighted with the Ofsted report
Headteacher Charlotte Newton-Wall is delighted with the Ofsted report
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"It is lovely to read such positive things about our school and I am very happy with the conclusions the inspectors came to after spending two days in school," she said.

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"It is a true reflection of the time and support given by everyone connected to the school; governors, leaders, staff, parents and especially the children themselves.

"We have all worked extremely hard over the last few years and the journey the school has taken has been a very rewarding one, with such positive benefits to the children.

Headteacher Charlotte Newton-Wall is delighted with the Ofsted reportHeadteacher Charlotte Newton-Wall is delighted with the Ofsted report
Headteacher Charlotte Newton-Wall is delighted with the Ofsted report

"We are now looking forward to continuing with our efforts to ‘strive for the best, achieve the amazing."

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Inspectors found Mrs Newton-Hall and the governors provide 'purposeful leadership' and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

Most pupils make 'great strides' in their learning because of the 'greater challenges' they are set in lessons, and there has been rapid improvement in maths.

Pupils' behaviour is good and inspectors found they are keen to achieve the rewards on offer to them.

A culture of care for the welfare is given high priority and respect for others and the importance of being a good friends are highly valued by pupils.

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However, inspectors did find that in the afternoon session, behaviour falls below the school’s high expectations and the occasional absence of some pupils is currently preventing them from gaining the most of offers.

In the report inspectors said to improve they must improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to accelerate pupils’ progress and the effectiveness of leaders at all levels.