By Margaret Crosby

Last updated 10:04, Thursday, 27 March 2008

DETERMINATION to improve has paid off for St James’ Junior School in Whitehaven which this week was celebrating a good Ofsted report in which inspectors describe it as providing a good education in a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

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testing time: Pupil Sam Redmond experiments with the effects of water

It benefits from the confidence of parents and has a good board of governors who involve themselves in school life. Both teaching and learning are good and have improved since the last inspection. The head and deputy have steered the school to its present success following a difficult period of staffing changes, says the report.

The inspectors noted that the school had made a determined effort to raise standards and improve its rate of progress. Pupils work hard, concentrate and want to improve, and this has paid off with standards in the national test results for 2007 being the best for many years. Consistently good teaching is enabling pupils to catch up from some earlier under-achievement. Leadership was excellent, having taken the school “a long way in a short time’’. Standards are above average in maths and science and well above average in English.

Head teacher Catherine Winzor must be pleased with her “rapidly improving school’’. She said on Tuesday that she was delighted with the judgements made by the Ofsted team, who visited last month. The report was a positive endorsement of the standards the school has met.

“With the strength of the existing staff team, the commitment of the governing body, the support of parents and, crucially, the enthusiasm and energy of the children, the school is well placed to continue to raise standards in all areas,’’ she said.

The report highlights that the school is good at being self-critical, it is determined to achieve more and has a governing body that is “a tower of strength’’. Key to its recent rise in standards has been the use of accurate assessment data which has enabled teachers to plan work at the right level for all pupils. There is also a very good team of teaching assistants who make an important contribution and lessons are enjoyable, yet busy and purposeful with teachers encouraging pupils to think about how well they are learning and how they could improve their work. Bullying is rare.

Chairman of the governors, the Rev John Bannister, said St James’ “had all the essential ingredients for it to continue to thrive as a school at the heart of its community’’.

With 185 on the school roll (aged 7 to 11), pupils were said to be polite and considerate towards adults and each other and their behaviour is good, often very good. Curriculums are enriched by events, visits, visitors and clubs which help broaden experience. The school is keen to make greater use of its local area and history as part of the curriculum, as a result of which inspectors found “pupils showed a mature awareness of the impact of the slave trade on Whitehaven’’.

“Pupils have many opportunities to share ideas and feelings, including in the popular philosophy lessons, which is having a positive impact,’’ they added.

“Good spiritual, moral and cultural development stems from the broad curriculum, excellent relationships and the school’s strong Christian ethos,’’ says the inspectors’ report.

How well learners enjoyed their education was given top marks – outstanding.

Overall effectiveness of school - Good; Achievements and standards - Good; Personal development and well-being - Good; Quality of provision - Good; Curriculum and other activities - Good; Care, guidance and support - Good Leadership and management - Good.Grading is assessed as outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate.