Garland Junior School

Garland Junior School is a smaller-than-average junior school, federated with Mrs Bland's Infant and Nursery School as Burghfield Common Federation. This full inspection found safeguarding standards met and the school performing securely overall: personal development and wellbeing are strong, while achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance all meet expected standards. Pupils are polite, articulate and proud of their school, and the recently introduced behaviour and lunchtime routines have created a calm, orderly and purposeful environment. The school's main strengths lie in its highly effective personal development programme, strong pastoral support, and determined work to improve attendance and remove barriers to learning. Recent improvements to reading, writing and mathematics are having a positive impact, and most pupils, including those with SEND or other barriers, achieve well from their starting points. Leadership and governance are knowledgeable and improvement-focused, and staff feel well supported in their wellbeing and workload. The main areas for further development are the quality of pupils' writing, particularly spelling and handwriting, and the consistency of the wider curriculum so that pupils build knowledge securely across all subjects. Persistent absence, though much improved, remains a focus. Published outcomes show combined reading, writing and mathematics attainment below national averages, with a notable disadvantaged pupil gap, which leaders will need to continue addressing.

Strengths

• Highly effective personal development and wellbeing programme that is well planned and adapted to pupils' needs
• Pupils are polite, articulate, proud of their school and speak confidently about their learning
• A wide range of trips, residentials and extra-curricular activities enriches pupils' experiences
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of British values, equality, diversity and safety
• Pastoral support is extremely effective and has improved attendance, achievement and confidence for vulnerable pupils
• Recent improvements to reading, writing and mathematics are having a positive impact on pupils' work
• Most pupils achieve well across the curriculum and make steady progress from their starting points
• Attendance has improved and is now in line with national averages
• High expectations and a well-embedded behaviour policy create calm, orderly routines and few low-level incidents
• Staff use scaffolds, adaptations and targeted interventions effectively so pupils engage and access the curriculum
• Leaders use pupil premium funding strategically and support disadvantaged pupils with timely, effective provision
• Governors are knowledgeable, challenge leaders effectively and ensure decisions are in pupils' best interests
• Staff are overwhelmingly positive about how leaders manage wellbeing and workload

Areas for Improvement

• Outcomes in combined reading, writing and mathematics remain below national averages
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment lags behind national non-disadvantaged peers, especially in the combined measure and mathematics
• Persistent absence remains an area requiring further work, despite recent improvements
• Spelling and handwriting are not yet consistently secure enough to improve the quality of pupils' writing
• The wider curriculum is not yet consistently strong enough for pupils to build knowledge securely over time
• Pupils' language development across the wider curriculum is less secure than in reading, writing and mathematics

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Garland Junior School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.2% of pupils at Garland Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Garland Junior School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 39.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 23.8% of pupils at Garland Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Garland Junior School received £7,722 and spent £8,370 for each of its 185 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £94,000 (£510 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Reading · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Garland Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Garland Junior School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Garland Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Garland Junior School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Garland Junior School have?

Garland Junior School has 185 pupils on roll.

What age range does Garland Junior School cover?

Garland Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Garland Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Garland Junior School?

Garland Junior School is at Clay Hill Road, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3HG.