Junction Farm Primary School Review 2026: High-attaining primary with a strong early years offer in Eaglescliffe

This is a large, modern primary serving Eaglescliffe, with Nursery through Year 6 on one site. Academic outcomes at the end of Key Stage 2 are a clear strength, especially the combined reading, writing and maths measure, which sits well above England averages. The school is also structured around practical routines that matter to families, such as a clearly stated start and finish time and a published timetable of after-school clubs for the academic year.

The 29 April 2025 Ofsted inspection graded Quality of education as Good, with Outstanding for Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, Leadership and management, and Early years provision.

Junction Farm’s tone is purposeful but child-centred, with a strong emphasis on pupils feeling safe, listened to, and able to speak up early if something is bothering them. A useful example is the way pupils are encouraged to raise concerns through multiple routes, including the school’s use of Walter the Worry Monster, referenced in formal inspection evidence as something children value.

Leadership is stable and clearly presented to parents. Mrs Louise Daly is the headteacher, and is also listed as the Designated Safeguarding Lead and attendance lead. A published register of interests indicates she took up the headteacher role on 04 January 2022, which helps parents place recent changes in context.

The school opened on 01 August 2016 and sits within Spark Education Trust. For families, the practical implication is that governance and school improvement capacity sit both at school level and trust level, with a board of trustees and trust leadership alongside local governance.

Nursery provision, integrated not bolted on

Early years is part of the core offer, not an afterthought. Nursery sessions are published in clear, parent-facing terms: morning sessions run 08:30 to 11:30, afternoons run 12:15 to 15:15, and the midday slot is used for families taking up the funded 30-hour pattern. The school also states it can offer 30 hours provision for working parents of three and four year olds, with government-funded childcare framed as part of the day-to-day model.

If you are choosing on outcomes, Junction Farm’s Key Stage 2 data is one of its most persuasive features.

In 2024, 91% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared to an England average of 62%. At the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, 34% reached this level, compared to an England average of 8%. Science outcomes are also strong, with 97% meeting the expected standard, against an England average of 82%. These figures point to a cohort where most pupils meet age-related expectations, and a sizeable minority go beyond them.

The detail underneath reinforces that picture. Average scaled scores were 108 in reading and 106 in maths, with grammar, punctuation and spelling at 108. High scores are also prominent across subjects, including 38% achieving a high reading score and 36% achieving a high maths score. Writing depth is less inflated than reading, which is common nationally, but still strong in absolute terms at 29% at greater depth.

Rankings add further context. Junction Farm ranks 2,576th in England and 9th in Stockton-on-Tees for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), placing it above the England average and comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

What this means for parents is simple. Most pupils should be on track for secondary readiness by the end of Year 6, and there is also evidence of stretch for higher-attaining pupils, particularly in reading, spelling and maths.

The curriculum is described in external evidence as ambitious, with a clear sense of key knowledge pupils are expected to learn across subjects. Deep dives in the 2025 inspection included early reading, mathematics, science, geography and history, suggesting a focus on both core and foundation subjects rather than narrowing purely to test preparation.

A helpful way to interpret this is through the balance of results. The combined reading, writing and maths measure is very high, but so is science, and the school’s scaled scores indicate consistent attainment rather than a one-off spike in a single area. For families, that often translates into a school where routines and classroom systems are predictable, and where pupils are expected to know, remember and apply learning across the week rather than only in a test window.

Early years should be seen as part of the academic engine rather than separate. Nursery and Reception timings, including the midday structure supporting the 30-hour pattern, suggest a setting designed to make the school day workable for young children and families, while still aligning with the main school day rhythm.

As a primary school, Junction Farm’s “destination” is Year 7, and the key issue is how well pupils are prepared academically and pastorally for the step up.

The school signposts families to the local authority’s coordinated admissions process and references the standard timetable for applications, with a 31 October deadline used for secondary applications. That matters because the move to secondary is as much about planning and paperwork as it is about readiness. Families should expect the main Year 6 focus to be on secure literacy and numeracy, confident learning habits, and the practical independence needed for a bigger setting.

A second strand is emotional preparedness. The school’s approach to pupils raising worries early, including the explicit promotion of reporting routes such as Walter the Worry Monster, is relevant here because transition anxiety peaks in Year 6 for many children.

Admissions are coordinated by Stockton-on-Tees local authority, not handled solely by the school. The published admission number for Reception is 60.

Junction Farm is oversubscribed in the latest published demand data. There were 55 applications for 31 offers for the Reception entry route, which equates to about 1.77 applications per place. In practice, this signals a school that many families actively choose, rather than one that is simply allocated.

When oversubscribed, priority is set out through a published set of criteria. After looked-after and previously looked-after children, the policy prioritises children with special educational needs under statutory assessment naming a mainstream school, then siblings, then children living within the admission zone who apply by the closing date, followed by distance measured in a straight line.

For September 2026 entry, the council’s primary application round closed on 15 January 2026. If you are planning a future cycle, treat the mid-January date as the key anchor and check the council’s portal for the live timetable each year.

Families comparing options should use the FindMySchool Map Search tool to sanity-check travel time and practical school-run routes, especially if you are weighing more than one oversubscribed local school.

Pastoral systems are visible in both staffing and safeguarding information. The headteacher is identified as the Designated Safeguarding Lead, and the wider leadership team includes a deputy designated safeguarding lead.

The school also participates in Operation Encompass, a safeguarding approach designed to ensure the school is informed promptly when a child may have been impacted by domestic abuse incidents outside school hours. The practical implication is early, discreet support for pupils at the start of the school day, rather than waiting for problems to surface later.

According to the inspection report, safeguarding arrangements are effective.

SEN and enhanced provision

Junction Farm describes itself as an Enhanced Mainstream School with a base supporting children with communication and interaction needs, including classrooms for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Places in this base are provided by the local authority. The Ofsted inspection also notes an on-site specially resourced provision supporting 10 pupils with a range of needs, including speech, language and communication needs and autism.

For parents, the key takeaway is to separate two questions. First, how well the mainstream provision supports children with additional needs. Second, whether a child is eligible for, and can access, the enhanced base provision through local authority placement.

Extracurricular life is unusually easy to evidence here because the school publishes a detailed after-school club timetable for the full 2025 to 2026 year, alongside clear booking guidance.

Clubs are booked through Arbor, with places limited and a cap of two clubs per week for each child. The timetable itself gives a feel for the balance between sport, performance and wellbeing. Examples include Street Dance, Cheerleading, Dodgeball and Athletics, with sessions commonly running straight after the school day and some extending later for older year groups. Choir is also explicitly listed for Key Stage 2, providing a structured music route that does not depend on external providers.

Forest School adds a different type of enrichment, based on exploration and outdoor learning, and is also referenced as an after-school club. The implication for families is a school that tries to keep enrichment accessible, through a mix of free clubs, paid options, and activities that do not require prior experience.

The school day is clearly stated. Classroom doors open at 08:40 for an 08:45 start, and the school closes at 15:15. Nursery session times are published separately, including a structured midday slot supporting the funded 30-hour pattern.

After-school clubs run in half-term blocks across the academic year, with dates published for each term. Wraparound childcare beyond the published club programme is not set out clearly on the school website, so families who need early drop-off or later pick-up should ask directly what is available and how places are allocated.

• Ofsted outcome is mixed across categories. Most judgement areas were Outstanding in April 2025, but Quality of education was graded Good. Families for whom classroom learning quality is the single deciding factor should read the report carefully and ask how subject consistency is being strengthened.

• Competition for Reception places is real. Demand data shows more applications than offers. If you are moving house, do not assume a place will be straightforward even inside the borough.

• Enhanced provision access is structured. The Enhanced Mainstream School base is not automatically available to all pupils, and places are provided by the local authority. If you are applying on SEN grounds, clarify the route early.

• After-school activities are strong, wraparound may need checking. The club timetable is detailed, but families needing consistent childcare beyond clubs should confirm the practicalities directly.

Junction Farm Primary School suits families who want a large, well-organised primary with very strong Key Stage 2 outcomes, a clearly structured school day, and a published, varied after-school programme. It is also a sensible option for parents looking closely at early years continuity, given the explicit Nursery timings and funded-hours model. The main challenge is admission pressure, and for some families, the question to probe is how the school is ensuring consistently strong learning experiences across every subject.