Juniper Hill is a restless, reflective school. We believe exceptional schools are those that regularly seek the views of children, families and the staff team; carefully consider what is being shared, and take meaningful action where improvements can be made. Through surveys, discussions and ongoing feedback, we gain valuable insights into what is working well and where we can do even better. By listening to the voices of our community and responding thoughtfully, we ensure that Juniper Hill continues to develop in ways that support the communication, wellbeing, learning and success of everyone in our community. This page highlights a few examples of what you said and what we did in response.

Children

Through the Juniper Cabinet, our children shared that they would love their grandparents to have the opportunity to visit school. They told us how proud they are of Juniper and wanted to be able to show their grandparents where they learn and spend their days.

In response, the Leadership Team worked with the children to introduce Grandparents' Day in February 2025. The event was such a success that it has now become an annual part of the school calendar, taking place every February.

More than 85 grandparents attend each year, spending time with the children in their classrooms before taking part in a special Grandparents' Show and Tell. The children look forward to the event and thoroughly enjoy sharing their work, showing their grandparents around the school, and having photographs taken together. It is a wonderful celebration of family, community and the special relationships that support our children.

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The children love receiving end-of-term reading awards. The children told us, when they win an end-of-term reading award, they don't like getting a book voucher, they like receiving trophies they can keep. 

We now hand out engraved reading trophies to our end-of-term reading winners. 

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The children told us that they would love to be able to use the field all year round and suggested having a permanent track installed.

In response, the PTA raised funds to pay for a fixed wellbeing track. Through the Juniper Cabinet, pupils were actively involved in the project, helping to choose the markings that would be painted on the track. Members of the Cabinet even met with the contractors and shared their ideas about where the markings should be placed.

The track is now used regularly as part of Track Tuesday, led by our Wellbeing Ambassadors. Children can walk, jog or run around the track, earning stickers and awards as they achieve personal milestones. Seven laps of the track equal one mile, making it a fun and accessible way for children to stay active while supporting their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Juniper Families 

Feedback from the Families' Questionnaire in summer 2025 identified a need for the school to provide greater clarity about the challenge and enrichment opportunities available for our more able children across the curriculum.

In response, the Juniper team devoted an INSET day to developing a comprehensive More Able Policy. This work included defining the school's approach to supporting more able learners, reviewing curriculum planning, and identifying how provision is tailored to meet the needs of these children across all year groups.

The policy was discussed in detail by the Teaching and Learning Committee, shared with Juniper families, and published on the More Able section of the school website. In addition, the Leadership Team regularly monitors provision for more able pupils through lesson observations and learning walks to ensure that high levels of challenge and enrichment are embedded across the curriculum.

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Feedback from the Families' Questionnaire in summer 2025 suggested that the school could provide more drama enrichment opportunities for children.

In response, six members of the Juniper team established an after-school Drama Club, which ran throughout autumn 2025 and spring 2026. More than 60 Key Stage 2 pupils took part, enjoying the opportunity to develop their confidence, creativity and performance skills.

At the end of the spring term, the Drama Club performed Shakespeare Rocks!, which was a tremendous success. The children were outstanding, and the quality of the singing, dancing and acting was exceptional. Following the success of the production, members of the Juniper team have kindly agreed to run the Drama Club again during the 2026–2027 academic year. We can't wait to see what they achieve next!

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During an SEN meeting with one of our parents in the autumn term of 2025, the parent shared that it would have been helpful to meet their child's new class teacher before the start of the academic year. They felt that the teacher would have benefited from having more information about their child. While the school explained that teacher handover meetings take place in July, we recognised that parents are not directly involved in this process.

In response to this feedback, the school introduced an optional transition questionnaire in June 2026, giving parents the opportunity to share important information about their child with their new class teacher ahead of September. More than 80 parents completed the questionnaire, providing valuable insights that helped teachers develop a stronger understanding of the children joining their classes.

This proved to be extremely helpful feedback, and the transition questionnaire will now become part of our annual transition process and be shared with parents each June.

Juniper Team

There are over 70 people working at Juniper, and we are fortunate to have an incredibly talented and dedicated team. As with any organisation, ensuring effective communication across a large staff team can sometimes be a challenge.

In response to feedback about improving communication, the Headteacher now writes a weekly Juniper Team News, which is shared every Friday evening or first thing on Monday morning. It contains important information for the week ahead, key messages, and highlights a policy, document or training course that staff need to read or complete.

Staff have told us that they find the Juniper Team News extremely helpful in keeping them informed about what is happening across the school. It also provides an opportunity to celebrate one another's achievements and share the many successes of the Juniper community.