Lymington Junior School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Daniel Twyman Headteacher Lymington Junior School Avenue Road Lymington Hampshire SO41 9GP

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 20 February 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in March 2014.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

During this time, there have been some significant changes in the leadership team. Several key staff have left the school, including the previous headteacher. There was a period of interim leadership before you took up your post as headteacher. The school’s performance dipped during this period of instability but you have acted swiftly to address those issues and the school is now back on track. The standards pupils reach by the end of Year 6 are consistently higher than the national average. You are ambitious for your pupils and, rightly, identify that the most able pupils are not making enough progress in writing.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

Pupils enjoy school and say that they are looked after well. Staff, parents and carers agree that pupils are safe and happy. Pupils are well behaved and polite at all times. They have a good understanding of the school’s values, which they use to guide their behaviour. Pupils value the range of clubs and after-school activities they have access to. Many pupils can describe the positive impact of the changes to the way that English and mathematics are being taught. Pupils say they now have more time and information on each topic they are studying. They say these changes are making learning easier.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

Staff believe the school has improved since the last inspection and that pupils are safe. Most parents value the care and consideration of staff for their children. They are confident that children are safe, happy and well cared for by everyone at the school. However, some parents still do not feel well informed about their children’s progress at school and leaders need to work to allay their concerns.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

The strengths identified during the last inspection have been maintained and areas of weakness have been improved. Pupils are now making more consistent progress in each year group. This is because teachers have a greater awareness of the expectations for their pupils. This improvement can be seen, for example, in the progress that the most able pupils make in mathematics. In the last inspection, this was identified as an area of weakness. Now, the most able pupils are making at least good progress. Although the school’s work is successfully improving the progress that pupils make, you recognise that it needs to continue so that all pupils achieve their potential.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

Safeguarding was a strength at the time of the last inspection and this remains the case. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Systems to ensure that staff and visitors have the necessary checks are very thorough.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

The governing body maintains an excellent oversight of safeguarding. The safeguarding governor carries out regular checks to ensure that the culture of safeguarding is strong. All governors consider aspects of safeguarding on their regular, formal visits to the school. Consequently, members of the governing body have a thorough understanding of this important aspect of the school.

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Short inspection of Lymington Junior School

Lessons and assemblies are used well to develop pupils’ understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Leaders plan activities and events throughout the year to cover all aspects of safeguarding. The school also responds quickly to relevant issues, for example providing support following an attempted abduction in the locality.

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Inspection findings

 The way that English and mathematics are planned, taught and assessed has been strengthened. Leaders are successfully supporting teachers to take on new ways of working that are sharply focused on the progress pupils make in each lesson. Changes, such as the more precise work of teaching assistants, are leading to greater consistency of experience for pupils. As a result, pupils are making more progress in each year group.  Most parents are very happy with the school. However, during this inspection, some parents expressed their concerns about the way the school deals with bullying. Some parents also said they did not always get the information they needed to understand how well their child was doing at school. These concerns were given careful consideration during this inspection. Having spoken to pupils, observed them at play and talked to teachers, it is clear that leaders tackle bullying quickly and effectively. Pupils are confident that, when staff are informed

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Inspection findings

about issues or concerns, they deal with them immediately. Consequently, parents should be reassured that leaders and staff do deal effectively with bullying. While some parents feel well informed about their child at school, others do not feel that they get enough information and that their concerns are not always dealt with effectively. The information provided by the school, for example on the school website, is clear and detailed and fulfils all requirements. The school should work closely with parents so that they feel they have the information they need to help their children flourish.  Since the last inspection, middle leaders have had a greater impact on pupils’ progress. You have clarified their roles, developed their skills and provided them with more opportunities to work directly with staff. Middle leaders work alongside teachers and regularly monitor the progress pupils make. Consequently, middle

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Inspection findings

leaders are directly improving the progress pupils make, particularly in mathematics.  The teaching of mathematics has been strengthened. There is now a more consistent approach to planning that ensures that all pupils receive sufficiently challenging activities and make better progress. Pupils are regularly assessed through formal tests and informal teacher questioning to ensure that they understand their work. Consequently, teachers have a clearer understanding of what their pupils know and can do. The proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, who achieve the expected standard in mathematics is much higher than both local and national averages.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the most able pupils make more progress in writing  all parents feel that they understand how well their children are doing at school and that their questions and concerns are dealt with effectively.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hampshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection I met with you to discuss a range of issues, including safeguarding, pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. I visited classrooms with you and the deputy headteacher to observe lessons and to look at pupils’ work. I spoke to parents at the start of the day and had a telephone conversation with a parent. I met with a group of pupils to gather their views. I observed the behaviour of pupils at breaktimes and spoke to them about the school. I reviewed school documentation, including the school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding. I took account of 64 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 47 written comments. I also considered 22 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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