Shakespeare Junior School

Inspection of Shakespeare Junior School St Catherine's Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 4JT

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Shakespeare Junior is a cheerful school with lots of smiling children. Pupils speak fondly of the annual theatre visit, where they learn more about William Shakespeare’s plays. They have a sense of community and togetherness. They are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ‘ASPIRE’ values permeate its work. These values help pupils learn about behaviours, such as being active or strategic, that help in their learning. Pupils focus well in their lessons and join in. They wear their ‘ASPIRE’ badges with pride. Staff expect them to be ‘ready, respectful and responsible’. Pupils live up to these expectations. They love it when teachers recognise that they have worked hard and reward them with a ‘proud of’ certificate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are not concerned about bullying. They feel safe in school. Staff are well trained in how to deal with bullying if it were to happen. Pupils say teachers sort out any bullying well. Leaders do not tolerate derogatory language. As one pupil said, ‘We don’t use that in our school’.

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better?

Leaders have made sure that there is a well-designed curriculum in place. They have identified the key knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember. Subject leaders receive effective training. This means that they know how to support teachers to deliver lessons. Teachers know the order in which they need to deliver new knowledge. They have strong subject knowledge. This is particularly the case in mathematics, history and geography. They present content clearly so that pupils achieve well. Teachers use assessment accurately to spot gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. For example, in computing, leaders have identified simple tasks, which tell teachers what pupils have remembered over time.

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better?

Pupils love reading and listening to stories. They value the well-stocked library. They talk knowledgeably about the books and authors they like best. In English lessons, most pupils are able to retrieve information from books confidently. For example, in Year 6, pupils were using the autobiography ‘The Long Walk to Freedom’ to create a detailed timeline about Nelson Mandela’s life. Teachers also teach pupils to understand deeper meanings in texts successfully.

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better?

However, this year, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, more pupils have joined the school in Year 3 unable to read fluently. Leaders have acted quickly to address this. They know that they need to put more resources into supporting these pupils to catch up. This includes additional training for staff and ordering new books to help pupils who still need support with phonics.

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better?

All staff have high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Their needs are accurately identified. Pupils with SEND learn 21 and 22 September 2021

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successfully alongside their classmates. This includes the pupils who attend the school’s specially resourced provision, ‘Class 8’. The special educational needs coordinator liaises regularly with staff and parents. Communication is good. This has led to teachers knowing exactly how best to adapt plans and provide the right resources to meet these vulnerable pupils’ needs.

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Leaders provide for pupils’ wider development well. Pupils love their cooking and nutrition lessons. They understand how to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Pupils learn about a range of different faiths and the importance of respect for others. As one pupil said, ‘It doesn’t matter about your race, ethnicity or disability, you are welcome here.’

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Leaders have made sure that there is a clear behaviour policy. Everyone understands it and sticks to it. Because of this, behaviour in lessons is calm and purposeful and exclusions have dropped considerably.

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Staff say that leaders are approachable and supportive. Leaders consider staff workload when introducing new ideas. All staff who replied to the Ofsted staff survey said that they enjoy working at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know their pupils well. They receive regular safeguarding training and updates. Staff are alert to any signs that may mean a pupil is worried about something. They report concerns promptly to the designated safeguarding leader.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep detailed safeguarding records. They act swiftly on concerns, involving external agencies when appropriate.

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Safeguarding

Governors carry out safeguarding audits to make sure that pupils are safe. They check that policies work well in practice.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils know what to do if they receive a worrying message on a device.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the weakest readers in the lower school are not getting the help they need to learn to read confidently. Some staff do not have the subject knowledge to teach phonics well enough and additional phonics reading resources are required. As a result, some pupils are not learning the skills they need to become fluent readers fast enough. Leaders are aware of this but should act with renewed urgency to strengthen the teaching of phonics. 21 and 22 September 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 21 and 22 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199900 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.shakespearejuniorschool.co. uk Date of previous inspection 29 – 30 June 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, a new assistant headteacher has joined the senior leadership team, following an internal promotion.  Two governors have recently resigned. This has left vacancies on the governing body.  The school has a specially resourced provision, called Class 8. It provides specialist teaching for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. Seven pupils currently attend Class 8.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 21 and 22 September 2021

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The headteacher was not on site for the first day of the inspection, but inspectors were able to meet with him online during this time. They also met with other senior leaders, staff and pupils.  The inspection team did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and geography. Inspectors spoke to subject leaders, staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. They also met with the computing and physical education leaders.  The lead inspector met with six governors, including the chair of governors, and had a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included safer

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recruitment checks and record-keeping of serious concerns. Inspectors also spoke to staff and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors met with the school librarian, attended breakfast club and visited the school’s specially resourced provision.  The inspection team observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors took into account 17 responses from Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including 11 free-text comments. In addition, 26 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey were considered. There were only two responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey, so inspectors also considered their views by meeting with additional groups of pupils.

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Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Cousins Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 September 2021

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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