Orchard Junior School

Inspection of Orchard Junior School Water Lane, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 4SB

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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 5 and 6 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The Orchard mission, ‘Growing together, branching out,’ is at the centre of life at this friendly, welcoming school. Pupils are happy to come to school and they feel safe. As one pupil said, ‘All the children are really friendly here and will accept you. If there is a problem, someone will help you sort it out.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ ambition is for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be the best that they can be. Leaders have developed an inclusive and respectful school culture. They readily make appropriate adaptations to activities to ensure that all pupils are included.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are calm and focused in lessons and play well together at playtimes. Relationships between adults and pupils are strong. Bullying is extremely rare and when it happens it is dealt with effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupil leaders are rightly proud of the positive difference they make to their school. Recently the School Council worked with leaders to both design and raise money for a new playground and the ‘Eco Leaders’ organise litter picking in the grounds and promote ways of saving energy inside the buildings.

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better?

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. Expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND, are high. Leaders identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND particularly well. In all subjects, leaders have identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn. In the strongest subjects, for example in mathematics and science, pupils develop knowledge in a clear sequence that builds over time. As a result, pupils achieve well in these subjects.

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better?

While teachers’ subject knowledge is strong overall, it is less well developed in some subjects. Where teachers’ subject knowledge is most secure, teachers set tasks that help pupils to achieve well. Teachers routinely check pupils’ understanding and plan activities to strengthen and deepen pupils’ learning. However, in a minority of subjects, for example computing and geography, teachers’ subject knowledge is less secure. This means that teachers do not always design tasks that enable pupils to learn as effectively as they could.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. They want all pupils to read with fluency and comprehension and to love reading. Leaders have recently introduced a phonics programme to enable pupils at the early stages of learning to read to become fluent readers quickly. Leaders are in the process of making sure that all staff receive appropriate training to deliver this programme effectively.

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better?

The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development is a strength. Pupils are encouraged to make a difference to both local and global communities. For example, 5 and 6 April 2022

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they have provided Easter eggs and games for a local children’s hospital and raised money to buy a well for a village in Uganda. Leaders provide high-quality opportunities to broaden pupils’ experiences. For example, pupils learn about the world of work through links with local employers and about higher education through working with a local university. Pupils also enjoy trips to museums and places of worship and have taken part in music events both in Southampton and in London.

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Leaders provide a range of opportunities to nurture and develop pupils’ talents. Staff run many clubs including chess club, art club, choir and running club. Year 3 pupils enjoyed having their own cake recipes baked and sold to the public in a local bakery.

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Leaders and governors work well together to improve the school. Governors have effective systems in place to check how well leaders provide high-quality education for all pupils. Staff value the support they receive to manage their workload. Subject leaders are given time to fulfil their roles effectively. Parents are very positive about the school. As one parent said, ‘Orchard Junior School is an inclusive, caring and nurturing school with amazing teachers and staff.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding practice is strong. Leaders have established a culture of vigilance to identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Highly effective policies ensure that all adults know what to do to keep children safe. Leaders make sure that children and families in need of additional support access this quickly when they need it.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school and know where to go for help if they need to. They are confident that their concerns will be dealt with well. Pupils have a clear, age- appropriate knowledge of how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers’ subject knowledge is stronger in some subjects than it is in others. Teachers do not always design tasks that enable pupils to achieve well in all subjects. Leaders should continue to make sure that professional development is prioritised in those curriculum areas where teachers’ subject knowledge is less strong so that pupils achieve even better in all subjects in the curriculum. 5 and 6 April 2022

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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. 5 and 6 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227918 Type of school Junior School category Maintained

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 and 17 May 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average three-form entry junior school.  This school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and six members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with an officer from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 5 and 6 April 2022

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 The inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records, interviewing staff, and through discussions with pupils.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation including self- evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Sue Keeling, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Debra Mansfield Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 April 2022

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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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