South View Junior School

Inspection of a good school: South View Junior School Shooters Way, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 5LL

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Outcome

South View Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

South View Juniors is a friendly and caring school. Pupils and staff are kind to one another and work well together as a team.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They especially like being taught a wide range of additional life skills through their ‘pupil passports’. They enjoy learning about first aid, money management and mindfulness. They know these will help them now, and in the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect everyone to do their best in school. Pupils take pride in their work. They behave well in lessons and around school. Pupils are happy and safe. Some have been trained as mental health champions who support their peers. Pupils enjoy looking after each other and know there is always someone there to help if needed. On the rare occasion that bullying occurs, pupils know that it will be dealt with.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get many opportunities to develop as individuals. They enjoy a wide variety of clubs, football, cross-stitch and choir being among their favourites. They enjoy spending time in the school allotment. Older pupils are excited that they get to be play leaders at the linked infant school. School councillors, reading ambassadors and eco warriors relish the responsibility that they have to shape and support school life.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They are just as ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or pupils who attend the school’s resourced provisions. Leaders have set out a well-designed and ambitious curriculum which gives pupils the knowledge and skills that they need. The school’s well- sequenced curriculum enables pupils’ knowledge to build over time.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is a priority for everyone in the school; they are dedicated to improving reading skills for all. Reading is an important element of school life. Reading ambassadors promote the love of reading well. Pupils who need more reading practice get extra time 5 and 6 July 2022

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reading to well-trained adults. These pupils grow in confidence and catch up quickly. Reading is cherished across the school.

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Leaders are determined that all pupils become fluent in their mathematical number work. They have made sure that children know their times tables and number facts and can use them with confidence. In lessons, teachers’ strong subject knowledge enables them to explain the precise mathematical ideas that pupils need to understand. A clear focus on developing mathematical language helps pupils remember key concepts.

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Teachers make effective choices of activities to help all pupils to learn the curriculum. Teachers and teaching assistants help pupils with SEND gain knowledge in all subjects. In reading and mathematics, teachers regularly check what pupils know and remember. Pupils who need extra support are swiftly identified and helped to keep up. In these subjects, teachers frequently revisit prior learning. This helps pupils to remember important knowledge. Teachers do not revisit knowledge in some of the other subjects as often. This means that pupils forget some important concepts and ideas in subjects such as history.

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Pupils’ wider development is a priority for leaders. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is effective. Pupils have clear understanding on issues such as diversity, which helps make them tolerant and respectful. Pupils are becoming positive members of society. The school council provides opportunities for pupils to develop decision-making skills. Pupils take their councillor roles seriously. The school’s work on promoting mental well-being is an important part of the school life and is having positive impact for all.

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The school is well led. Leaders put pupils at the centre of everything they do. Governors are effective. They have a wide set of skills and provide effective support and challenge. There is a real team spirit in school. Staff are proud to work at South View Juniors. The vast majority feel that leaders take workload and well-being into account when making decisions. Staff feel valued; one said: ‘I feel extremely valued as a member of staff at South View. My ideas and opinions matter and I feel challenged and motivated within my role.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Procedures for checking, recruiting and training staff are thorough. Staff and governors have updates through regular safeguarding newsletters. Leaders run ‘scenario’ workshops to ensure that pupils’ welfare is always top of staff’s agenda. Leaders have developed a strong pastoral team to give early help to families when needed. Prompt action is taken to ensure that pupils are safe, including enlisting the help of outside agencies when necessary.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe. They know they can speak to staff or post a worry in the ‘worry box’ when they need support. Pupils learn how to keep safe through assemblies and the PSHE and computing curriculums. 5 and 6 July 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, teachers do not systematically revisit important knowledge to check that it has been learned securely. As a result, pupils do not consistently remember key concepts they have been taught in these subjects. Leaders should develop ways of checking that the important information they want pupils to learn is committed to pupils’ long-term memory.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227663 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher also leads the South View Infant School. The schools are federated and have the same governing body.  The school has an additional specialist resource base to support pupils with speech and language needs. All these pupils have education, health and care plans. There are places for 16 pupils.  From September 2021, the school opened a second additional specialist base to support pupils with moderate learning difficulties. All these pupils have education, health and care plans. There are places for 12 pupils.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the executive headteacher, deputy headteacher, the SEND coordinator, subject leaders, the designated lead for safeguarding and other members 5 and 6 July 2022

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of staff. He met with three governors, including the chair of governors. He also met with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, during lessons and at lunchtimes and breaktimes. He also met with groups of pupils to hear their views.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at curriculum plans in other subjects and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector reviewed the policies and procedures that school leaders have put in place to keep pupils safe. He spoke to staff and pupils about these procedures. He also looked at recruitment checks completed.

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 The views of those parents, carers and staff who completed Ofsted’s surveys were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Felix Rayner, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 July 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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