Eggar's School

Inspection of a good school: Eggar’s School London Road, Holybourne, Alton, Hampshire GU34 4EQ

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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Outcome

Eggar’s School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sarah Holman. The school is a standalone academy within a single-academy trust. The school is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Linda Campbell.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations and is determined that all pupils will ‘Belong, Aspire and Achieve’, reflecting the school’s values. The school is highly aspirational for all pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other disadvantaged pupils. Pupils enjoy being at school. They are happy, and they know that they will be welcomed every day and to each lesson. Pupils feel safe and are grateful for all the opportunities, help and support they receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers are experts in their subjects and enthuse pupils to want to learn more. Pupils make good progress through the curriculum. Pupils gain the necessary skills and knowledge to lead productive and successful lives in the future. The ‘Eggar’s Experience’ is a comprehensive extra- curricular programme where pupils are encouraged to try new activities, learn and develop their social skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and parents appreciate and support the new approach to managing pupils’ behaviour. This has created a calm and respectful environment where unkindness and bullying are rare. Staff know pupils as individuals, and pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. Pupils are kind to each other, and they work together with their teachers to aim to achieve their best.

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

The school has identified what pupils will learn in each subject and year group. Effective training means that teachers know pupils’ particular needs very well and adjust their 20 and 21 February 2024

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teaching accordingly. This helps the school to realise its ambitions for pupils with SEND and other disadvantaged pupils. Teachers check pupils’ learning so that they understand how to help pupils to improve the quality of their work. This is stronger in some subjects than in others. Teachers’ feedback does not always help to improve the content and depth of pupils’ work. While pupils achieve well overall, they could achieve more highly in some areas.

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The school is rightly determined that all pupils can read fluently. Staff get to know pupils’ levels of literacy and provide intensive support where necessary. Pupils are effusive about their progress in reading. The school fosters pupils’ enjoyment of reading effectively. Tutor groups select books to read together, enjoy the reading and recognise its benefits. In English, pupils read and understand ambitious books.

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While the school has improved the attendance of pupils this year, the attendance of pupils with SEND and other disadvantaged pupils is lower overall than for other pupils. The school uses several strategies, including working with parents and other outside agencies, to improve the attendance of pupils. The school rightly identifies, however, that the attendance of more vulnerable pupils needs to improve further if they are to benefit fully from what the school offers and to achieve as well as they could. Pupils know that good attendance is essential to achieve well and that levels of absence can affect the potential choices that they have when they leave school.

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The school has a strong emphasis on pupils’ personal development. Careers education involves regular meetings with employers and local education and training providers. Pupils learn about career opportunities and pathways through different subjects of the curriculum. Pupils are taught to be safe online and in the local community. The school responds quickly to any societal issues that arise. Pupils speak confidently about how to keep safe and look after their well-being. The school has skilfully ensured that pupils receive a spiritual and cultural curriculum. Pupils speak highly of the ‘focus days’ when they celebrate festivals from different religions. Subject departments enrich pupils’ learning by providing trips to the theatre, visits from technology companies and specific activities that are related to different subjects.

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The school works and communicates well with the community, including parents. Reflecting the views of many, one parent commented that there ‘is positive energy, change and vision’, while another said that their child is ‘flourishing, feels part of the school community and has inspiring and great teachers’. The school values its staff. It listens to staff’s views and is determined that their well-being and workload are considered to ensure that they can focus their efforts in the classroom. Staff have confidence in leaders and enjoy working at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 and 21 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Disadvantaged pupils’ attendance is not yet high enough. This means that these pupils do not benefit from all that the school has to offer or that they achieve as well as they could. The school should continue to enhance their work to support pupils to attend school more regularly.  Teachers’ approaches to assessment are not as effective in some subjects as they are in others. Pupils do not always get as much help as they could to improve their learning further. The school should ensure that checks on pupils’ learning in all subjects enable teachers to support pupils to achieve highly.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2018.

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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. 20 and 21 February 2024

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one registered and two unregistered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 11 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils who have dyslexia.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders throughout the inspection. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 The lead inspector met representatives from the trust board, including the chair of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, design technology, and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors talked to groups of pupils, both formally and informally, at break and lunchtimes.  Staff views were sought through discussions and the staff survey.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers,

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Inspection team

Julie Summerfield, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Fry Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 February 2024

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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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