Liss Junior School

Inspection of Liss Junior School Hillbrow Road, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7LQ

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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 26 and 27 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop ‘can-do’ attitudes in response to the school’s high expectations. Staff encourage pupils to try hard and persevere, especially when they find learning challenging. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn to grapple with learning when it gets tricky. Over time, this helps pupils to develop increasing independence and self-confidence. This purposeful approach supports all pupils to enjoy learning and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ‘RICH’ values underpin the calm and friendly school community. Pupils act on these, making positive contributions from frequent acts of kindness to undertaking leadership roles. They undertake these roles with pride, helping to run activities and events, such as the school’s recycling scheme or Sports Day. Pupils learn how success can be achieved through togetherness. One pupil captured this by saying, ‘We all help each other, and everyone benefits.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ethos of celebrating success motivates pupils to do their best and try new things. The ‘Golden Tree’ is pointed out proudly by pupils, with leaves awarded to individuals in recognition of their sustained effort. Pupils participate keenly in opportunities to represent the school. Many compete in a wide range of sporting competitions and share their successes proudly on the crowded ‘sporting achievements’ display.

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better?

The school’s curriculum thinking is ambitious and focuses on the precise knowledge pupils need to learn. Across the curriculum, there is careful organisation of when pupils learn important knowledge and skills. This includes deliberate opportunities for pupils to connect and make links between their learning in different subjects. In core subjects, previous learning is revisited frequently. This helps pupils to know and remember more. However, this is not yet the case in some foundation subjects. As a result, in these areas, some pupils struggle to recall their earlier learning.

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better?

Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure across subjects. They use this to provide clear explanations and ask probing questions that check pupils’ understanding. Teachers promptly correct any pupils who have inaccurate understanding, so they can confidently apply new learning. Teachers use end-of-topic assessments to identify areas of knowledge where further teaching is needed. Staff know how to meet the individual needs of pupils well and use this knowledge to carefully adapt activities so that pupils, including those with SEND, learn effectively.

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better?

There is a well-considered approach to reading. Any pupils struggling with reading receive targeted, daily phonics sessions so that they catch up quickly. Through the curriculum, pupils read diverse and increasingly complex texts that support their development of comprehension skills. Pupils read widely and enjoy regular visits to the library to choose books while being guided by book recommendations written by fellow pupils. Across subjects, the important vocabulary pupils need to learn is 26 and 27 March 2024

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identified. However, it is not always explicitly taught in some foundation subjects. As a result, some pupils do not know the meanings of subject-specific words.

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Across the school, pupils’ behaviour is considerate and respectful. In lessons, pupils follow well-established routines, which help them to learn well. They listen carefully to teachers and raise their hands when they have ideas to share. Pupils work productively in pairs, reflecting the school’s emphasis on pupils working together to solve problems collectively. At playtime, pupils act responsibly. They play a range of games safely and invite others to join in.

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Pupils’ wider development is thought out well. Pupils learn about different faiths and the positive contributions that are made to society by historical figures from diverse backgrounds. They meet representatives from other communities, including the twin school in Uganda. These activities support pupils in developing respectful attitudes towards equality and deepening their perspectives about modern Britain. Pupils learn how to look after their mental health and well-being. They are encouraged to be active and try new experiences that are offered by the range of clubs.

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The school continuously makes further improvements. Governors have secure oversight of progress with these and provide leaders with effective support and challenge. Staff feel valued and appreciate actions that are taken to keep their workload manageable. These support teachers in focusing on further developing their approaches to teaching.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, pupils do not revisit previous learning systematically. Consequently, pupils struggle to explain important concepts that they have already been taught in these subjects. The school needs to ensure that staff support pupils to remember important knowledge over time in all subjects.  In some foundation subjects, subject-specific vocabulary is not always explicitly taught. As a result, some pupils do not understand the meaning of important words and so cannot use them to support their explanations. The school needs to ensure that subject-specific vocabulary is taught with the same rigour across all subjects. 26 and 27 March 2024

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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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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). 26 and 27 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Jilly Myers (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with Liss Infants School as the Liss Federation, under one governing body and one executive headteacher.  The school provides specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational need and/or disabilities. This is for 12 pupils with moderate learning difficulties.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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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 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. 26 and 27 March 2024

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 The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the subject leaders and the teachers. The lead inspector also met with the governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke to the local authority’s school improvement adviser.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors further explored the curriculum in history. As part of this, they undertook work scrutiny and talked to pupils about their learning.  The inspectors observed playtime activities.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school. They looked at the schools’ self-evaluation documents and school improvement plan.  The inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the additional free-text responses. This included speaking to parents at the gate.

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Inspection team

Phillip Blagg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Foster Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 March 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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