Bohunt School

Inspection of Bohunt School Longmoor Road, Liphook, Hampshire GU30 7NY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Neil Strowger. This school is part of Bohunt Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Neil Strowger, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ray Morton.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since April 2013. 6 and 7 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community at Bohunt is a happy one. The very great majority of pupils and students behave sensibly, support each other and develop exceptionally well as young people. The sixth form is an important feature of Bohunt. Its students are fine ambassadors for the school and offer an inspiration for younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for how well pupils and students achieve and these are met for many pupils. This is most evident in the sixth form, where teachers are very skilled at introducing students to new knowledge and skills. They also ensure that they check students’ understanding before enabling them to build on it effectively. Pupils take advantage of the wide academic curriculum and the exceptional range of extra-curricular activities, including overseas visits and visitors to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils apply themselves energetically to their learning. They feel well supported by staff in their activities. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils are able to take on a range of leadership roles, helping prepare them well for later life. The school works effectively to keep pupils safe. Pupils are confident about who to talk to if they have concerns about their safety or well-being.

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better?

Support for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. A well-crafted personal, social, emotional and health education programme helps them be healthy, respect others and understand how to keep themselves safe. They are challenged to be reflective about difficult issues, know right from wrong and value their cultural and spiritual development. The vast range of extra-curricular activities help broaden pupils’ learning.

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better?

The academic curriculum is inspiring. Options at GCSE and in the sixth form are very wide, with innovative aspects such as a ‘Content and Language Integrated Learning’ programme where subjects are studied in a foreign language. The school works hard to create suitable pathways for all learners. It ensures they have rich options in subject disciplines which range from the arts, sciences and technology, to sports and caring professions. The sixth-form curriculum is a strongly academic offer and is highly valued by its students. High-quality advice for pupils ensures they make appropriate choices about the subjects to study at GCSE, in the sixth form and when moving on from the school.

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better?

The school ensures curriculum content is selected effectively, introducing new knowledge and skills in a logical sequence. Teachers are experts and are passionate about their subjects. Typically, they explain new learning well, checking in most cases that it has been understood. This is done exceptionally well in the sixth form, with precise identification of misunderstandings and subsequent appropriate guidance for students. There is much strong practice in the main school but it is less 6 and 7 March 2024

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consistent. Some gaps in pupils’ understanding are not identified and remedied, especially among the pupils more vulnerable to underachievement.

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Pupils with significant special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well in the Solaris nurture provision, with teaching that meets their needs. The school works hard in mainstream lessons to include pupils with SEND and those from less advantaged backgrounds. While much effective work is done by staff, there are some variations in its effectiveness. Sometimes teachers do not have all the information required to adapt their approaches for specific pupils who need more support, which slows these pupils’ progress through the curriculum. A small but significant group of parents of pupils with SEND say provision could be improved.

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The school places a high value on reading, identifying pupils needing extra help and making sure they catch up. The school promotes a love of reading effectively. Indeed, World Book Day, which fell during the inspection, saw some staff and pupils dressed as their favourite characters from books.

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Pupils behave very well. Ready for learning on entering lessons, they follow the expected routines and staff instructions. Excellent support is provided to any pupils needing help to behave well. Sixth-form students are models of diligence and determination. They are trusted to behave maturely. They do this in a separate centre, where they work hard in class or private study and relax in pleasant surroundings. The school secures high attendance and works effectively with pupils and families where support is needed.

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School leaders work closely within the Bohunt Education Trust. The school is highly ambitious on behalf of its young people, managing a significant rise in numbers and the opening of the sixth form since the last inspection. Its ambitions are achieved in many, though not all, areas. Staff are very supportive of the school, saying they are well trained and have manageable workloads in the great majority of cases.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In lessons, teachers do not always check pupils’ understanding fully before moving learning on. This means some gaps in knowledge are not tackled and the next steps are less securely learned. The trust should share the good practice that exists across the school so that it becomes the norm.  Teachers do not always have access to all the information they need to adapt activities and meet the needs of pupils with SEND and other vulnerable pupils. This means these pupils make less secure progress than they might. The trust 6 and 7 March 2024

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should ensure teachers have, and use fully, all relevant information about pupils.

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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). 6 and 7 March 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,828

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 24 April 2013 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has become part of Bohunt Education Trust. It has also opened a sixth-form provision.  The school makes use of one registered provider of alternative provision and three unregistered providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 6 and 7 March 2024

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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 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements, the inspectors took account of the views of leaders, spoke with staff, pupils and students, reviewed the single central record and considered how well the school has established an open and positive culture within which to put pupils’ and students’ interests first.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the head of school and other senior staff. They also spoke with trustees, including the chair of the trust, and the chair and another member of the school’s local governing board. They carried out a range of other meetings, which included talking with pupils and students and with

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Information about this inspection

groups of staff. They observed the life of the school at breaktimes and lesson changes.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: art, English, mathematics, science, modern foreign languages and history. In each subject inspectors met the subject leader and other staff, teachers of the subject, pupils and students studying the subject with their work and visited a range of lessons.

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Inspection team

Stephen Long, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Shazia Akram His Majesty’s Inspector 6 and 7 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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