Ravenscote Junior School

Inspection of Ravenscote Junior School Old Bisley Road, Frimley, Camberley, Surrey GU16 9RE

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Ravenscote Junior School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Ravenscote Community Junior School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as Ravenscote Junior School as a result of conversion to academy status. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade.

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The headteacher of this school is Amy Wells. This school is part of the Engage, Enrich, Excel Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, David Harris, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stephen Norton. 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are immensely proud to attend this vibrant school. They love learning and behave exceptionally well. Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations to be ‘purple people’. They know that ‘being purple’ means upholding values, such as respect and teamwork, and always trying their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At the heart of this school is an unconditional positive regard for all. This is characterised by strong relationships and a caring and inclusive, respectful culture. These foster pupils’ sense of belonging. Pupils acquire confidence and a belief that they can succeed, and succeed they do. They achieve well across a broad range of subjects. Pupils leave the school well prepared and confident to embrace the new challenges and opportunities ahead of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit greatly from the school’s exceptional range of extra activities on offer. Enrichment afternoons create enjoyable new experiences, such as playing in a Samba band and learning Spanish. There is something for everyone in the numerous after-school clubs. Special events include the Christmas performances and the Year 6 annual theatre production. These hold lasting memories for pupils and enable them to showcase their talents. Every pupil is supported to ‘shine their light’ and to find something that kindles their interests.

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

Reading has pride of place in the curriculum. This is because leaders and staff know that reading unlocks a key to pupils’ success in education. Phonics is taught systematically and rigorously for as long as is needed. This is until pupils have the knowledge and skills they need to read accurately and fluently. The school immerses pupils in high-quality texts. These support pupils’ wider reading knowledge and foster a love of reading. Pupils delight in using the attractive, well-resourced library on the ‘reading bus’. They aspire to earn tokens to acquire new books from the school’s reading vending machine.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious, well planned and taught well. Pupils benefit from a rich curriculum offer. A key feature of this is how knowledge and skills are connected within and between subjects. This deliberate connectivity helps pupils to build new learning onto what they already know. For example, pupils learn about important key concepts, such as power and empire across different historical periods.

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

Teaching brings learning to life. Staff are adept at introducing and explaining new knowledge. Across a range of subjects, they are skilled at spotting and addressing gaps in pupils’ learning. Any additional needs are quickly identified. When needed, staff adapt their approach so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities can achieve success.

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

The impact of the school’s work can be seen in pupils’ strong achievement in end of key stage 2 statutory assessments. However, some current pupils are not achieving as well as they could in writing. This is particularly in the lower years, where the quality of pupils’ 15 and 16 October 2024

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writing is sometimes hampered by weak grammar and punctuation. The school has recognised this and is in the process of putting in place a new writing strategy. However, this is not fully embedded so it is too soon to see the impact of this work.

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Pupils learn that everyone has a place in the school and wider world, no matter their beliefs or family background. This helps to create a harmonious and cohesive community, where friendships are forged. The school’s ‘purple people positions’ offer pupils many leadership opportunities. Responsibilities such as well-being ambassadors, prefects and school councillors are just some of the ways pupils support others in the school. Pupil voice is sought and welcomed, including through the school council. For example, pupils participated in the selection process for the school’s new catering company.

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The school’s aspirational leadership and governance are firmly rooted in the moral purpose to provide the best for every pupil. This is the basis for all decision-making. Staff benefit from high-quality training and professional guidance. They are wholly committed to the school, love working here and share leaders’ high ambition.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Currently, there are inconsistencies in the quality of pupils’ writing, particularly in the lower part of the school. Typically, some pupils’ achievement in this subject is hampered by weak sentence construction, punctuation and spelling. The school needs to embed its new writing strategy and ensure that teachers have the knowledge they need to implement this consistently well.

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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. 15 and 16 October 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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school was the founding school of the Engage, Enrich, Excel Academies Trust. There are currently six schools in the trust.  The headteacher took up her post in September 2019. The CEO of the trust is the former headteacher of the school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, religious education and world views, history and physical education. 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.  Inspectors discussed the curriculum in other subjects and sampled pupils’ work in art, and design and geography. They also sampled pupils’ writing.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central

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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 took account of pupils’ views during meetings with them and considered their responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. They talked to pupils during visits to lessons and at other times of the day, such as lunchtimes. Staff’s views were gathered during discussions and through their responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors took account of parents’ responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and parents’ free-text comments. Inspectors also spoke to parents at the start of both days of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sue Cox, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Foster Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

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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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