Waverley Abbey CofE Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Waverley Abbey CofE Junior School The Street, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey GU10 2AE

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school's work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Rebecca Marshall. The school is part of The Good Shepherd Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paul Kennedy, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by James Friend.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know and live the school’s values of courage, honesty, love, compassion and hope exceptionally well. Pupils are extremely thoughtful and polite. They hold doors open for each other and take time to share kind words routinely. Pupils love the opportunity to apply for and carry out leadership roles, such as house captains, ‘technology team’ and school librarians. Older pupils act as ‘buddies’ to younger ones. Pupils take their roles and responsibilities seriously. Pupils make a genuine positive impact on the life of the school and their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is impeccable. Pupils thrive due to the strength and warmth of relationships that surround the staff team and the whole school community. Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and apply the behaviour policy fairly and consistently. If any pupils find managing their own behaviour challenging, they receive timely, considerate and effective support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend school regularly. Staff have the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve. Pupils reach these expectations. Staff are dedicated to all children and their families. The school’s determination to make every day count ensures that pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are very well prepared for their next stage of education. 8 and 9 October 2024

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

Pupils are happy and feel safe. They have a mature understanding of how to stay safe, including when online. Pupils know about increasingly complex concepts such as digital identities and the potential risks of social media. The personal, social and health education curriculum and citizenship programme are particularly strong. The school’s ‘Waverley Abbey Challenge’ award scheme, for example, has a powerful impact on pupils’ character and resilience. Pupils learn how to be respectful, responsible citizens in an exemplary way.

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

The school provides a remarkable range of opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and interests. All pupils learn musical instruments and all take part in school dramatic productions each year, such as ‘The Lion King’. Pupils build confidence and rightly celebrate their own achievements and those of their peers regularly. Disadvantaged pupils consistently benefit from the school’s personal development programme. Residential trips to places such as a nearby outdoor centre, as well as reciprocal projects with the school’s partner school in Malawi, help pupils to remember the curriclum and build rich cultural experiences meaningfully.

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

The curriculum is highly ambitious for all pupils. Sequences of lessons help pupils to build pupils’ knowledge consistently well. For example, in physical education (PE) pupils learn water safety and swimming confidently. Staff have very secure subject knowledge. They use questioning effectively to check pupils’ errors and misconceptions. For example, in science staff are skilled in clarifying meanings for specific vocabulary such as ‘cranium’, ‘skull’ and ‘function’. In English, pupils’ learning is very secure overall. For example, they show understanding of the use of adverbs effectively when creating instructions. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and ensures that the curriculum is adapted to match their needs closely. Historically, a small number of pupils were not as secure in their writing as in other areas of their learning. The school has acted quickly to address this and pupils are already demonstrating increasingly secure knowledge and

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

Pupils read avidly. They love books and literature. Through poetry, plays and teachers’ expert use of ambitious texts, pupils develop their reading adeptly. If any pupils fall behind their peers, they receive timely support and catch up quickly. Pupils, including pupils with SEND, achieve consistently excellent outcomes in reading by the end of key stage 2.

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

The strength of teamwork and collaboration at the school is clear. Trustees and the local committee are fully committed to the school. They understand their roles and responsibilities, making strong and sustained improvements. Staff appreciate the ways the school engages with them and helps them to manage workload successfully. The school creates insightful opportunities to enhance professional development, often leading the way for other schools in the trust as a shining light of best practice.

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

Parents and carers are supportive. Many appreciate the tireless hard work of the school’s staff. One parent summarised the thoughts of many others, saying, ‘the school creates 8 and 9 October 2024

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well mannered, disciplined, rounded children who are ready to start their secondary journey.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Waverley Abbey Junior School to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2014.

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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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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 8 and 9 October 2024

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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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Website www.waverley-abbey.surrey.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Waverley Abbey CofE Junior School joined the Good Shepherd Trust in December 2016.  The school uses three unregistered alternative provisions.  The school has a religious character. It is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Guildford. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 on 7 February 2020. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior staff.  The inspector met with the CEO and other trust officers as well as the chair of the local committee.  The inspector focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: English and mathematics, and PE, history, and science. For each group of subjects, inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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’ interest first.  The inspector spoke with several groups of pupils and observed their behaviour at break and lunch time.  The inspector met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through

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the staff survey.  The inspector took account of the views expressed in several emails from parents as well views expressed through Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Carl McCarthy, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 8 and 9 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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