Locks Heath Junior School

Inspection of Locks Heath Junior School Warsash Road, Locks Heath, Southampton, Hampshire SO31 9NZ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embody the school’s core value of respect at this caring and inclusive school. They demonstrate this through the warm and genuine relationships they form with each other and with staff. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy. Pupils have trusted adults who they know will help them with any concerns they may have. All staff have high expectations of pupils and apply the school’s rules consistently. As a result, pupils behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for its pupils and they achieve well. Pupils understand the school’s learning values, which include things like ‘perseverance and curiosity’. Pupils say that these values help them to work hard. Pupils are well prepared for their next step.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school prioritises pupils’ mental health and well-being. Skilled pastoral staff work with pupils to develop a range of strategies to manage their emotions. This includes therapeutic support and carefully considered daily check-ins. Pupils share how they feel confidently and use the strategies they learn consistently well. The school has designed a range of additional activities for the most vulnerable pupils. This includes the daily ‘sunshine club’ that helps these pupils to become increasingly resilient and independent.

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

The school has designed an aspirational curriculum to meet the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have identified what pupils need to learn precisely. This is particularly strong in English and mathematics. In these subjects, pupils recall their prior learning and apply it accurately. Pupils become confident writers. Pupils have sound mathematical knowledge and recall key facts fluently.

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

In many subjects, teachers use a range of checks to identify gaps in learning accurately. This helps them to use activities to help pupils catch up. Teachers address misconceptions quickly. However, in some subjects, teachers’ checks are not as precise. Teachers do not identify gaps in learning well enough. As a result, some pupils do not learn the important skills and knowledge they need in these subjects.

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

Pupils enjoy reading. They become fluent readers and read widely. Pupils read high- quality books that match their phonics knowledge accurately. Staff are expert in delivering the chosen phonics scheme. This helps pupils in the early stages of reading to become confident readers swiftly. Teachers identify pupils who fall behind and plan effective support that helps pupils to catch up quickly.

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

Teachers select tasks that help pupils to recall their prior learning and build on it over time. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge is not secure enough. This means that staff sometimes do not explain learning with sufficient clarity. As a result, pupils do not learn some of the subject content that they should.

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

The school knows its pupils well. Staff recognise pupils’ barriers to learning and adapt their teaching to help them to achieve well. The school has high ambitions for all pupils 5 and 6 November 2024

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and ensures that all pupils receive the support they need. Disadvantaged pupils do well because expectations of what they can achieve are high.

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Pupils enjoy learning. They listen to their teachers carefully and share their ideas confidently. The school is happy and purposeful. The school has prioritised attendance. Pupils know that frequent attendance will help them to achieve well. Staff track pupil absence carefully and identify pupils who require additional support quickly. As a result, these pupils attend more frequently and their attendance has improved significantly.

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The school provides the dedicated team of teachers and support staff with high-quality training and support. Staff are very proud of their work. Governors share the school’s high ambition and offer appropriate guidance and support.

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Pupils take full advantage of the broad enrichment offer that the school provides. They take great pride in the various leadership roles they hold. Pupils learn about a range of cultures and beliefs. Pupils are taught about and celebrate what makes people different from each other. Older pupils work towards the school’s ‘Civic Award’ and become active members of the school and local community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some wider curriculum subjects, teachers’ use of assessment does not identify what pupils know accurately enough. As a result, teachers do not identify and then close gaps in pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that assessment supports teachers in identifying and closing gaps in pupils’ learning.  In a few subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge is not secure enough. Consequently, sometimes they do not always explain subject content clearly. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school must ensure that it develops the expertise of teachers in these subjects.

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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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 May 2019

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.  The school manages wraparound breakfast and after-school clubs for pupils.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of the school’s education provision.  This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 The inspection team met with the headteacher as well as with other leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with governors. They also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, geography, design and technology and religious education. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 inspection team considered the views of parents and carers through their responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors spoke to staff and pupils during the inspection and took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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.

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Inspection team

Gavin Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Judith O’Hare Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 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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