Mayhill Junior School

Inspection of Mayhill Junior School The Bury, Odiham, Hook, Hampshire RG29 1NB

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Each morning, pupils are warmly greeted at the school gate. The thoughtful staff know every pupil by name. Time is taken to identify pupils’ needs and where additional help may be required. Year 6 pupils particularly value this as they look to their transition to secondary school. They describe being eager to achieve well, supported by staff who remind them, ‘We’ve got this.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils use the ‘Mayhill Habits’ to inform how they and their classmates should behave. This includes the ‘respect’ they must show each other and the importance of building their ‘independence’ as they learn. Because of this, pupils strive to meet and achieve the high expectations staff have of them. They actively celebrate the achievements of their friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel valued and safe, knowing there is always a trusted adult they can talk to. They appreciate how they are being helped to learn and grow by both their school and village communities. Pupils from service families, known as the ‘Mayhill Heroes’, know that help is always provided when they need it the most, particularly when their parents are deployed. The well-trained staff, ably supported by the school dog ‘Angus’, encourage pupils to explore and manage their emotions. This supports pupils to learn well.

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

Knowing and fostering the unique talents of every pupil are at the heart of Mayhill. Leaders and staff ensure the personal development of pupils is of the highest quality. The school has seamlessly woven enrichment visits and experiences through its curriculum. Pupils eagerly recollect their residential trips, whole-school performances and lessons about the ‘Mayhill Habits’ that have given them the courage to learn and achieve. They are particularly proud of their artwork, which is celebrated in every school corridor. This work reflects how pupils are encouraged to be creative, use their imagination and appreciate that everyone can have a different perspective.

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

Staff regularly explore where improvements can be made to pupils’ academic learning. The newly formed leadership team has made extensive changes to the curriculum. Leaders continue to implement developments to strengthen pupils’ knowledge. The school recognises this process is ongoing and further work is needed to ensure all pupils are secure in their understanding.

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

Importantly, staff have the expertise they need to check what pupils know and can do. This information is now being used more effectively to identify and act on any gaps pupils may have in their knowledge. This is due to some previous weaknesses in the curriculum. The initial impact of these well-considered improvements can be seen in aspects of pupils’ work and in how well they have recently achieved in national assessments.

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

Classrooms are inclusive, where pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn alongside their peers. However, the support provided by staff for pupils with SEND is not consistent. At times, learning is not well adapted to ensure the specific needs 14 and 15 January 2025

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of these pupils are consistently met. Pupils benefit from other interventions, such as reading support for those who are not fluent readers. Well-trained staff help pupils to decode words using phonics. Therefore, pupils acquire the reading skills they need to learn across the school’s curriculum.

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Pupils rarely miss a day of school. They have a strong understanding of right and wrong and are encouraged to be responsible. On occasion, particularly when learning is less precise, pupils can become distracted. The small number of pupils who find it more difficult to manage their behaviour get additional help. Central to this is the time staff take to really get to know pupils and their families. When needed, support from external agencies is requested and used to help pupils with the most complex needs.

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The school’s environment inspires pupils. ‘Book nooks’ and the improvements to the school’s library are encouraging pupils to read more widely. This is building their understanding of literature and the diversity in modern Britain. The outside ‘chill-out’ spaces and the ‘Secret Garden’ are appreciated by pupils and their parents and carers. These reflect how leaders listen to the views of their school community as pupils are readied for the next stage of their education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff are not consistently giving pupils with SEND the specific support they need to learn well. The learning for these pupils is not aways appropriately adapted to help them secure important knowledge and skills. The school must ensure that staff have the expertise they need to help pupils with SEND achieve well across the curriculum.  Due to previous weaknesses in the curriculum, some pupils have some gaps in their knowledge that hinders them building their learning over time. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should continue to use its well- established assessment processes to identify and close any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in the senior leadership of the school since the last inspection. This includes the headteacher, who joined the school in 2022.  There have been changes in the governance of the school, including a new chair of governors.  The school supports a well-above-average number of service children.  The school uses one unregistered 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. 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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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 met with the headteacher, assistant headteachers and other staff from across the school. The lead inspector also met with representatives from the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also had a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, computing and art and design. 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.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the confidential staff survey and gathered the views of both staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed and scrutinised a range of the school’s documentation, including leaders’ plans for improving the school, minutes of governing body meetings and records of attendance and behaviour incidents.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: 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’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Aimee Floyd, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Vallence Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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