Anton Junior School

Inspection of Anton Junior School Barlows Lane, Andover, Hampshire SP10 2HA

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness 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 March 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this positive and welcoming school. They behave well and proudly demonstrate the school values of kindness and respect. Pupils are keen to learn and they show great care towards each other. They welcome the positive relationships they enjoy with staff. Pupils appreciate how staff take care to listen to them if they have a worry.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Changes in leadership since the previous inspection have affected the quality of education. The school is determined for pupils to achieve well, but this ambition is not realised. The curriculum is not fully developed, and it is implemented inconsistently. This means that some pupils do not achieve well enough. However, the school’s recent work means that staff adapt lessons skilfully to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to be responsible citizens through a variety of diverse extra-curricular experiences. They relish the impressive range of leadership roles on offer, including reading and anti-bullying ambassadors. One pupil rightly described how these opportunities ‘provide valuable experiences of helping others so we understand how to do this when we are older’. Pupils who are disadvantaged benefit equally well from the school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced a turbulent period. Most leaders, staff and governors are new. New subject leaders are starting to strengthen their knowledge of the curriculum and evaluate pupils’ understanding. This means that pupils’ learning in some subjects is not yet as strong as it should be. Staff feel supported and recognise how recent curriculum improvements are benefiting pupils. The governing body’s work to challenge and support the school is not as strong as it should be. Governors are working to improve their expertise to hold the school to account.

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

The school has designed a coherent curriculum in English and mathematics. In other subjects, it has broadly identified the key content it intends pupils to learn. The implementation of the curriculum is inconsistent. Staff sometimes use secure subject knowledge, revisit previous learning and make effective use of resources to support learning. This is variable across subjects. Staff review pupils’ understanding accurately in English and mathematics and use this information carefully to inform their teaching. The school’s checks of pupils’ learning in other subjects are at an early stage of development.

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

Overall, pupils’ learning is variable. In recent years, key stage 2 results in reading and mathematics have been well below the national average. Pupils’ current learning in these subjects is gradually improving. In wider subjects, pupils’ grasp of key knowledge and skills remains inconsistent. This means they have important gaps in their learning.

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

The school has successfully strengthened the provision for pupils with SEND. It identifies individual needs swiftly. Staff are equipped with the skills to carefully adapt their teaching 14 and 15 January 2025

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to provide bespoke support for pupils. This helps pupils with SEND to make effective progress through the curriculum.

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Pupils have a passion for books. The school successfully fosters a strong culture of reading. Pupils are exposed to a broad range of engaging texts. The support for pupils at an early stage of reading is less advanced. The school has not equipped staff with expert knowledge to teach pupils who have fallen behind. As a result, some struggling readers do not swiftly gain the skills they need to become confident and fluent readers.

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Overall, pupils behave well and enjoy positive attitudes to learning. Staff have benefited from high-quality training and use a consistent approach to promote positive behaviour. The school’s actions to encourage high attendance are effective. It has successfully reduced the proportion of pupils who are routinely absent.

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The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is strong. Pupils are supported to gain a mature understanding of healthy relationships. The school prioritises teaching pupils how to look after their mental and physical health. This includes, for example, knowing the importance of diet and exercise. Pupils are helped to acquire a sophisticated understanding of diversity and recognise the importance of treating people with respect.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not have the required knowledge to teach early reading. This means that pupils who struggle with their reading are not supported sufficiently well to help them to catch up. The school should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills they need to support those pupils at the early stages of learning to read so that they can become accurate and fluent readers quickly.  The curriculum in foundation subjects is not fully developed. This means that pupils do not build a secure understanding in these subjects over time. The school should continue to strengthen the curriculum design and help staff to use effective teaching and assessment strategies so that pupils securely learn the intended curriculum content in the foundation subjects.  Subject leadership is at an early stage of development. This means that leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the effectiveness of curriculum implementation or

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupil achievement. As a result, pupils’ learning in some subjects is not strong enough. The school should equip subject leaders with the skills and knowledge to support teaching staff and evaluate how well pupils are learning.  Governors do not have a strong enough oversight of the school’s work. This means that governors have not challenged leaders sufficiently, including about how well pupils at 14 and 15 January 2025

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the school are achieving. Governors should develop their expertise so that they can hold leaders fully to account for the school’s performance.

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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 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 6 and 7 March 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 One of the assistant headteachers has been the acting headteacher for five weeks. The substantive headteacher was not present at school during the inspection.  Almost all leaders, staff and governors are new to the school since the previous inspection.  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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 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 acting headteacher, subject leaders and other staff. The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also met with two representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and history. 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 also sampled pupils’ work in art and design.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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.  During the inspection, inspectors met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to them informally during social times.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Laurie Anderson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul McKeown 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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