Stourfield Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Stourfield Junior School Stourvale Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH6 5JG

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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Outcome

Stourfield Junior School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Emma Rawson. The school is part of Twynham Learning, 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), Gareth Morris, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tom Ormerod.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show genuine pride in being part of school life. Pupils learn the routines and the high expectations of the school right from the start. For example, staff and pupils alike model the school’s values of ‘respect, resilience and responsibility’ effectively. This consistent approach helps pupils to gain confidence year on year. Pupils learn a lot through the broad curriculum. This prepares them well for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well because they understand and live out the school rules successfully. When disagreements do happen, pupils know that staff are on hand to talk things through and help them resolve any matters quickly. There are lots of opportunities to take part in projects beyond the academic. For example, ‘charity champions’ and eco-friendly prefects lead and organise events for pupils across the school and in the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum builds up pupils’ knowledge so that they are globally aware. For example, pupils are encouraged to set goals for their future and debate big ideas such as climate change. They also link with schools from other countries, such as Nigeria and Sri Lanka. There are a range of clubs, such as ‘fresh air club’, mindfulness and various sports clubs and events to enjoy. 28 and 29 January 2025

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

The school and the trust identify the school’s strengths and areas that need refinement accurately. The school makes good use of trust development programmes. This ensures that staff’s subject knowledge is continually improving and that any decisions the school takes are making a positive difference.

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

Most pupils learn the curriculum successfully over time. A strong focus on teaching the basics of English and mathematics has increased pupils’ knowledge and skills markedly. For example, a successful focus on the recall of multiplication tables means that pupils apply this knowledge to problem-solving and reasoning in mathematics competently. Pupils who are at the early stage of reading receive additional phonics teaching. As a result, these pupils develop their fluency in reading and increasingly apply their phonics knowledge to spell correctly. By the time pupils leave the school, they achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, including in national tests.

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

The curriculum is well sequenced in most subjects. Staff implement the wider curriculum successfully. Teaching builds pupils’ knowledge progressively over time. For example, pupils apply their prior knowledge of statistics when investigating world population and climate change in geography.

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

The school uses a range of tools to check what pupils know. Staff typically use this information well to inform their teaching. However, there are occasions when pupils do not get the immediate help they need when they get stuck or make errors in their work. The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Most pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum well. However, there are instances when teaching does not directly address pupils’ individual targets. These shortcomings mean that a small number of pupils do not secure some necessary subject content, and this results in them having gaps in their knowledge.

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

Very recently, the school has started to refine its approach to developing early language acquisition for pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL). For example, it conducts more detailed checks on pupils’ knowledge and gives greater priority to teaching unknown vocabulary. However, this work is in its infancy. As a result, a minority of these pupils are not being supported well enough to understand the context and content of parts of sequences of work.

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

There is an extensive programme to develop pupils’ character. This builds pupils confidence and resilience year on year. The curriculum teaches them about right and wrong. As a result, pupils learn how to make responsible decisions. The promotion of fundamental British values is threaded through the curriculum. In history, for example, staff reinforce aspects such as tolerance and equality.

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

The school works closely with families and external agencies to support pupils’ attendance. As a result, most pupils attend well, or their attendance is improving. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s work to develop early language acquisition for pupils who speak EAL is at an early stage. A minority of pupils do not get the precise support they need. The trust needs to ensure that the necessary subject content is implemented effectively so that pupils who speak EAL progress consistently well through the curriculum.  At times, teaching does not address pupils’ misconceptions, pupils’ gaps in learning or pupils’ individual targets. This means that a minority of pupils do not achieve consistently well across some sequences of work. The trust should ensure that teaching builds firmly on what pupils need to know next, enabling them to secure the essential subject knowledge that they need to know.

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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 to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2013. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There are four classes in every year group.  There have been some changes to senior leadership roles since the previous inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other staff. She also met with two members of the local academy board, the chair of trustees, the chief executive officer and the trust’s director for inclusion.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also met with pupils to talk about their experience of school life and observed breaktimes and lunchtimes.  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’ interests first.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s survey

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Inspection team

Julie Carrington, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 28 and 29 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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