Kings Furlong Junior School

Inspection of Kings Furlong Junior School Upper Chestnut Drive, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 8YJ

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 February 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this inclusive school. Pupils benefit from the school’s high ambitions and expectations. They enjoy learning new things and are eager to share their knowledge. Pupils achieve well due to ongoing improvements made by leaders in the school. As a result, pupils are remembering more of what they have been taught.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. The school is a happy place to be. Pupils enjoy attending and are motivated to learn. They have warm, mutually respectful relationships with everyone in the school. Staff help pupils to recognise their emotions so that they can manage them successfully. Pupils show consideration towards each other. A sense of kindness permeates the school. This leads to social times being harmonious because pupils take care of each other and their environment.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities to take on responsibility and support each other. This helps them to develop empathy for others. For example, ‘young interpreters’ ensure pupils new to learning English get the support they need to settle at the school. This also includes well-being ambassadors, who work with staff to think about ways to aid mental and physical health in the school.

p.2

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

The school acts decisively to raise standards and embed change. Thus, the school continues to improve. There is a shared vision and a strong culture. Therefore, staff are positive about the school’s continued journey of improvement. There is a strong culture of staff sharing expertise and helping each other. Everyone works well together to make sure that changes impact positively on pupils. Staff value the actions taken to help them to manage their workload and well-being.

p.2

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

The school’s well-sequenced curriculum sets out the small steps of knowledge that pupils need to learn. Staff have strong subject knowledge. This helps them to explain and model ideas well to pupils. Staff support pupils to address any mistakes or misunderstandings they may have. The school prepares pupils well for their next steps in learning at each key stage. However, in some subjects the school does not check what pupils know and understand well enough. This means that pupils in these subjects do not achieve as well as they could.

p.2

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

There is a clear ambition for pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. The school quickly identifies pupils’ individual needs. This means adaptations in lessons for pupils with SEND are linked well to their individual needs across the curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

p.2

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

Reading is prioritised highly. Staff are well trained to help any pupils who struggle. Catch- up activities give pupils the valuable practice they need. Pupils learn to become fluent and confident readers, enjoying a range of fiction and non-fiction books. The school is now ensuring that staff show pupils how to use their reading knowledge in their writing. This is helping pupils to produce more accurate writing than they did previously. This success is 4 and 5 February 2025

p.2

3

also seen in mathematics. The school has revised its approach to ensure that pupils master essential mathematical concepts more securely. Pupils now apply their skills adeptly to solve advanced problems and investigations.

p.3

3

Pupils focus well on their learning. Staff apply the school routines and procedures consistently, based around the school’s expected learning behaviours. The school works effectively with parents and carers and external agencies. This helps pupils who need support to improve their behaviour. For example, pupils learn how to adapt their behaviour in different situations effectively. The school checks pupils’ attendance rigorously. When attendance dips, the school acts swiftly to address this. As a result, pupils’ attendance has improved, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language.

p.3

3

During personal, social and health education lessons, pupils learn about important issues such as how to keep safe online. They understand about protected characteristics and the importance of not discriminating against others, for example because of their race. Pupils also benefit from the wide range of visitors to the school. They help pupils to understand more about the world around them. For example, police and fire safety officers come to speak to pupils about the local community.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school does not check effectively whether pupils have remembered previously taught knowledge. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school needs to ensure that systems are in place to check pupils’ understanding so they can build and connect knowledge over time.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 4 and 5 February 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The local authority

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 6 October 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

p.5

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.

p.5

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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.5

6

 Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the school’s governing board and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and physical education. 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 considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the confidential online staff survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  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

p.6

6

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including leaders’ plans for improving the school, minutes from governing board meetings, records of attendance and behaviour incidents.

p.6

Inspection team

Neil Pilsworth, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Paul Grundy His Majesty’s Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7