Southfield Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Southfield Junior School Shrivenham Road, Highworth, Swindon, Wiltshire SN6 7BZ

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The head of school is Kimberley O’Sullivan. The school is part of Grove Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Aaron Griffiths, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by AJ Cripps. There is also an executive headteacher, Julie Warburton, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and happy school. The school values such as friendship and determination are at the heart of all the school does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school cares deeply for pupils and prioritises their well-being. Pastoral support is highly effective. Pupils feel safe and valued. They say that bullying is rare. Pupils confirm that adults ‘sort out problems’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for pupils. It provides a high-quality curriculum with a wealth of experiences to enrich pupils’ learning. Pupils chat gleefully about visits to a local museum to learn about the lives of evacuees during the Second World War. They enjoy visiting the local library. Pupils join clubs that reflect their interests such as martial arts, gardening and football.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are a credit to the school. They are friendly and polite. Pupils uphold the school’s high expectations of their learning and behaviour. They enjoy school and attend regularly, and their behaviour is exemplary. Pupils work hard and achieve well. Pupils are proud to take on positions of responsibility such as playground ambassadors, librarians and sports leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents are happy with the school. They typically comment that staff are supportive and that the school helps their children to flourish. 11 and 12 March 2025

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

Leaders and staff share a firm commitment to helping pupils achieve their potential. The sense of team spirit shines through.

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

The school provides an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum, which precisely identifies the knowledge and skills pupils must learn. The majority of pupils achieve well. The results of published outcomes in 2024 were particularly strong.

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

The school has recently adapted the curriculum in several foundation subjects to more fully meet the needs of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, in mixed-age classes. It has also sharpened the checks it makes on pupils’ achievement. This enables the school to tailor the curriculum to match more precisely what pupils already know and can do so they can move on to more complex work. However, the school has not fully implemented these changes, so some pupils still have gaps in their learning. As a result, the school cannot yet assure itself that pupils consistently and securely develop the knowledge and skills it expects them to.

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

The school prioritises reading. Pupils who find reading difficult are provided with effective support and opportunities to practise. This improves their confidence and fluency. Once they have become proficient readers, the school ensures pupils develop wider reading skills such as comprehension, inference and deduction.

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

The school inspires pupils to develop a love of reading. For example, pupils are thrilled to borrow ‘reading suitcases’ filled with books, notepads and toys. Pupils enjoy listening to stories that adults read to them.

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

Staff have good subject knowledge. They help pupils to recap previous learning successfully. For example, pupils respond well to teachers’ quick-fire questions and recall knowledge taught previously. For example, when learning about Ancient Greece, pupils use timelines to locate this period of history in relation to other historical events.

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

Staff clearly explain and model what they want pupils to do. They check pupils’ learning and intervene to correct mistakes. The school adapts teaching effectively when pupils need more support or challenge.

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

Pupils are keen to find things out. As a result, they become fully involved in their learning. Pupils regularly practise their skills to gain new knowledge. For example, in mathematics, older pupils use their prior knowledge of calculating perimeter to work out the perimeter of irregular shapes.

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

The school swiftly identifies the needs of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It works well with parents and pupils to provide pupils with precisely targeted teaching and pastoral support. This enables pupils to learn the same curriculum as others. Pupils listen and behave well because they understand the importance of good manners and hard work. The school celebrates pupils’ achievements, which spurs them on. For 11 and 12 March 2025

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example, pupils with SEND take pride in showcasing their successes in their learning journals.

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The school supports pupils’ wider development well. For example, pupils sing to residents in a local nursing home. They raise money for worthy causes. Pupils learn about diversity and discrimination. They know that everyone should be valued.

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Staff morale is high because they feel well-supported by leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has recently changed the curriculum and assessment in foundation subjects to meet the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes better. These changes are not yet fully in place. This means some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, still have gaps in their learning. The trust and school must fully implement revisions to the curriculum and assessment in all foundation subjects so they can assure themselves the curriculum is delivered well and pupils gain the knowledge, skills and vocabulary they should.

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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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

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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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Headteacher Julie Warburton (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Southfield Junior School is a school for pupils aged seven to 11 years. Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes of Years 3 and 4 pupils and three mixed-age classes of Years 5 and 6 pupils.  The school joined Grove Learning Trust in December 2019. This is a multi-academy trust of nine schools for primary-age pupils. The school works in partnership with Eastrop Infant School, which is also part of the trust.  The school has undergone several changes to leadership since the last inspection. The head of school and deputy headteacher have been in post for two years.  The executive headteacher took up her post in September 2024.  The school provides before- and after-school care for its pupils. This is operated on the Eastrop Infants School site.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held several meetings with the headteacher, who is also the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), the deputy headteacher and the executive headteacher. The inspector also spoke to subject leaders, the deputy SENCO and members of the pastoral team.  The inspector held a meeting with the CEO from the trust.  The inspector held a video call with two members of the academy committee. She also held a separate meeting with two trustees, one of whom attended the meeting via video call.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and

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Information about this inspection

looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also spoke to a group of teachers.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record and other safeguarding records; spoke to the designated safeguarding leads; 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 observed pupils’ behaviour at various times during the day, including breaktime and lunchtime.  The inspector reviewed responses to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. along with free-text comments. The inspector also met parents informally at the beginning and end of the day. The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 March 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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