Manor Junior School

Inspection of Manor Junior School Fernhill Road, Cove, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 9DX

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school has a warm, caring and supportive learning environment. Relationships between adults and pupils are very strong. Adults are excellent role models. Pupils know that the adults in the school will help them if they have any worries. This fosters a deep sense of safety and belonging.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school rules of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe and Kind’ help pupils to behave well. When outside, they play exuberantly, enjoying the choice of many physical activities such as scooting, which helps them exercise. Pupils play equally well in more reflective and cooperative activities, such as completing giant jigsaws. The library is a special place for pupils to read and lose themselves in imaginary worlds. Pupils happily volunteer to be part of the litter-picking team and are proud of keeping the school beautiful for everyone. This adds a great deal to the community spirit. Everyone is made to feel a part of this school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has ensured that pupils study an ambitious and enriching curriculum that is well suited to their needs and prepares them well for their next steps. Parents and carers are very positive about the school. Typical comments include, ‘We feel very lucky to be part of the Manor family.’

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. The curriculum builds on what pupils know when they join the school. It clearly sets out the important knowledge and skills that pupils should have. Typically, teachers deliver the curriculum well. They capture pupils’ interests with educational visits. For example, in history, pupils visit important places from the past to bring alive the study of crime and punishment. Historically, pupils do not always achieve well in national tests. In response to this, the school has improved teaching. In mathematics and phonics, teachers support learning by robustly checking what they have learned. However, teachers do not check pupils’ learning consistently well in other subjects. Gaps in pupils’ knowledge can remain in these subjects. Where this occurs, pupils find it more difficult to build up a rich body of knowledge over time.

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

Staff use the advice they receive to ensure that their teaching continually improves. For example, staff have expert subject knowledge in teaching phonics and reading. In reading, they provide extra help for pupils who fall behind so that they can catch up with their peers. Pupils are exposed to a rich array of different authors and types of writing that feature throughout the curriculum. Pupils celebrate diverse positive role models in literature, develop a love of books and read widely. However, occasionally, activity choices do not help children learn the intended curriculum as effectively as possible. This means that a small proportion of children are not learning as well as they could.

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

The school has effective processes in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are included in all aspects of school life. This includes pupils in the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with 18 and 19 March 2025

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hearing impairment. All pupils benefit from exposure to British Sign Language and as a whole school, pupils impressively sign to songs in assemblies.

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Pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is positive. Adults encourage pupils to reflect on their actions. This approach helps pupils to manage their emotions and to make improved choices in how they behave. Pupils attend school regularly.

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The school offers pupils a wide range of opportunities to spark their interests and widen their experience, as well as to develop their confidence. For example, all pupils in Years 4 and 6 experience a residential visit, which helps to build their resilience and independence. Members of the school council lead important fundraising events and influence the many extra-curricular opportunities, such as a running club. Disadvantaged pupils, in particular, benefit from targeted extra-curricular events.

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Through prioritising reading and standards of behaviour, leaders have improved the school. Parents appreciate the commitment shown by the whole staff team. Staff feel well supported by leaders. Governors support and challenge the school appropriately.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Information for the school and appropriate authority

 In some foundation subjects, assessment systems to check what pupils know and remember over time are not well embedded. This means that in some subjects, staff do not check if pupils have any gaps in their learning. The school should ensure that effective systems are established for checking pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time so any gaps in knowledge can be addressed.  Occasionally, activity choices do not help children learn the intended curriculum as effectively as possible. This means that a small proportion of children are not learning as well as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well across all subjects so that pupils learn securely.

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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. 18 and 19 March 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). 18 and 19 March 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 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Manor Junior School is a larger-than-average primary school.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with hearing impairment.  The school runs its own before- and after-school club.

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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 have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: phonics, English, mathematics, religious education and science. 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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders. The inspector also met with representatives of the board of governors, including the chair of governors and a local authority representative.  Inspectors met with some pupils and members of staff to discuss their views of the school. The inspectors also took their views into account through their responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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

Ginny Rhodes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracy Good Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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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