Wildground Junior School

Inspection of a school judged Good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Wildground Junior School Armitage Avenue, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 4LG

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is incredibly ambitious for every pupil to succeed and for everyone to be the best that they can be. Leaders plan that all pupils ‘learn and succeed together for the journey ahead’ and they do. This rich culture of high expectation is evident in pupils’ work and their very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils work hard. Achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently high. Consequently, pupils leave the school very well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an exceptionally inclusive school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including those in the ‘otters’ and ‘snow leopards’ resourced provision, have their needs met very well. Pupils achieve highly. Pupils behave incredibly well during lessons and at social times. They have highly positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils feel happy and safe. They confidently say they enjoy coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff ensure that no pupil misses out on the vibrant array of special events, clubs and educational visits on offer. Pupils are given meaningful opportunities to develop their talents or pursue special interests. Each year group adopts a different local organisation, such as Solent Search and Rescue, and get stuck into a range of imaginative fundraising activities such as the ‘Wildground Wiggle’. This deeply enriches pupils’ understanding of the world around them and inspires them to do significant charitable acts for others.

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

The school has a creative and ambitious curriculum that ensures that pupils can build and connect knowledge well across a broad range of subjects. To enable this to happen, the school has thought carefully about the most appropriate order in which pupils should learn important knowledge. 7 and 8 May 2025

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Teachers design learning that captures pupils’ interests. They check pupils’ understanding with precision and address any misconceptions or gaps so that they do not continue. Pupils revisit key knowledge they have learned regularly, which helps them to recall and deepen their understanding before moving on.

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The school has strong processes in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use a wealth of strategies and adaptations to support individual pupils. Staff break learning down where needed and provide effective help for learning tricky concepts. Many pupils benefit from expert guidance and highly effective support in the two specialist resource provisions. Pupils with SEND are enabled to participate fully in all aspects of school life.

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Reading is a strength. Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure and make full use of the school’s ‘books with legs’ borrowing scheme. They read widely and make great use of the well- resourced library. The school places high importance on ensuring that pupils can read well. Weaker readers have precise and regular help to improve their reading skills. They get expert help in securing their phonics knowledge and swiftly learn to read fluently and with engaging expression.

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Standards of behaviour are universally high because staff are highly adept in helping pupils to manage themselves and their emotions. Pupils enjoy warm, positive and kind relationships with staff and each other. The school secures high levels of attendance because pupils enjoy attending and are inspired by what they encounter each day.

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Nothing is left to chance in this school. All pupils take part in a vibrant tapestry of new experiences. Everyone is prompted to learn an instrument, take part in competitive sport or attend a club, such as newspaper club, photography and even cold cookery. Pupils are thrilled to take part in the carefully selected educational visits, especially those connected to the curriculum, which are brilliantly designed to help them apply and embed the things they have learned. For example, pupils visit places of worship, such as a synagogue, Hindu temple and church, which helps them develop extraordinarily sensitive and mature views about differences. This myriad of experiences builds confidence and widens pupils’ horizons. Staff care deeply about pupils’ whole well-being and widening their experience, which means they are very well prepared for their future life in modern Britain.

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Leadership is a strength of the school, including the robust and knowledgeable governance. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive. Staff are incredibly happy about their work and feel well supported, including with their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 7 and 8 May 2025

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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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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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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in October 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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of a federation with Wildground Infant School.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school has two specialist resource bases. One provides support for eight pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, and the other provides support for 10 pupils with autism. All pupils who attend have education, health and care plans.

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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 visited some lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. The inspector also met with representatives of the board of governors, including the chair of governors, and local authority representatives.  The inspector met with some pupils and members of staff to discuss their views of the school. The inspector also took their views into account through their responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector considered responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  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.

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Inspection team

Ginny Rhodes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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