Knaphill Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Knaphill School High Street, Knaphill, Woking, Surrey GU21 2QH

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Outcome

Knaphill 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 Debbie Harrison. This school is part of The Swan 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), Elaine Cooper, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ian Girdler.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly and nurturing school. They are happy and enjoy playing with their friends. Pupils are delightful to talk to. They are polite, confident, and articulate. The school provides a welcoming environment for pupils. Staff have positive relationships with pupils. Pupils feel safe and know that they can talk to a trusted adult to help them with any worries. One parent, sharing the views of many parents and carers, reflected that the school is a ‘fantastic school community which feels like a family.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is aspirational for its pupils. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a well-thought-out and ambitious curriculum. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy working with each other in lessons and learning in a variety of ways.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets clear expectations for behaviour and helps pupils to abide by these in a caring and compassionate manner. Pupils develop a strong sense of character. They take on leadership roles with enthusiasm. Pupils enjoy a wide range of curriculum enrichment activities, including visitors to school, residential trips, and a range of clubs. This helps learning come to life.

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

The school is determined that every pupil will learn the knowledge and skills they need to be well prepared for their next steps. The curriculum is broad and ambitious. It is 3 and 4 June 2025

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sequenced carefully from Year 3 to Year 6. Pupils’ outcomes in the national tests for mathematics have been too low. The school identified where there was a need for change and made effective changes. Staff have developed further their expertise in teaching mathematics. As a result, current pupils are taught well and are achieving well in this subject.

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Across the curriculum, teaching is carefully thought out with a high focus on vocabulary. Teachers understand what they should teach and in which order. They have strong subject knowledge and explain new learning clearly. Pupils show great interest and enthusiasm in lessons. They contribute well and respond to the questions and tasks given to them. Pupils’ work demonstrates that many are now producing writing content of a high quality for their age.

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Teachers check what pupils already know through effective questioning and from work in pupils’ books. This enables teachers to identify misconceptions and provide feedback to pupils. However, in some lessons in the wider curriculum, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not identified and addressed. This leads to some inconsistent teaching, meaning pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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A strong reading culture is embedded across the school. Teachers support older pupils who have fallen behind in their reading to catch up swiftly. Pupils read with interest and become confident, fluent readers.

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The school makes sure that the needs of pupils with SEND are carefully identified as early as possible. In the main, teachers make successful adaptations to their teaching for pupils with SEND. There is regular communication with all parents, and the detail of this is particularly valued by parents of pupils with SEND.

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Behaviour in school is typically calm and purposeful. The school has established strong routines. When some pupils struggle with their behaviour, the school works effectively with parents and external agencies to provide the support they need. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is high.

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The school’s personal development programme is extensive. Pupils develop positive character traits through learning about values such as kindness, resilience, and integrity. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, both in school and online. There is a range of extra-curricular clubs available, including cooking, cheerleading, choir, and sports.

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The school is well led and managed. It benefits from the close partnership it has with the trust. Staff appreciate their opportunities for professional development and know that their well-being is considered by leaders. Staff know that decisions are made in the best interest of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 and 4 June 2025

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(information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Routines for checking pupils’ learning are not applied consistently across the school. At times, teachers do not check carefully enough that pupils are secure in their learning before moving on. When this happens, sometimes, misconceptions are not identified or corrected. Occasionally, pupils do not get the time or help they need to improve their work. The school should ensure that staff routinely check on pupils’ learning and adapt their teaching appropriately to ensure any gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ understanding are quickly resolved.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Knaphill School, to be good for overall effectiveness in April 2016.

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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. 3 and 4 June 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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Knaphill School converted to become an academy in July 2020. When its predecessor school, also called Knaphill School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness. The school is in The Swan Trust multi-academy trust.  There have been a number of changes to the leadership of the school since the last inspection, including the headteacher, who took up post in September 2022.  The school does not currently 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. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff, and pupils. The inspector met with members of the trust board, including the director of education. She also met with members of the local academy board, including the chair.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed behaviour in lessons and at other times around school. She met with those responsible for behaviour, attendance, and personal development.  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 took account of a range of other information, including the school’s

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development plans, school policies, and trust and local academy board minutes.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers as they dropped their children off at the school gate.  The inspector reviewed the responses received through the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspector also considered responses received through Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Sam Johnson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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