Auriol Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Auriol Junior School Vale Road, Stoneleigh, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 0PJ

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Outcome

Auriol Junior 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 James Knights. This school is part of the Bourne Education 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), Alex Russell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andy Field.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that fosters a caring ethos. Consideration for others is very important here. Regularly, the school urges pupils to self-reflect on their own and others’ feelings. Pupils behave well. Weekly, pupils receive awards for showing kindness towards others. Peer-elected kindness ambassadors ensure everyone has a friend at breaktime. The school cares about its pupils. School staff form trusting, professional relationships with pupils. If pupils are worried about anything, the school does all it can to help them. The school keeps pupils safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and are happy here. The school recognises pupils’ talents and supports them to follow their interests. The wide-ranging extra-curricular clubs provide opportunities for pupils to enhance their expertise, or to just have fun. Clubs provided include book club, art, cooking and sports. The school ensures pupils have equal access to what it has to offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils and supports them to reach their potential relentlessly. Pupils meet these expectations and achieve well across the curriculum. The school pinpoints any barriers to learning and provides precise support to help pupils learn. This includes pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). 10 and 11 June 2025

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

Reading is given the highest priority here. The school precisely checks on how well pupils read when they join the school. Skilfully, it uses this information to identify and address any barriers to reading that pupils may have. Pupils at the early stages of learning to read, receive the help they need to become confident, fluent readers. This includes pupils with SEND.

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

The school notices pupils with SEND quickly. Without delay, the school adjusts teaching and resources so that pupils with SEND learn the curriculum alongside their peers confidently. This includes those who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The school draws on the expertise of a range of external professionals to provide training and advice. Consequently, pupils with SEND receive strong help and support.

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

Pupils achieve exceptionally well here. This is reflected in the school’s published outcomes in 2024, which are well above the national average. The ambitious, well-organised curriculum includes a wide range of subjects, in line with the national curriculum. Typically, the important knowledge and skills for pupils to learn are clear and logically sequenced. Where this is the case, teaching revisits previous content regularly. The school checks pupils know and remember important information securely. If pupils struggle, subsequent teaching is adjusted effectively to address gaps in knowledge. As a result, typically, pupils remember content long term and connect ideas together confidently. However, in a few subjects, the curriculum does not make explicit how essential knowledge and skills are built upon over time. As a result, sometimes pupils struggle to connect ideas learned previously to their present learning.

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

Typically, pupils are attentive in lessons. This is because they enjoy their learning thoroughly. Lessons are rarely disrupted by low-level disruption. Pupils have high attendance here. If absence becomes a concern, the school’s swift, decisive action supports pupils and their families to ensure attendance improves. This includes working collaboratively with the local authority and parents and carers to make bespoke adjustments to support pupils’ needs.

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

The school prepares pupils for later life exceptionally well. In a range of effective ways, the school supports pupils to embrace and persist with challenge. For example, through the range of inter- and intra-school sporting competitions, the school encourages pupils to celebrate success and accept defeat. The school emboldens pupils to push beyond perceived boundaries. For example, it encourages pupils to be confident to complete applications for school leadership positions and take part in public speaking events.

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

The trust has secure oversight of the school. Leaders of the trust work collaboratively with school leaders to ensure the school has taken effective action following the last inspection so that pupils continue to receive an effective education. Frequently, school staff are consulted about matters that may impact their workload. Trust and school leaders take staff views into account and are considerate of their well-being. 10 and 11 June 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not made clear enough the precise content they want pupils to know and revisit. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge securely. The school should identify the knowledge and concepts that pupils need to learn and to revisit in all subjects as they follow the curriculum.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Auriol Junior School, to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2015.

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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. 10 and 11 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). 10 and 11 June 2025

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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

 Auriol Junior School converted to become an academy school in May 2017. When its predecessor school, Auriol Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2023.  The school has a specially resourced provision for deaf children. Currently, six pupils attend the provision.  The school makes use of one registered 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.  The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 10 and 11 June 2025

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 The inspector spoke with the CEO and representatives of the local governing body. The inspector also met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the online Ofsted staff and pupil surveys.  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

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 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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