Meon Junior School

Meon Junior School

Address: Shelford Road, PO4 8NT Unique reference number (URN): 144581

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Pupils’ needs are identified carefully and are well understood by staff. Effective training ensures that staff are adept in making adaptations to learning in lessons, so that pupils can engage readily and achieve well. Where needed, effective additional interventions further support pupils who need extra input. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who benefit well from these interventions.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders adapt their provision to ensure it is supportive of pupils’ needs. For example, the introduction of ‘the meadow’ space ensures that, where pupils need more tailored support, they receive the right input to help them to access the curriculum. This supports pupils to make effective progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The school carefully considers how it uses additional funding, for example, for those in receipt of the pupil premium. This spending is carefully monitored and evaluated, to ensure that pupils have the support they need to reduce barriers and help them thrive.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Responsive approaches to changing circumstances mean that leaders are agile in refining their offer. For example, when needed, they create a ‘team around the child’ to ensure that different facets of provision are well considered and joined up so that pupils’ barriers can be overcome successfully.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and staff are united in their passion and commitment to the ongoing strengthening of their school. Together with governors and trustees, they have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and where they want to develop further. Decisions are made with the best interests of pupils in mind, and this is especially the case for the most disadvantaged pupils. Leaders are reflective, and involve staff meaningfully so that they contribute directly to the school’s ongoing enhancement. They make careful checks to assure themselves that any actions have the impact they intend. Decisive steps are taken to address any areas that need further work, and rapid improvements happen as a result.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff benefit from meaningful professional learning opportunities that enable them to make positive improvements to the school. Leaders are continually adaptive to refine their offer and ensure it meets the needs of their context. For example, a recently introduced ‘parent hub’ shows promise in helping to develop greater connections between the school and the families.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are considerate of staff wellbeing and take impactful steps to ensure their workload is manageable.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils’ wider development is especially well considered. The curriculum for personal, social, emotional and health education helps pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy, and the importance of tolerance and respect. These lessons have a positive impact on how well pupils treat one another and their views of the world. The programme is adapted and refined in response to the changing world and the challenges that pupils face. Lessons around online safety help pupils to have an increasingly nuanced understanding of risks and how to act when they have concerns.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils contribute to their school community and that beyond the school gates. For example, the student council advocate for their peers, speaking to leaders in the school and across the trust, to help develop their school. Other leadership opportunities provide meaningful experiences for pupils to 'give back' to their school. ‘Eco warriors’ pick litter both in school and locally, pupil librarians help other pupils to access interesting books, and attendance ambassadors work with others to help them to want to come to school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils are especially well supported to develop the skills that will help them both now and as they grow older. For example, they become increasingly self-reflective through the journals that they complete together. This especially impressive element of the school’s work sees pupils reflect on how well their week has gone, and identify where they wish to improve. This, and other initiatives, ensure pupils from the youngest ages are developing increasing independence, which prepares them very well for adulthood.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils also develop their aspirations for later in life. Workshops run by the neighbouring university technical college develop pupils' science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills. Pupils learn about a range of different careers on ‘aspirations day’, including engineering, floristry and becoming a writer.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils achieve well in this school, including pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Outcomes in national assessments reflect these achievements over time. Leaders track pupil performance carefully, and act decisively where there need to be improvements. For example, work to support pupils’ performance in multiplication and times tables mean pupils outcomes in these areas are now considerably improved. The school is now refining its approaches to developing pupils’ writing, and this is already beginning to show positive progress.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils can talk with confidence about what they have learned, and remember this learning in the longer term. Their written work demonstrates how well they progress through the planned curriculum. As a result, pupils are generally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils are keen to attend school. On arrival, they move swiftly to lessons, keen to engage in the opportunities that await them. They are proud to be rewarded with recognition for their attendance, such as being able to take home one of the two attendance bears. Other pupils act as ‘attendance ambassadors’, supporting their peers in wanting to come to school and succeed. For the small number of pupils who need additional support to attend well, the school works effectively with families to increase attendance. As a result of these approaches, all pupils attend school well, and this is especially the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school has high expectations for behaviour and conduct. Pupils rise to meet these expectations generally well. Pupils treat one another with respect and behave with kindness. In lessons, pupils engage readily with their learning and are keen to participate. At social times, pupils play well with their peers. Pupils are confident that this is a school where any form of discrimination or unkindness will not be tolerated. They trust that staff will deal with any issues quickly.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have developed a well-sequenced curriculum, addressing the area of focus from the previous inspection. The curriculum identifies the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn and in the order to do this. Pupils move through this curriculum steadily, developing the knowledge and skills that prepare them well for the next stage of their education. This includes securing the reading, writing and number skills that underpin other areas of the curriculum. Pupils who need additional help to be able to read fluently get apt support. Reading is made a high priority in school, not least in the welcoming library where pupils work as librarians and recommend texts for one another to enjoy.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff have the right subject knowledge and training to deliver the curriculum. Teachers provide clear explanations that help pupils to develop their understanding. Staff generally make appropriate checks on what pupils have understood. Typically, staff address pupils’ misconceptions when they spot them. Occasionally, tackling these misconceptions more swiftly, especially in written work, would help all pupils to access their learning readily.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff regularly review previous learning with pupils. This helps pupils to make connections and remember the concepts they have learned in the longer term.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Meon Juniors is a welcoming and highly inclusive school. Pupils explore and celebrate their differences, recognising that they are 'all different but all part of the same school' community. Pupils behave well and learn to treat one another with kindness. Staff understand pupils' needs well. They make adaptations to learning to support pupils in overcoming any barriers. Effective teaching and positive relationships mean that pupils achieve well, including the most vulnerable pupils.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils readily enact the school's values of being ‘kind and respectful’, ‘confident and resilient’, ‘creative and independent’, and ‘believing in yourself’, earning habits stickers as they demonstrate these traits. They are keen to attend school and have the chance of taking home the attendance bears, ‘Punctuality Pedro’ and ‘Attendance Audrey’. Warm and supportive relationships with staff mean that pupils are confident that they can share any worries or concerns and they will be listened to.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are encouraged to 'be your best self’, reflecting on their successes and setting themselves targets for the next week in the journals they work on through weekly assemblies. Through this and other means, pupil develop increasing independence, even from the youngest ages.

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Next steps

• Leaders should continue to embed strategies for developing writing and grammar so they can continue to improve pupils' achievement.

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Team inspectors:

Katie Hancock, His Majesty's Inspector Stephen Cattell, His Majesty's Inspector Stuart Bevan, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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About this inspection

This school is part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Stuart Gardner, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gerard Newman.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called Meon Way Federation.

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About this inspection

◼ Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

◼ Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: ◼ Inspectors spoke with a range of leaders during the inspection, including the executive headteacher and assistant headteachers. The lead inspector also held meetings with the chair of the trust board, members of the trust executive team and members of the academy governing board.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school makes use of two registered alternative provisions.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (1 term) 4.5% 5.1% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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