Mengham Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that teachers consistently have the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve.
• Further improve pupils’ progress in mathematics.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The co-headteachers have a clear and ambitious vision for the school. They are determined to help pupils achieve highly as well as developing pupils’ emotional and social skills. Hard-working staff fully support this vision, and a culture of care and support for individual pupils permeates the school.
• Since the previous inspection, there had been a decline in outcomes for pupils. The co-headteachers have brought about improvements in the quality of teaching, leading to better outcomes by the end of key stage 2 in 2018.
• Leaders know the school’s strengths and relative weaknesses accurately. They plan carefully for future improvements. Leaders demonstrate secure capacity to improve the school further. Middle leaders new in post are developing well.
• Senior and middle leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning consistently, while also checking the effectiveness of the school’s curriculum. This enables them to make suitable adaptations to improve pupils’ motivation and achievement. For example, leaders changed their approach to writing in order to engage boys more successfully.
• As a result of leaders’ higher expectations and effective professional development, teaching overall is good. However, some variation in the quality of teaching persists. English and mathematics leaders show strong expertise and a determination to improve the quality of teaching and learning further.
• Leaders ensure that effective support is provided for pupils with SEND. Accurate identification of pupils’ individual needs means that pupils are well supported in their learning and personal development. Similarly, leaders’ detailed knowledge of the needs of disadvantaged pupils means that many receive high-quality interventions to help them catch up with their peers. However, the most able disadvantaged pupils could be supported and challenged further.
• The curriculum is well planned and enhanced by a range of activities, clubs and trips. Topics are skilfully designed to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding through a range of subjects. High expectations deepen pupils’ learning particularly well in history and geography. The curriculum also supports pupils’ mental health very well. In addition, leaders thread British values, together with spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, successfully through the curriculum. The school’s work with the local community is well developed to help pupils develop a sense of responsibility.
• Leaders use the primary school sports funding effectively to encourage pupils to participate in sport and to promote healthy lifestyles. Pupils enjoy the range of exercise and games equipment that has been purchased for the playground. A sports coach provides training for staff and offers specialist teaching during the school day. The sustainability of this approach is demonstrated by pupils confidently using climbing apparatus during their regular physical education lessons.
• Parents are highly supportive of the school. All parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent. Parents are particularly complimentary about the school’s commitment to their children’s well-being, how approachable staff are and how well staff communicate with parents. One parent spoke for many when they said: ‘I am extremely happy with how the school is led, how the staff look after the welfare of the children and how the headteachers respond to any concerns.’

Governance of the school

• Governors are committed to their role and proud of the school. They are actively ambitious for the school and are aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They draw on the range of experience that they bring to the role to ensure that they have the skills necessary to fulfil their responsibilities. They seek external verification and advice from the local authority appropriately.
• Governors visit the school regularly to check its effectiveness by meeting pupils and staff and seeing for themselves how well developments are being implemented. They attend events with parents to find out more about the work of the school. They have a clear understanding of the improvements that have been made over recent years.
• Governors make the necessary checks to ensure that the funding the school receives is spent wisely. They are committed to supporting the school community through investment in the support provided for families.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• In this school community, every pupil is valued and cared for. Staff have very positive relationships with pupils and know them well. This means that staff are alert to any changes in pupils that may indicate a concern. Pupils feel safe in school. They are confident in knowing that there is always a trusted adult they can speak to in school if they are worried about something.
• Record-keeping is highly organised and up to date. Referrals are followed up tenaciously and are extensively documented. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the support they need.
• Pupils said that they feel safe in school. All the parents who spoke to inspectors and those who made their views known through Parent View believed strongly that their children are safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils are keen to learn, and teachers plan learning carefully. Learning routines are clearly established. On the whole, teachers have high expectations for pupils’ success and this motivates pupils to try their best. Consequently, most pupils make good progress across the curriculum, as teaching sustains their interest.
• Some teaching is highly effective, leading to strong progress. However, the quality of teaching shows some inconsistency, and occasionally pupils are not sufficiently supported or challenged to do their best.
• The teaching of writing has been a focus for improvement and is now a strength of the school. Teachers give close attention to teaching the skills that pupils need to become skilful, confident writers. Pupils now have a better grasp of grammatical structure, punctuation and spelling. Importantly, both boys and girls really enjoy writing.
• The teaching of reading is successful. Effective guided reading enables pupils to build their reading skills progressively. Teachers match reading books to pupils’ abilities well, and pupils are confident readers as a result. The library is used by many pupils who are keen readers, including enthusiastic librarians.
• Teaching in mathematics is effective and improving. Pupils enjoy the problem-solving activities that they engage in during their mathematics lessons. Pupils collaborate well, and this develops their resilience. Leaders are clear about what needs to be done to raise pupils’ achievement further, for example by expecting pupils to explain their thinking. Pupils’ reasoning skills are better established in Years 5 and 6 than in Years 3 and 4.
• Where teaching is most effective, teachers check pupils’ understanding and respond to their needs, providing additional support or challenge as required. Teachers give immediate feedback to pupils and are quick to pick up and address misunderstandings. Pupils’ work shows examples of effective written feedback from teachers, in line with leaders’ expectations. In these instances, pupils clearly understand what they must do to improve and they act on this feedback. However, there are some instances when the school’s feedback policy is not being used effectively to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning.
• Teaching assistants offer skilful questioning to help pupils who require additional support to work things out for themselves. This is promoting better progress for some pupils who need to catch up or those with SEND.
• Pupils benefit from stimulating teaching across many subjects. Expectations are high in history, geography and religious education, where pupils are challenged to use their acquired knowledge to answer challenging questions. Pupils enjoy exciting, practical-based science lessons, but do not routinely use subject-specific vocabulary to describe what they know or explain their thinking accurately.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• In lessons, pupils generally settle quickly into their routines. Pupils understand what adults expect of them and approach their tasks with enthusiasm. Occasionally, a few pupils are inattentive when work is not well matched to their needs.
• The vast majority of pupils conduct themselves well around the school and are polite to visitors. During break and lunchtime, pupils play well together, enjoying the sporting activities available. They are a little slow to line up and return to class, which loses valuable learning time.
• Pupils’ attendance is broadly similar to the national average and improving. The number of exclusions has reduced significantly. Where necessary, leaders sensibly draw on local authority expertise to help manage the behaviour of a few pupils successfully.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes for pupils have improved and are now good. Pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 faltered in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, the progress made by pupils by the end of key stage 2 improved to be in line with the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Levels of attainment also rose notably. The proportions of pupils who met and exceeded the standard expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics combined are similar to national levels.
• Pupils make good progress in most year groups. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are achieving well in reading, writing and mathematics. The progress made by pupils in Years 3 and 4 is secure, but less consistent.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make good progress over time because their needs are understood and met by teachers and other adults who support them. This prevents them from falling further behind their peers in school and nationally. The school’s focus on helping pupils reach age-related expectations means that some of the most able disadvantaged pupils have not been fully extended.
• Pupils achieve well across the wider curriculum, which has been mapped carefully to provide coverage of the national curriculum, enriched by exciting activities and skilful connections across subjects. Pupils’ work shows particularly strong progress in history and geography.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116052 Hampshire 10046091 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 244 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Lewis Co-headteachers Odele Davies and Edward Harrison Telephone number 02392 462162 Website Email address www.menghamjunior.co.uk/

adminoffice@mengham-jun.hants.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection 8–9 January 2015

Information about this school

• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• Pupils are organised in nine classes, three in Year 3, and two in Years 4 to 6.
• The very large majority of pupils have a White British background.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is similar to the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is higher than the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in all classes. Most lessons were visited jointly with one of the co-headteachers. Inspectors listened to pupils read and met with groups of pupils from all year groups.
• Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work in lessons, and a further selection of pupils’ books were scrutinised. Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons, around the school and during breaktimes. Inspectors considered the 38 responses to the online pupils’ survey.
• Inspectors held meetings with the co-headteachers, senior leader, subject leaders, the newly qualified teachers and a teaching assistant new to the school. The lead inspector met with six members of the local governing body, including the chair and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors met parents at the beginning and end of the day. Inspectors took into account the 33 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. There were 17 responses to the confidential staff survey.
• Inspectors evaluated a wide range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, attendance information, safeguarding records, information on pupils’ progress and minutes of governors’ meetings.

Inspection team

Theresa Phillips, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Marcia Goodwin Ofsted Inspector