Liphook Church of England Controlled Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Liphook Junior School is a warm and welcoming community where leaders do whatever it takes to help every child flourish. Pupils here love their time at school, not least because of the enormous range of opportunities on offer. Pupils benefit from a fabulous array of extra-curricular activities, from sports and music clubs to baking and first aid.

Many are excited about the civic award scheme that they can join when they get to Year 6.

Pupils feel incredibly safe at the school. Many describe it as like an extension of their family.

This environment helps pupils to become remarkably confident and self-assured. Their attitudes are summed up by the school's value...s of excellence, friendship and respect. Bullying is extremely rare at the school, but pupils have absolute trust in adults to resolve any issues that arise.

Parents and pupils feel proud to have such a fantastic school in their local community. Parents who responded to Ofsted's online survey were unanimous in recommending the school. Summing up the feelings of many, one told inspectors, 'I feel privileged that my child goes to this school.

She is cared for, nurtured, challenged and made to feel supported every day'.

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

Pupils' learning is exceptionally broad and deep as a result of the education they receive. They talk with detail and passion about what they learn in each subject.

Leaders have planned a highly ambitious curriculum. They are determined that pupils should not only be ready for secondary school but have strong foundations for adult life. Leaders have carefully considered what pupils will learn step by step.

Teachers check pupils' understanding at every stage of this journey and use this to personalise their lessons so that every pupil succeeds. There are equally ambitious expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are highly skilled at adapting their teaching to help these pupils achieve extremely well.

Above all else, pupils at Liphook Junior school become skilled and passionate readers. Inspired by the books they read in class, pupils debate issues such as gender equality and diversity. The books pupils read are matched to their ability and provide a balance of challenge and interest.

The needs of the least fluent readers, including some with SEND, are precisely understood by teachers and leaders. These pupils are rightly confident that they will catch up with their peers quickly because of the highly valuable support they receive.

Pupils relish the opportunity to take on a huge range of leadership roles in the school, from sports and play leaders to eco warriors and well-being mentors.

These roles help to create a culture where every pupil feels that they have the power to make a difference within their community. Describing their role as a well-being mentor, one pupil said, 'My job is to make other people feel happy'.

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are impeccable.

They focus on their learning with a sense of pace and urgency. Adults model polite and respectful behaviour, recognising and rewarding pupils' positive behaviour appropriately. The impact of this is seen in the exemplary way pupils interact with others.

Pupils' enjoyment of school means that they are very rarely absent.

Leaders maximise their impact through the way they inspire, motivate and develop others. They provide clear vision and direction while making sure that everybody's voice is heard.

Teachers who lead subjects or year groups appreciate that senior leaders allocate time to developing the curriculum. Leaders prioritise staff training, including initial teacher training. As a result, it is common for teachers to train at the school and then remain to pursue the excellent career development on offer.

Governors are part of the school's open and honest culture. They provide robust challenge to leaders, which leaders listen to and act upon. They know the school well and are right to have confidence in its leadership.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are well trained so that they are effective at identifying concerns. They report these quickly and leaders take appropriate and decisive action.

There is also a proactive approach to keeping children safe through the curriculum. Pupils are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils in Year 6 say they feel more able to speak up about issues thanks to recent assertiveness training provided for them.

The school is rigorous in carrying out pre-employment checks on adults working with children. Governors receive safer recruitment training and form part of interview panels. Procedures and policies for keeping children safe are strengthened because governors regularly check them and provide feedback.

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