Oakley Church of England Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Oakley Church of England Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 8 January 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in March 2015.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Leaders have high expectations of staff and pupils.

Ably supported by your deputy headteacher, you take every opportunity to ensure that there is high-quality teaching throughout the school. Leaders and governors have a good u...nderstanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and have well- focused plans for further improvements. The previous inspection highlighted many strengths, including above-average attainment.

You have maintained high standards. In the 2018 national tests, at the end of key stage 2, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in each subject, reading, writing and mathematics, was much higher than the national averages. Pupils enjoy coming to Oakley Junior School.

As one parent wrote, 'My daughter goes into school every morning with a smile on her face and comes out with one too.' During my visits to lessons, I observed how eager the pupils are to learn. This is reflected in their good attendance.

Pupils work hard and they told me that their lessons are fun. They like many aspects of school life, including the school's swimming pool, computing and the wide range of sporting opportunities on offer, such as tag rugby, cricket and running. Pupils behave well.

They support each other's learning because relationships are positive. For example, in a Year 5 English lesson, pupils listened attentively to each other's ideas about how atmosphere was created by a poet. The last inspection asked you to improve pupils' attainment in writing.

You have been very successful here. Standards in writing are high in English lessons. You were also asked to ensure that parents knew how to find information and were able to communicate any concerns quickly.

Leaders and governors have done much to improve channels of communication with parents, including regular newsletters and questionnaires. The majority of parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, agreed that the school responds well to any concerns that they raise. Parents appreciate how approachable the teachers are, with one parent commenting, 'The teachers take the time to get to know the children as individuals and how to get the best out of them in terms of their educational abilities.'

Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team ensures that all safeguarding requirements are fit for purpose. Day-to-day routines are secure and any necessary actions are completed without delay.

Pre-employment checks to ensure the suitability of all adults who work or volunteer in the school are fully in place. Staff and governors receive regular safeguarding training. Leaders work well with outside agencies and the local authority to make sure that families and pupils get the help that they need.

Governors regularly check that the school's safeguarding processes are working well. Pupils with whom I spoke say that they have many adults in the school that they can talk to if they have a concern. As one pupil said, 'There is always an adult who will listen to you.'

They told me that bullying does sometimes happen, but when it does, 'teachers take it seriously'. They are taught how to stay safe in a variety of situations throughout the curriculum, such as learning about road safety, mental health and well-being, and online safety. As a result, pupils have a strong understanding of how to keep themselves safe Inspection findings ? Leaders are committed to developing pupils' love of learning.

An extensive range of visits and visitors, including a well-loved residential trip, enrich pupils' experiences at Oakley Junior School. There are many sporting and musical opportunities, including a school orchestra and choir, as well as a wide range of clubs. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is promoted well.

The school's values of 'compassion, integrity and forgiveness' permeate through the working life of the school. As a result, the Diocese of Winchester uses the school as an example of best practice in supporting other local schools, particularly through your work on prayer. However, there is some work to do to ensure that the wider curriculum is well planned and designed in order for pupils to make strong progress in all subjects.

For example, pupils are not regularly given the opportunity to carry out investigations and work scientifically. You are looking to develop further the skills of middle leaders so that they can contribute effectively in improving curriculum design and implementation. ? The teaching of writing is highly effective in English lessons and as a result pupils are making strong progress.

My classroom visits and scrutiny of pupils' work, showed that standards in writing are high. Pupils have many opportunities to write at length and present their work neatly. They use descriptive and adventurous vocabulary well.

Their basic writing skills are secure. Pupils know how to improve their writing by using their well-developed editing skills. However, teachers' expectations of the quality of writing are not as high in subjects other than English.

This is limiting some pupils' progress. ? Leaders and governors were disappointed with the proportion of pupils who attained the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined in the end of 2018 key stage 2 assessments. Leaders have responded swiftly and have introduced new teaching strategies which target and extend the most able pupils.

During my visits to lessons and whilst looking at pupil's work, I saw many examples of the most able pupils being challenged in English and mathematics. In lessons, adults question pupils well in order to check pupils' accurate understanding and extend pupils' thinking. However, teachers' expectations of what the most able pupils can attain in subjects other than English and mathematics are less well established.

Work does not always sufficiently challenge the most able pupils to think deeply and develop subject-specific skills at a higher level. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? the wider curriculum is well planned and implemented across all areas so that pupils excel across a wide range of subjects by: – developing further the role and skills of the middle leaders so that they can improve the quality of teaching and raise standards in all areas of the curriculum – ensuring that the standard of writing across the curriculum is of the same high standard as that seen in English lessons – raising teachers' expectations and the level of challenge for the most able pupils in subjects other than English and mathematics. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Winchester, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Hampshire.

This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Lea Hannam Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection, I met with you and your deputy headteacher to discuss the school's effectiveness. Together, we visited classrooms to observe pupils' learning, talk to pupils and look at their work.

With the senior leadership team, we looked at the quality of work in a range of pupils' books. I considered 103 responses from parents to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including free-text comments. I also spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.

Responses to Ofsted's staff and pupil questionnaires were considered and I had a meeting with a group of pupils to discuss their views about the school. I met with five governors, including the chair of the governing body. I spoke to a representative of the diocese on the telephone and met with a representative of the local authority.

I evaluated the school's safeguarding arrangements. A wide range of documents were examined, including the school's self-evaluation, school improvement planning, attendance information, information about pupils' progress, and various policies. I also examined the school's website.

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