Rowner Junior

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a shared sense of pride about being part of 'Team Rowner'.

Leaders combine a strong sense of nurture with high expectations for pupils. Staff know the school community well and use this knowledge to create strong relationships. This allows all pupils to feel supported and achieve well.

Families recognise the lengths leaders and staff go to. They too see themselves as part of 'Team Rowner'. As one parent said: 'Rowner Junior is one of the most caring and nurturing schools I know.

The children are at the centre of everything they do. The opportunities available, not just within the school day, are second to none. It is more a way of life than a school....'



Leaders focus on promoting behaviour which supports learning. As a result, pupils behave well and work hard. Pupils feel safe and happy due to the many systems in place to support them.

They know that staff help them with their friendships and will address any unkind behaviour or incidents of bullying.

Pupils are excited to join one of the many school clubs. The popular 'Dance Live' and construction clubs regularly enter local and national competitions.

Their success is shared with pride across the school community.

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

Pupils and staff benefit from being part of the trust. The trust's values around 'Gosport Futures' sit at the heart of the school and are well known by staff.

There is a clear sense of feeling part of a wider team and how this includes Rowner Junior. Pupils get to participate in many activities across the trust. Staff gain from professional learning opportunities.

Leaders at all levels share a united vision to provide a high-quality education for all pupils.

The curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils. In most subjects, leaders have set out what pupils need to learn and remember.

In these subjects, teachers carefully assess and develop pupils' knowledge and skills as they move through the school. The skilled special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) team ensures that teachers know how to identify pupils who need additional help. This help is then shaped through a highly personalised approach, drawing on expertise from external agencies when necessary.

As a result, pupils with SEND are well supported with their learning across the curriculum.

However, in a very few foundation subjects, the curriculum is still being developed. In these subjects, teachers sometimes focus more on creating enjoyable activities rather than the intended learning.

As a result, the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember is not always clear. Leaders' plans to improve this are under way, but not yet complete.

Leaders prioritise reading across the school and pupils read well.

They have identified an increased need to make sure that all pupils joining the school in Year 3 have the phonics strategies they need to be able to read fluently. Leaders have ensured that most staff are trained to teach phonics well and pupils read books which match the sounds they are learning. Across the curriculum, teachers select books which add to pupils' experiences and then help them with their writing.

For example, pupils clearly apply their reading knowledge when writing character and setting descriptions. Pupils greet the book swap trolley with delight and enjoy visiting their well-stocked library.

Leaders' actions to develop pupils' well-being and character are impressive.

There are strong systems to identify pupils who need emotional support. Staff within the 'The Hive', and across the school, are skilled at providing this help. Leaders keep a sharp focus on how this benefits pupils with their learning.

In lessons, teachers encourage all pupils to debate and discuss issues. As a result, pupils are confident and articulate when presenting their opinions. Pupils listen carefully and are unafraid to challenge each other's views in an appropriate way.

Some pupils do not benefit fully from all the school offers. They do not attend regularly enough. Leaders have strategies in place to support families and improve attendance.

They are intensifying this support to continue to improve pupils' attendance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders are thorough in their approach to safeguarding.

They ensure that all staff are trained in how to identify and report any concerns they may have about pupils' welfare. Safeguarding records are well organised and allow leaders to pass on concerns to other agencies when appropriate. Leaders check that appropriate support is provided for families.

Pupils know how to identify risk and keep themselves safe. They talk with confidence about their safety in relation to the internet, strangers, roads and fire. Trustees carefully monitor and check on the school's safeguarding procedures and resulting actions.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few foundation subjects, the curriculum is not fully developed. As a result, pupils cannot always remember key knowledge and make links with their previous learning. Leaders need to embed the development of clearly sequenced knowledge and skills in these subjects.

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This affects their learning and well-being. Leaders need to ensure that strategies to improve attendance remain a high priority and that they keep a careful check on their effectiveness.