Headteacher’s pride as Abbotswood Junior School in Totton receives ‘good’ rating from Ofsted

“A HAPPY school with so much to offer” is how Ofsted inspectors described a Totton primary, which has been rated as ‘good’.

Abbotswood Junior School in Ringwood Road, which teaches 610 pupils aged seven to 11, was visited by inspectors on 7th and 8th June.

A report praised the establishment for its high expectations of all pupils and said it had created a curriculum that was “aspirational”.

It stated: “This is a happy school with so much on offer. Pupils love school life [and] they enjoy the many clubs and sporting competitions.

“Parents and carers are highly positive about the school and their children’s experiences.

“As one parent wrote, summing up the views of many: ‘They are a big school but manage to make every child feel important’.”

Leaders promote positive learning behaviours extremely well, inspectors found, and pupils work “very hard”.

They added: “Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and around the school.

“They adore showing their work to Tommy, the school dog, as a reward.

“Classrooms are vibrant and excellent places to learn, while playgrounds are active and pupils feel safe.”

It said children appreciated the open door policy of ‘Room 5’, a space where children could go to discuss any concerns they may have, and the staff there who “make things better”.

The report noted that staff and governors shared the headteacher’s vision that all pupils, especially the most disadvantaged, consistently benefited from the “superb” opportunities that the school provides.

Leaders had created an engaging curriculum that precisely sets out what pupils should learn and when, it said, and staff spoke highly of the training and coaching they receive, which supported them to understand and teach the curriculum “very well”.

Inspectors noted that staff noticed additional needs quickly, and teachers adapt tasks skilfully.

Pupils’ personalised targets were said to be precise and reviewed regularly.

“As a result, pupils achieve exceptionally well,” said the report.

“Teachers have excellent knowledge of the subjects they teach [and] they are supported well by knowledgeable subject leaders and collaborative planning in year group teams.”

There is a strong culture of reading and a love of books in the school, inspectors said

“At story time, you can hear a pin drop as pupils listen enthusiastically to teachers reading to their class,” they stated.

Weekly speaking and listening sessions enable pupils to debate issues such as equity, equality and caring for the environment.

Staff are “immensely” proud to work at the school, with morale high and teamwork strong, noted inspectors.

The school was last inspected in 2017, when it also received a ‘good’ rating.

The report concluded: “When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection.

“There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded inspection now.”

Headteacher Glenn Moore told the A&T he was “so proud” of the staff, governors and most importantly, the children, who were all “a delight” to work with.

He added: “I would like to thank all those parents who completed the Ofsted questionnaire.

“The feedback was heartwarming, with over 95% of parents saying that they would recommend the school to another parent.”