Marchwood Junior School remains ‘outstanding’, Ofsted says
MARCHWOOD Junior School continues to be ‘outstanding’, inspectors have ruled.
Ofsted lead inspector Lizzie Jeanes said: “Pupils are enthusiastic about learning and enjoy coming to school. They work hard in their lessons and achieve highly. Pupils are ‘inspired to dream’ because of the ambitious curriculum that enthralls them.”
She added: “Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. They are polite and well-mannered both in their lessons and during the fun-packed breaktimes. Pupils and staff live out the MJS ‘family values’ of caring, respectful, aspirational, brave.
“Pupils relish the wide range of sporting opportunities available to them. They are particularly proud to represent their school in competitions across the local area.”
The Ofsted report said the school, which has had the highest rating since 2018, had designed a “highly ambitious” curriculum for all its 309 pupils, aged 7-11, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). “Nothing is left to chance.”
It added: “Pupils achieve exceptionally well because they develop secure knowledge in all subjects.
“Skilful questioning helps teachers to understand whether important learning has been fully grasped. Teachers identify those in need of additional help quickly and provide carefully tailored support to ensure that pupils’ needs are met fully.”
“The school has planned the reading curriculum very carefully to make sure children become highly confident and fluent readers. From the early morning book clubs to the class story time, pupils are introduced to a range of fascinating and diverse texts. These spark pupils’ imagination.”
Ms Jeanes continued: “The strong academic curriculum is complemented by an exceptional focus on character development. The school has a carefully mapped and monitored approach. This means that all pupils benefit from the wide range of trips, visits, debates and discussions.”
She added: “Staff are proud to work at the school. They know pupils well and use these strong relationships to promote and secure good attendance. Staff value the school’s commitment to their well-being and the training that they receive to develop professionally.”