'Clear action plan' in place at Hart Plain Junior School as Ofsted inspection says 'early reading is not as effective' as it should be
Staff have established a ‘clear action plan’ at a junior school amid its Ofsted inspection which said reading needs to be improved.
Hart Plain Junior School, located in Waterlooville, was inspected by Ofsted on June 17, 18 and 25 of this year, resulting in varied feedback published in the report this month.
The inspection outlined the school offers ‘strong pastoral support’ and keeping children safe is a high priority with staff members.
The report said ‘in recent years though, too many pupils have not acquired the reading and mathematics knowledge they need’ but the ‘school is beginning to make positive changes’.
It added: “For example, improvements to the mathematics curriculum now enable most pupils to achieve well in this subject. However, there are still too many pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, who cannot read sufficiently well for their age.”
The visit also highlighted that the school is ‘calm and purposeful’ with a thoughtful and consistent approach to ‘managing behaviour’, and it works hard to ensure pupils ‘become the very best version of themselves.’
A Hart Plain Junior School spokesperson said: "We were pleased that the inspection recognised both our ambition for pupils to achieve well and the strong pastoral support they receive.
“Pupils behave respectfully, show positive attitudes to learning, appreciate our consistent approach to behaviour, and understand that we want them to become the very best version of themselves.
“Our commitment to personal development and to meeting the needs of all pupils who require support, including those with SEND, was also highlighted as a strength.”
The report also said that there are areas for improvement, with the quality of education and leadership and management criterias both receiving a ‘requires improvement’.
‘Curriculum content is not defined or sequenced effectively’ which results in teachers not always possessing the knowledge they need to teach and when to teach it.
However, the inspection has said the school is starting to ‘take action to improve’ reading by utilising a ‘broad range of carefully considered texts’ to learn new vocabulary and phonics.
It added: “Pupils at the early stages of learning to read, including several pupils with SEND, do not learn to read quickly enough. While the school has introduced a well-planned and sequenced phonics programme, this is not delivered effectively.
“Often, those readers who struggle the most do not receive effective support, including when practising their reading aloud.”
“Working closely with the local authority, we have already begun implementing targeted strategies to strengthen our curriculum offer, with a particular focus on early reading.
“We have informed parents of the outcome of our inspection and continue to keep them updated on our progress. We want to thank them for their ongoing support.”
Personal development is a strength and students learn about life in modern Britian, preparing them for their next years in secondary schools, according to the report.