Alverstoke Church of England Aided Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 September 2022

Pupils love attending this happy school where there is a positive attitude to learning. Leaders and teachers have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils work hard in lessons. They strive to not lose behaviour points by making sensible behaviour choices in lessons and the playground. They understand the school rules and low-level disruption is infrequent. When things do go wrong, such as the occasional 'football fallout', leaders help pupils mend relationships and respect different points of view well. Pupils feel safe in school. Adults listen to them. Pupils appreciate the 'worry monsters' who live in classrooms, and where pupils post any concerns. Staff check these regularly and act swiftly to resolve any worries. Bullying is rare. Leaders have clear processes in place and investigate any claims thoroughly. Pupils trust them to do this. The school's Christian values permeate through all aspects of school life. Pupils show respect and act with love to others. Relationships are strong. Parents and carers speak highly of the school. They especially value the thoughtful transition from the local infant school. This helps their children to settle quickly. As one parent wrote, summing up the views of many, 'My daughter feels safe, secure and is thriving.'

What the school should improve

• Pupils do not always finish the books they study and this frustrates them. They are rarely given time to listen to books purely for pleasure. This means that they miss out on additional opportunities to understand vocabulary and enjoy stories to completion. Leaders should consider how best to further enrich the reading curriculum to nurture pupils' enjoyment of reading even more.
• Current processes to check learning in foundation subjects do not tell teachers exactly what they need to know about pupils' understanding. The aspects that leaders have identified to be checked are sometimes too wide, open to interpretation or not the most important knowledge for future learning. This hinders teachers when designing learning for pupils in these subjects. Leaders should refine their foundation subject assessment processes further to establish what is the most important knowledge they want pupils to remember and teachers to check across the curriculum.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)