Whitehorse Manor Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

This is a good school. It is not yet outstanding as there remains some variation in the quality of teaching, which means that not all pupils are making rapid and sustained progress.

The management team has acted swiftly to address the decline in standards noted in the previous year and has ambitious plans to develop the school further. Achievement is good. By the end of Year 6, pupils' attainment is above average in both mathematics and English.

Teachers make good use of assessment data to gauge the pitch of work so that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs progress at the same rate as other pupils. Teaching is good, with some emerging outstanding practice. Teachers hav...e worked hard to increase their confidence and skills to ensure pupils make good progress.

In a minority of lessons, teachers do not always encourage pupils to take enough responsibility for their own learning, especially the most able. Pupils behave very well and show extremely positive attitudes towards the school, their peers and the staff working with them. They are polite, courteous and proud of all their school.

They feel safe and are confident that should any inappropriate behaviour occur it would be dealt with swiftly and fairly. Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is high. Senior leaders and the governing body have provided a very clear vision for future development which is shared by all the school's staff.

The leadership of teaching has enabled teachers new to the school to make rapid progress in their development, and staff performance is well managed. The school's good curriculum enables pupils to achieve well in a planned programme of rich and exciting experiences.

Information about the school

This is an average-sized school which serves a diverse community in an area of Surrey that borders south London.

It takes the vast majority of its intake in Year 3 from the infant school with which it shares a site. Approximately 90% of pupils at the school are from minority ethnic backgrounds, a figure which is well above the national average. The main groups represented at the school are of Black Caribbean and Black African heritage.

Approximately a third of the school's pupils speak English as an additional language, which is about double the national average, though with a relatively small number who are at the early stages of English fluency. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is well above the national average. The main types of special educational need found in the school are related to specific learning difficulties and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is slightly above average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. Since the last inspection, the school has become part of an academy trust of three schools and at the time of the inspection was subject to a major building refurbishment, which meant that a number of temporary arrangements had been made to provide accommodation for pupils and staff.

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