Ofsted & Performance Tables

At Southill Lower School we are proud of all our achievements.  Below you can read our most recent Ofsted report (July 2021) when we were judged to be a good school.

• “Classrooms and corridors are filled with laughter”.
• “Pupils at Southill are safe, secure and happy”.
• "Relationships between pupils are strong. They get on well with each other and display courtesy, respect and kindness”.
• “Behaviour is good”.
• “Pupils say there is no bullying at school”.
• “Leaders have identified key priorities and taken action to make the school better… They have also developed effective links with a partner school to share best practice”.
• “Provision now meets the needs of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)”.
• “The curriculum is carefully planned”.
• “Leaders and staff build strong relationships with parents by getting to know families well”.
• “Governance of the school is a strength… They have played an important role in developing links with a partner school”.
• “Parents’ responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire reflect how happy parents are with the school, with 100% recommending it to other parents”.

The report follows on from our 2016 report that celebrates how ...

• Southill is a school where pupils "enjoy school and feel safe".
• At Southill "The lively curriculum enthuses pupils and effectively promotes their personal development and positive attitudes to learning".
• "Pupils enjoy lessons".
• Pupils "say that there is no bullying and they are confident that they can turn to a trusted adult if anything makes them unhappy".

This builds on our 2011 Ofsted report, which also judged us to be a good school and noted how...

• "Pupils enjoy school, reflected in their high rate of attendance, make good progress and achieve well".
• "Pupils make good progress because teaching is good in the large majority of lessons".
• "Pupils behave well".

We also had a visit from Ofsted in October 2020 following the national Covid pandemic that caused the closure of schools to some pupils in spring and summer 2020.  This noted that:

• Southill has "used reading, spelling and phonics tests to identify any areas where pupils have fallen behind.  You are using the results of these checks to put in place extra help for those pupils who need it".
• Pupils "are being given lots of additional opportunities to practise and develop reading skills".
• "Since September, teachers are re-teaching important mathematical knowledge and making ongoing checks on pupils' learning.  Teachers are focused on giving pupils more opportunities to practise and use their basic number skills".
• Southill has "made personal, social, health and citizenship education a priority.  You feel this will help pupils settle back into working with others and support their emotional well-being". 

You can read our 2021 inspection report here.

You can download our 2016 or 2011 inspection reports here.

You can also access our DFE Performance Table.

You can read the letter following our visit in November 2020 here.