Ovingham Middle School

Overview

Ovingham Middle School continues to be a good school, where pupils are encouraged to aim high and achieve well academically. The report highlights a broad, ambitious curriculum and strong relationships underpinned by the school’s ‘heart’ values, ensuring pupils feel safe and supported. Despite some staffing turbulence, leaders have maintained high-quality education and effective safeguarding arrangements.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well academically, benefiting from an "ambitious and broad curriculum" with knowledge that is "sensibly organised" to build on prior learning.
• Staff have "secure subject knowledge" and teach effectively, using techniques like retrieval tasks and modelling to help pupils understand new information.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are "well supported to achieve well, alongside their peers," with equal ambition for their progress.
• The school fosters a positive culture where pupils speak clearly about "tolerance and respect" and understand how to challenge bullying.
• Staff feel well supported by leaders, with workload concerns listened to, and governors maintain a "sharp focus on the school’s priorities."

Areas to improve

• The school should ensure ongoing professional development focuses on the "effective use of questioning in all curriculum subjects" to precisely identify and address gaps in learning.
• Leaders must embed the new behaviour policy so it is "applied and implemented consistently" by all staff, preventing perceptions of unfairness among pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.