Schools in Hampshire: Pupils at The Cowplain School 'motivated to work hard', Oftsed inspection finds

The Cowplain School, located in Hart Plain Avenue, Cowplain, has received a good Ofsted rating following its inspection which took place on March 5 and 6, 2024.

The report says: “Pupils value the warm and welcoming atmosphere here. They are motivated to work hard and be successful. The school’s high expectations are evident in many aspects of day-to-day life. Most pupils strive to meet these expectations and conduct themselves sensibly in lessons and around school.

“Pupils appreciate the support theyget from staff, which helps them learn well. While attendance is improving, there remains a small number of pupils who do not attend as often as they should.”

The report outlined that ‘relationships between staff and pupils are based on mutual respect’ and ‘pupils understand the importance of respecting differences between people and celebrating diversity.’ Ian Gates, headteacher of The Cowplain School, said: “We very proud of our report which recognises the warm and welcoming atmosphere of The Cowplain School and that relationships between staff and students are strong. OFSTED confirmed what we already knew, that students are happy and feel safe and that they have lots of opportunities to participate in all the clubs, experiences and trips that we run.

“They also commented on the improvements that we’ve made to our ambitious curriculum and also that the school has high expectations for students’ behaviour.

“Overall we’re very pleased that OFSTED recognised what a good school The Cowplain School is and I’d like to thank all our staff, students and parents who have contributed to our continued success.”

The report added: “The school is ambitious for pupils to develop their character. For instance, learning is enriched through a vast number of clubs, experiences and trips. Some pupils also flourish in leadership positions by being a ‘reading buddy’ or as a member of the school council.

“The curriculum has rightly undergone significant improvements. It is designed around three central strands, ‘thinking hard, developing character and understanding diversity’. Across subjects, the important knowledge pupils should learn, and the order in which they should learn it, is clearly set out.”

The report found that the school would benefit from some improvements. It said: “Sometimes teachers do not check what pupils know and understanding carefully enough before moving them on to new learning.

“Leaders, including trustees, do not have a precise enough understanding of how well staff are implementing agreed policies and procedures to deliver the curriculum.” The safeguarding measures are effective and for more information about the Ofsted, click here.