Locks Heath Junior School

Locks Heath Junior School is a caring and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and embody the school’s value of respect. Inspectors found high expectations across the school, an ambitious curriculum and strong outcomes, with pupils well prepared for their next step. The school was judged good in all key areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and no overall effectiveness grade was given under the current inspection framework. The school’s strengths include particularly strong English and mathematics, effective reading and phonics support, good support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, improved attendance, and a broad enrichment offer. Pupils benefit from strong pastoral care focused on mental health and well-being, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Governors and staff are well supported, and staff are proud of their work. Inspectors identified two main areas for improvement. In some wider curriculum subjects, teachers’ assessment checks are not precise enough to identify and close gaps in pupils’ learning. In a few subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge is not secure enough, which sometimes affects the clarity of explanations and means some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy and behave well.
• The school is caring and inclusive and promotes respect.
• All staff have high expectations and apply rules consistently.
• The curriculum is ambitious and meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
• English and mathematics are particularly strong, with pupils recalling and applying prior learning well.
• Reading and phonics are taught effectively, helping pupils become fluent and confident readers.
• Teachers identify pupils who fall behind in reading and provide effective support.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well because expectations are high.
• Attendance has improved significantly due to careful tracking and support.
• Pupils benefit from strong pastoral care and mental health support.
• The school offers a broad enrichment programme and leadership opportunities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors share the school’s ambition and provide appropriate support.

Areas for Improvement

• In some wider curriculum subjects, assessment checks do not identify gaps in pupils’ learning accurately enough.
• In a few subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge is not secure enough, so explanations are sometimes unclear and pupils do not learn as well as they could.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Locks Heath Junior School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.2% of pupils at Locks Heath Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Locks Heath Junior School had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.0% of pupils at Locks Heath Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Locks Heath Junior School received £6,343 and spent £6,131 for each of its 418 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £265,000 (£634 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Southampton · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Locks Heath Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Locks Heath Junior School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Locks Heath Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Locks Heath Junior School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Locks Heath Junior School have?

Locks Heath Junior School has 418 pupils on roll.

What age range does Locks Heath Junior School cover?

Locks Heath Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Locks Heath Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Locks Heath Junior School?

Locks Heath Junior School is at Warsash Road, Locks Heath, Southampton, Hampshire, SO31 9NZ.