Purbrook Junior School

Purbrook Junior School is performing strongly overall. Safeguarding standards are met, and leaders have created an open, positive safeguarding culture. Attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development are all strong, while achievement is at the expected standard because mathematics is still being embedded. Pupils are safe, attend well, behave consistently and take pride in learning. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, teaching is inclusive, and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils is highly effective. Personal development is a notable strength, with pupils showing strong values, responsibility and readiness for secondary school. The main area for further work is mathematics: recent improvements are underway but not yet fully consistent, so leaders should continue to embed the new approaches. The school is a larger-than-average junior school with no resourced SEND provision and pupil characteristics broadly in line with national averages. The inspection was a full section 5 inspection under Ofsted's renewed framework, and the school uses one alternative provision, including one unregistered provider.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and an open culture ensures pupils feel safe.
• Attendance is high and persistent absence has reduced through well-organised support.
• Pupils' behaviour is consistently positive and contributes to a calm, purposeful environment.
• Bullying is rare and staff deal with incidents quickly and effectively.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well sequenced and builds securely on prior learning.
• Teaching is strong, with secure subject knowledge and responsive assessment.
• Reading, writing and mathematics foundations are prioritised, with reading woven across the curriculum.
• Inclusion is highly effective, with early identification and strong support for pupils with SEND.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, and pupil premium funding is used effectively to diminish gaps.
• Leaders have a clear, accurate understanding of the school and robust improvement systems.
• Governance fulfils statutory duties and provides appropriate challenge and support.
• Staff benefit from high-quality professional development and feel supported and valued.
• Personal development is broad, well sequenced and prepares pupils well for life beyond primary school.
• Pupils are reflective and self-aware and demonstrate the school's values.
• Pupils access a wide range of experiences, trips, clubs and leadership roles.

Areas for Improvement

• Mathematics teaching approaches are not yet fully embedded, so consistency across the school remains a work in progress.
• Published mathematics outcomes have been less consistent than in reading and writing, including a below-average year in 2023/24 and historical gaps for disadvantaged pupils.

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 Purbrook Junior School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.5% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Purbrook 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 Purbrook Junior School had 23.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.8% 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, 13.2% of pupils at Purbrook Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Purbrook Junior School received £6,480 and spent £6,391 for each of its 380 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £152,000 (£399 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 Waterlooville · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Purbrook Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Purbrook Junior School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Purbrook Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Purbrook Junior School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Purbrook Junior School have?

Purbrook Junior School has 380 pupils on roll.

What age range does Purbrook Junior School cover?

Purbrook Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Purbrook Junior School?

Purbrook Junior School is at Aldermoor Road East, Purbrook, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO7 5NQ.