Calmore Junior School

Calmore Junior School is a school where pupils feel safe, valued and part of a strong community. Inspectors found personal development and wellbeing to be a strength, with a broad programme, highly effective pastoral support, and a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. Behaviour and attendance are secure: pupils are calm, respectful and positive about school, attendance is broadly in line with national figures and stronger for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and leaders track absence carefully. Inclusion and leadership and governance are also effective, with accurate identification of need, strong SEND provision, a clear vision, and well-received professional development. Safeguarding standards are met. However, achievement requires attention. Although most pupils achieve broadly in line with national outcomes overall, some do not secure essential basic skills, particularly secure phonics knowledge for early reading and effective handwriting. In some subjects, including reading and handwriting, staff do not address gaps in prior knowledge quickly enough, which slows progress and is reflected in published outcomes. Recent curriculum improvements are not yet fully reflected in results, and improvement priorities sometimes lack precision. The school has clear strengths to build on, especially its personal development, inclusion and community ethos. Next steps focus on sharpening improvement priorities, embedding the phonics programme, and ensuring transcription skills are consistently taught across the curriculum so that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve as well as they should. The school has 204 pupils, a higher-than-average proportion eligible for free school meals, and a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans.

Strengths

• Personal development and wellbeing are a standout strength, with a broad and carefully structured programme.
• Pupils show high levels of respect, tolerance and understanding of protected characteristics and fundamental British values.
• A wide range of clubs, trips, sporting and enrichment activities broadens pupils' experiences and removes barriers to participation.
• Pastoral support is highly effective, and pupils know how to access help independently.
• Pupils behave calmly and purposefully, are kind and respectful, and trust staff to address bullying.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national figures and above national averages for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Inclusion is at the heart of the school's work, with accurate identification of needs and effective SEND provision.
• Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision and provide well-designed professional development that staff value.
• Governors are committed, fulfil their statutory duties and are increasingly able to provide challenge.
• Pupils achieve well in well-organised subjects such as mathematics, with rising multiplication tables check outcomes.
• Strong relationships with families and the local community help pupils and parents feel part of the 'Calmore family'.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is graded needs attention because some pupils do not secure essential basic skills, including secure phonics knowledge for early reading and effective handwriting.
• Published outcomes in reading and recent combined reading, writing and mathematics measures remain below national averages.
• In some subjects, including reading and handwriting, staff do not address gaps in prior knowledge quickly enough, slowing pupils' progress.
• The impact of recent curriculum improvements is not yet reflected in published outcomes.
• Improvement priorities sometimes lack precision, reducing the impact of actions on pupils' achievement.
• Persistent absence, though close to national average, remains an area for further reduction.
• The phonics programme needs further embedding so early readers receive consistently effective support.
• Weaknesses in pupils' transcription skills are not routinely identified and addressed across the curriculum.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment gap remains wide in reading, writing and mathematics compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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 Calmore Junior School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Calmore 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 Calmore Junior School had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.1% 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, 19.5% of pupils at Calmore Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% 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 Calmore Junior School received £7,465 and spent £7,524 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £260,000 (£1,335 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 Calmore Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Calmore Junior School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Calmore Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Calmore Junior School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Calmore Junior School have?

Calmore Junior School has 195 pupils on roll.

What age range does Calmore Junior School cover?

Calmore Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Calmore Junior School?

Calmore Junior School is at Calmore Drive, Calmore, Southampton, Hampshire, SO40 2ZZ.