Meon Junior School

Meon Junior School is a welcoming, highly inclusive school that is performing well overall. Inspectors found particularly strong provision for inclusion, leadership and governance, and pupils’ personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils’ needs are identified carefully, staff adapt learning effectively, and additional support—including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities—helps them engage and achieve. Leaders are reflective and decisive, work closely with governors and trustees, and are focused on the most disadvantaged pupils. The school is part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust and Meon Way Federation, and has a well-above-average proportion of pupils receiving SEN support. Pupils achieve broadly in line with national expectations, attend well and behave respectfully. The curriculum is well sequenced and reading is a high priority. Pupils benefit from a thoughtful personal development programme, meaningful pupil leadership roles and strong relationships with staff. They are also supported well to become independent and self-reflective. The main development point is writing and grammar, where strategies are still being embedded. Inspectors also noted that misconceptions in written work are occasionally not tackled quickly enough, and disadvantaged pupils’ reading outcomes have trailed national averages over the latest three-year period, although recent outcomes are closer. Overall, the school is strong and continuing to improve.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture where pupils’ differences are celebrated
• Pupils’ needs, including SEND, are identified carefully and well understood
• Staff adapt learning effectively and use interventions that help pupils achieve
• Leaders, governors and trustees have an accurate view of strengths and priorities
• Leadership is reflective, decisive and focused on disadvantaged pupils
• Staff professional learning and wellbeing are well supported
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is especially well considered
• Pupils take meaningful leadership roles and contribute to their community
• Pupils are well supported to become independent and self-reflective
• Attendance is strong and pupils are keen to attend
• Behaviour expectations are high and pupils are respectful and kind
• The curriculum is well sequenced and reading is a high priority
• Safeguarding has an open and positive culture and standards are met

Areas for Improvement

• Writing and grammar strategies are still being embedded to improve achievement
• Misconceptions in written work are occasionally not addressed swiftly enough
• Disadvantaged pupils’ reading outcomes have been below national averages over the latest three-year period

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 Meon Junior School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.8% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Meon Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Meon Junior School had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 21.7% of pupils at Meon Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 2024–25 Meon Junior School received £12,400 and spent £11,449 for each of its 349 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £96,000 (£274 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, income was £8,363 and spending £8,363 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Portsmouth · Portsmouth local authority: places and applications

Meon Junior School is part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• Meon Infant School Southsea
• Moorings Way Infant School Southsea
• Penbridge Infant School Portsmouth
• The Portsmouth Academy Portsmouth
• Penbridge Junior School Portsmouth
• New Horizons Primary School Portsmouth
• Cedar Children's Academy Rochester
• The Rochester Grammar School Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Junior Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Infant Rochester

What is Meon Junior School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Meon Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meon Junior School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Meon Junior School have?

Meon Junior School has 336 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meon Junior School cover?

Meon Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Meon Junior School?

Meon Junior School is at Shelford Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO4 8NT.