Southwood School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
182
AGES
7 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Foundation school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
unlock
UNLOCK

Can I Get My Child Into This School?

Enter a postcode to see where you live on the map
heatmap example
Sample Map Only
Very Likely
Likely
Less Likely

This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
01908 691691

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(17/05/2023)
Full Report - All Reports
64%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



Unlock The Rest Of The Data Now
We've Helped 20 Million Parents
  • See All Official School Data
  • View Catchment Area Maps
  • Access 2024 League Tables
  • Read Real Parent Reviews
  • Unlock 2024 Star Ratings
  • Easily Choose Your #1 School
£19.95
Per month

Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Bryony Place
Conniburrow Boulevard
Conniburrow
Milton Keynes
MK14 7AR
01908678366

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. As headteacher, you provide clear-sighted and purposeful leadership to drive improvements. Working closely with other school leaders you have developed a team that focuses on shared accountability. You provide a clear focus on achieving the highest quality of teaching. This is recognised and greatly valued by staff, pupils and parents. One parent commented, ‘It’s a really safe school and the teachers are giving their best to make progress on learning with all the pupils.’ Pupils are proud of their school and so work hard, are confident and appreciate the good learning opportunities provided. The school vision of ‘respect, resilience, responsibility and reflect’ underpins the work of the school. Pupils’ attitudes to learning continue to be a strength of the school. This is a happy school due to the high levels of pastoral care that enable pupils to learn together and thrive. At the time of the last inspection, the school was asked to raise achievement and teaching by helping all pupils to develop both their independence in lessons and their use of information and communication technology to improve their research skills. Your work in these areas over time is effective. As a school, you have embedded the use of information communication technology and provided a range of effective resources that help pupils enhance their questioning and reasoning skills. This has led to pupils being more independent, and more pupils are making better progress. Senior leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and those areas requiring further improvement. Progress in writing is not as strong as it is in reading and mathematics. You have clear plans to address this to ensure that the progress of pupils in writing matches the progress achieved in reading and mathematics. Safeguarding is effective. You, together with your staff and the governing body, have created a strong safeguarding culture. Your staff are vigilant and record all concerns they have about pupils. You know your pupils and families well and this enables you to ensure that your pupils get the help they need to stay safe. Robust procedures ensure that all statutory checks are completed for adults working in the school. All school staff receive timely and good-quality training to ensure that they are confident applying the school’s policies and guidance in relation to child protection issues. Parents and staff who completed the online questionnaires stated, without exception, that children are safe at this school. Pupils with whom I spoke agreed that they feel safe in school. One child told me, ‘The teachers are really caring and there is always someone to talk to.’ Inspection findings At the start of the inspection, we agreed to look at the effectiveness of safeguarding, how effectively you have improved the teaching of writing and, in particular, how you have improved the progress of boys, disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils in writing. In 2016, the proportion of pupils who were making better than expected progress in writing was below the national average. Leaders reorganised the writing curriculum and raised expectations among staff. This led to pupils, particularly the boys, making better progress because teachers have higher expectations. Disadvantaged pupils are achieving well. Leaders have established a clear strategy to ensure that all interventions have a sharp focus, and this has helped develop pupils’ confidence. For example, the ‘learning achievement base’ is a nurturing environment that ensures that all children are prepared to learn. This extra support is effective, and it is helping pupils to build up their confidence and become successful learners. Your staff monitor pupils’ progress and well-being closely, and your records show the vast majority of disadvantaged pupils are making good progress. Pupils make good progress in writing but it is not as strong as in mathematics and reading. You have implemented changes to the teaching of writing. Teachers have developed the range of writing experiences that help pupils to develop their descriptive vocabulary. Most-able pupils are challenged to use complex sentences to relate emotions and feeling in stories. Where these changes have been implemented effectively, the most able pupils are making better progress. You have identified that these changes are not yet consistent across the school. Consequently, not all the most able pupils in the school make as much progress as they could. You and your team have worked hard to improve pupils’ attendance and it is now in line with the national average. However, you know that attendance needs to improve further. The number of pupils who are persistently absent is higher than the national average and you have correctly identified this as a key area to focus in on. Your staff continue to communicate sensitively with families to ensure that pupils attend school and maximise their time at school. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: pupils’ progress in writing continues to improve, particularly for the most able absence continues to be robustly tackled so that current attendance levels are sustained and the number of children who are persistently absent reduces. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Milton Keynes. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely David Harris Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you, your deputy headteacher and your staff. We talked about the improvements which have been made since the last inspection. Together, we undertook observations of learning in lessons. I examined pupils’ work, focusing on writing. I also held discussions with two governors, including the chair of governors, and talked informally to pupils in lessons. A meeting was held with a representative from the local authority. Before the inspection, I examined a variety of documents, including the school’s website, published performance data and a summary of your school’s self-evaluation document. I took into account the views of eight parents who responded to ‘Parent View’ and the feedback from 22 staff questionnaires. A range of documentary evidence was evaluated, including documents relating to safeguarding and governance.

Southwood School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>64, "agree"=>27, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>55, "agree"=>45, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>73, "agree"=>18, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>45, "agree"=>36, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>64, "agree"=>27, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>27, "agree"=>64, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>45, "agree"=>55, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>36, "agree"=>45, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>45, "agree"=>36, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>45, "agree"=>36, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>9, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>45, "agree"=>45, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019
Yes No {"yes"=>82, "no"=>18} UNLOCK Figures based on 11 responses up to 30-03-2019

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

Your rating:
Review guidelines
  • Do explain who you are and your relationship to the school e.g. ‘I am a parent…’
  • Do back up your opinion with examples or clear reasons but, remember, it’s your opinion not fact.
  • Don’t use bad or aggressive language.
  • Don't go in to detail about specific staff or pupils. Individual complaints should be directed to the school.
  • Do go to the relevant authority is you have concerns about a serious issue such as bullying, drug abuse or bad management.
Read the full review guidelines and where to find help if you have serious concerns about a school.
We respect your privacy and never share your email address with the reviewed school or any third parties. Please see our T&Cs and Privacy Policy for details of how we treat registered emails with TLC.


News, Photos and Open Days from Southwood School

We are waiting for this school to upload information. Represent this school?
Register your details to add open days, photos and news.

Do you represent
Southwood School?

Register to add photos, news and download your Certificate of Excellence 2023/24

*Official school administrator email addresses

(eg [email protected]). Details will be verified.

Questions? Email [email protected]

We're here to help your school to add information for parents.

Thank you for registering your details

A member of the School Guide team will verify your details within 2 working days and provide further detailed instructions for setting up your School Noticeboard.

For any questions please email [email protected]