Oakridge Junior School Review 2026: High attainment, structured teaching, strong routines

Oakridge Junior School sits in the Oakridge area of Basingstoke and serves pupils from Year 3 to Year 6. Academic outcomes are a clear headline. In 2024, 86% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 34.33% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and maths, compared with an England average of 8%.

The school’s most recent formal visit was an ungraded inspection in May 2025, which signalled substantial positive movement since the last graded inspection. That matters for parents because it suggests the current routines, curriculum sequencing and support for pupils with additional needs are bedding in, not just holding steady.

For families weighing options locally, this is a junior school that looks and feels like it runs on tight systems. The question for most parents is less about quality and more about fit, day to day expectations, and how competitive Year 3 entry is for your address.

Oakridge describes an ethos centred on a happy, caring and healthy school community, with an emphasis on mutual respect, high standards of behaviour, and helping children meet life’s challenges with confidence. The messaging is not abstract. It is written in terms of learning habits, teamwork, and children becoming independent, self motivated learners who contribute positively.

External review evidence aligns with that focus on routines. Pupils are described as happy and safe, with strong behaviour and a culture of respect, alongside consistently high expectations for learning. The same report highlights pupils taking roles of responsibility such as kindness ambassadors, prefects and sports captains, which points to a junior school culture that gives pupils visible ownership of the tone of the community.

The physical setting is a practical advantage. The federation site is described as around 9 acres of open grassland with hedgerows and established planting, used for environmental investigation as well as play. For juniors, that tends to show up as more space for sport, outdoor learning and movement breaks, which can be a genuine help for pupils who concentrate better after physical activity.

Leadership is also unusually clear for a junior school. The senior leadership team is listed publicly, and the headship operates on an executive model across the federation. Miss Diane Charman is the Executive Headteacher for the junior school. The federation structure itself has been in place since September 2014, when the existing junior headteacher became executive headteacher across both schools.

The data presents a consistent story of high attainment by the end of Key Stage 2.

In 2024:

• 86% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined (England average: 62%).

• 34.33% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths (England average: 8%).

• Reading scaled score: 107; maths scaled score: 108; grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled score: 107.

• 88% met the expected standard in science (England average: 82%).

• 84.8% met the expected standard across reading, writing, maths, GPS and science combined.

The top end is also notable. In 2024, 40% achieved a high score in reading and 34% achieved a high score in maths, with 37.33% achieving high scores across reading, maths and GPS combined.

Rankings reinforce the point. Ranked 2,789th in England and 5th in Basingstoke for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Oakridge Junior sits above England average and comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England for primary performance.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view these outcomes side by side using the Comparison Tool, particularly useful when nearby schools have different intakes or admissions rules.

The clearest window into day to day teaching is reading, because Oakridge publishes a detailed explanation of how reading is taught across year groups.

In Key Stage 2, pupils receive daily 30 minute reading lessons built around a whole class text. The text is used to teach comprehension and discussion skills, and pupils also practise responding independently to unfamiliar extracts so that the reading skills transfer beyond the shared book. Pupils who are behind are supported through a rapid catch up approach using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.

That approach matters because it points to a deliberate balance: shared reading that builds vocabulary and discussion, plus independent application so that pupils are not only confident when the teacher is guiding the text. It is also consistent with the inspection evidence that teaching checks pupils’ understanding routinely and uses well sequenced content to help pupils remember key knowledge over time.

Homework expectations are structured rather than vague. The juniors use Atom Learning for setting homework, and the federation also uses platforms such as Times Tables Rock Stars and Bug Club to support practice in multiplication facts and reading comprehension at home. Reading is expected at least three times per week, recorded in reading diaries.

As a junior school, the main destination question is transition to local secondary schools at age 11. Oakridge explicitly prepares Year 6 pupils for that next step through the personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) programme, where the Year 6 focus includes self esteem, personal growth, future aspirations, and preparation for secondary school.

Practical transition support also shows up in the school’s communications. The Year 6 updates describe pupils attending secondary school transition days, meeting future classmates and sampling lessons, with an emphasis on confidence building and readiness for the change.

If you are shortlisting, it is worth checking the Hampshire secondary allocation rules that will apply to your address, because junior schools can be strong academically yet still feed into a range of secondaries depending on catchment and preferences.

Oakridge Junior School is a maintained junior school, so applications for the main intake are coordinated through Hampshire County Council rather than handled as a private application route.

The key entry point is Year 3. The published admission number (PAN) for Year 3 entry in September 2026 is 90 places. The published deadline for on time applications for September 2026 entry is midnight on 15 January 2026, with offers issued on 16 April 2026.

The oversubscription rules are detailed and fairly typical for Hampshire, but there are a few points parents should read carefully:

• Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school are admitted.

• After looked after and previously looked after children, the policy includes exceptional medical or social need, children of staff (subject to criteria), and a specific priority for children already on roll at the linked federated infant school.

• Catchment area residence matters, and distance is used as a tie break where criteria are oversubscribed, measured as straight line distance using the local authority’s GIS method.

If you are trying to gauge your realistic chance, the FindMySchoolMap Search is a sensible next step, because distance based rules can be unforgiving and small changes in applicant distribution can shift outcomes year to year.

The pastoral picture here is closely tied to expectations and routines. The most recent ungraded inspection describes pupils feeling safe, strong relationships with staff, and behaviour that is consistently calm and respectful. It also highlights the school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities as a strength, with needs identified quickly and teaching adapted skilfully so that pupils make secure progress through the curriculum.

The staffing structure published by the school includes a named SENCo and dedicated pastoral support within the inclusion team. This is useful for parents because it signals that SEND is treated as a core operational area, not an add on, and it matches the external review emphasis on swift identification and high quality classroom adaptation.

Safeguarding is also clearly stated as effective in the latest inspection documentation, which is a basic but essential threshold for any school choice.

Oakridge’s clubs offer is unusually specific and time stamped, which helps parents plan around work and pick up routines.

There is a daily Active Start before school club run by sports coaches from 7:45am. Clubs across the federation finish at 4:15pm.

For juniors, the published Spring 2026 offer includes coach led activities such as netball and year group football, plus teacher led clubs such as Computing, Maths, Art and Drawing, Young Authors, Homework, and the eco club listed as Eco-Warriers. There is also a lunchtime choir.

The inspection evidence adds further detail on the pupil experience: clubs referenced include reading club, dodge ball and American flag football, and pupils also take on responsibility roles in the life of the school.

The implication for families is that extracurricular life is not just a bolt on list. It is tied into wider aims, participation, responsibility, and keeping pupils active, which is often where confidence grows for children who are not defined purely by test scores.

Compulsory school hours are clearly set out. Classroom doors open at 8:40am, registration closes at 9:00am, and the junior day ends at 3:20pm.

Wraparound care is a mixed picture. There is structured before school and after school club provision through the school’s clubs programme, but the school also states that it does not offer wraparound care itself, and signposts families to an external provider for childcare options.

Travel is a live operational focus, with the federation referencing active monitoring of parking at drop off and pick up and the presence of a crossing patrol on Oakridge Road. The school encourages walking, scooting and cycling, and notes that the number 5 bus stops nearby on Oakridge Road.

• This is a junior school, not a primary. Entry is at Year 3, so families need to plan the infant to junior transition. The admissions rules explicitly prioritise children on roll at the linked infant school in the oversubscription criteria, which can matter in competitive years.

• Competition level is hard to infer from published numbers. Current application and offer counts are not provided here, so families should read the policy carefully and treat distance and catchment as decisive factors where criteria are oversubscribed.

• Routines and expectations are a feature, not an accident. The external review material emphasises high expectations for behaviour and learning. That suits many children well, but some pupils may need time to adjust if they are coming from looser structures.

• Wraparound is not a single in house system. Before and after school clubs exist, but childcare style wraparound is signposted to an external provider, which may affect logistics for some working families.

Oakridge Junior School combines high Key Stage 2 outcomes with a clearly structured approach to behaviour, reading, and daily learning routines. Results put it above England averages, and the most recent inspection evidence suggests the school has strengthened further since the last graded visit.

Who it suits: families looking for a purposeful junior school with strong academic outcomes, clear expectations, and lots of clubs that extend the day to 4:15pm. The key decision point is admissions fit for your address and Year 3 entry planning, especially if you are not already in the linked infant school.